Over the summer months millions of people worldwide spent time vacationing, traveling and sightseeing. As many travelers were largely unfamiliar with their desired destinations (assuming that they even know where they want to go), they needed to rely heavily on the knowledge and experience of two kinds of travel professionals: travel agents (for those who still use them) and tour guides. Despite the proliferation of online content (not to mention booking and other tools), many folks still lean on professionals to guide them through the travel experience.
While both serve important, related roles in ensuring an enjoyable vacation experience, there are some significant differences between them. For starters, agents do their work on the front end of the travel process. In contrast, only after the decision is made to visit a particular locale can a tour guide be engaged for service. Second, travel agents often sell vacation packages to destinations that they have never visited. A tour guide, on the other hand, needs to be intimately familiar with any area that they service, including its history, culture, venues, best times to visit attractions, etc. No tour guide can lead others effectively without having been there first and studying its details thoroughly. Nor can they just hand their clients a map or GPS for the day together with some pamphlets. They need to be present throughout the process both physically and mentally, guiding, teaching and sharing their passion about each place that they visit.
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