Lakhasly

The step-on tour guides For many young people, being a tour guide seems to be the perfect job, almost like a paid holiday with no expenses.In reality, of course, it can be tiring and stressful having to solve all the problems that arise and deal with the constant demands of the people who have paid money for your services.It's no longer enough to take them round the famous buildings, monuments and tourist sites and tell them a few dates and interesting stories.And it seems that tourists are becoming more demanding, partly due to the internet.In fact, tourists nowadays don't like to be labelled as tourists at all.'It's a great way to meet people and give them an introduction to your town or city,' says Moustafa, a step-on guide in Istanbul, Turkey.What they want is something different and special.

The step-on tour guides
For many young people, being a tour guide seems to be the perfect job, almost like a paid holiday with no
expenses. In reality, of course, it can be tiring and stressful having to solve all the problems that arise and deal
with the constant demands of the people who have paid money for your services.
And it seems that tourists are becoming more demanding, partly due to the internet. They already know a lot
of the basic information that guides used to tell them. What they want is something different and special. It’s no
longer enough to take them round the famous buildings, monuments and tourist sites and tell them a few dates
and interesting stories. In fact, tourists nowadays don’t like to be labelled as tourists at all. Today’s well-informed
‘traveller’ prefers culture, getting under the surface of things, seeing something of the real life of the place
they’re visiting.
This need has led to an increase in the popularity of ‘step-on guides’. These are people who live in the area and
have local knowledge. They take over the tour temporarily and provide the kind of information that the usual
tour guide can’t offer. ‘It’s a great way to meet people and give them an introduction to your town or city,’ says
Moustafa, a step-on guide in Istanbul, Turkey.
Being a successful step-on guide depends on getting to know what travellers really want. This is something
that Moustafa has picked up from experience: ‘I treat my customers more like students than tourists. But I never
lecture them. I don’t want them just to take in whatever I say. I think they’d rather interact with places and people.’