Picture this: you are travelling abroad with your sports team and you have a simple choice to make. There are two options – you go alone and abandon the idea of bringing along a Tour Leader, or you share the weight and bring a person who can make every little task a bit easier?
From that first paragraph, you can probably tell which option I think you should go for. That being said, I understand that some of you may still be reluctant to let an outsider help with the running of your tour.
So for you reluctant folk, let we share a few reasons why bringing a guide makes sense for both you and your team.
Less Stress
The number one reason is also the most obvious. There is much less stress involved, simply because you have an extra pair of hands who is always happy to help out. This will allow you to focus on your number one priority; whether that is coaching the team to success or getting a little bit of time to relax by yourself.
A tour guide takes a great deal of weight off your shoulders… but metaphorically and literally – our guys and girls are great at carrying gear bags!
Extra authority figure
Whether you like it or not, your team aren’t going to want to spend every second of their downtime with you, a person of authority. So another pair of capable hands, who they won’t feel is intruding on their social time after training, is a fantastic asset to have.
This person will make the team feel like he/she is one of them, but they will really be working for you. Think of them as a friendly spy, but please don’t refer to them as 007 – I don’t want any of my staff returning home in full tuxedos.
Sightseeing expertise
All my Chef de Missions are also expert sightseeing guides. Therefore you can fill your mind with stats and facts about your team, rather than interesting snippets about local monuments.
Chef de Missions also know all the best places to go, so it takes one more difficult decision off the table. Now, all you have to decide is who plays scrumhalf for the big game!
Company for you
Sometimes when you travel with a large group of youths, it can be difficult to feel relaxed because you are always looking after people. Having an extra pair of hands there can help you with this. Another thing that helps is having an actual adult with you.
Communicating with youngsters can be good fun, but sometimes all you want to do is have a chat with an adult about grown-up subjects… but no, they won’t tell you who which offence to run to win the game.
Innovation
All our Chef de Missions are fully trained and making plans is an essential part of their training. One of their key talents is adaptability, so if something changes while you are on the road, or there is an emergency, they can react.
The fact that they will know the destination better than most people will ensure that any issues are dealt with in the most efficient manner possible.
In fact, there is only one problem that they can’t really help you with… yes, you are going to have decide who plays scrumhalf on your own.
Experts
You’re the coach or the mum or the dad or the manager or even just the orange cutter. While me my team are travel specialists. It’s what we do. Don’t ask us to cut the oranges.. it might not end well. Would you ask a rugby union coach to coach your basketball team? Then why do you ask your coach to be tour leader? Our team has seen it all before, if not something similar and their ability to assist in times of challenge is second to no one.
