Do you need a licence to be a tour guide?

Some cities and heritage sites require an official guiding licence; free walking tours and adventure guiding usually do not.

Is tour guiding seasonal?

Mostly yes — summer in Europe, winter in the tropics and ski regions, which makes it easy to chain two seasons a year.

Seasonaries

Tour Guide Jobs

Tour guide jobs pay you to know a place better than anyone. Cities hire walking-tour guides for the summer, adventure companies hire rafting, hiking and bike guides, and group operators hire tour leaders for multi-week trips.

Walking toursAdventure guidingTour leadersBike & raft guidingCity tours

Open right now

Nothing live here right now — new opportunities land every week.

Explore all opportunities

How guiding pay works

Free walking tours run on tips, adventure guiding pays a day rate plus tips, and tour leading pays a salary with travel, accommodation and food covered on the road.

Getting your first guiding job

Strong spoken English plus a second language, first-aid training and a confident audition tour are what operators actually test for.

Frequently asked

Do you need a licence to be a tour guide?: Some cities and heritage sites require an official guiding licence; free walking tours and adventure guiding usually do not.
Is tour guiding seasonal?: Mostly yes — summer in Europe, winter in the tropics and ski regions, which makes it easy to chain two seasons a year.