Award-Winning Courses & Books for Tour Guides, Tour Leaders, and Travel Entrepreneurs.

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At TripSchool we believe that creating & delivering travel experiences is a lifechanging career. We offer courses for new and experienced tour guides, tour leaders and entrepreneurs interested in starting a tour business. Courses take place either online or in-person. And the best part is you’ll become part of a global community of 4,000+ graduates.

Online & In-Person Classes

Become a tour guide or tour leader »

Start a Tour Business »

Learn a Destination »

Learn Storytelling & Other Skills »

TripSchool for Tour Operators

Need help with guide training? Looking for deep business strategy to move your business forward? Need to find a tour guide?

Upcoming Schedule

mitch bach and alan armijo tripschool founders

A mission-driven organization.

“We started TripSchool to help people discover the power of creating and delivering travel experiences. We believe the travel industry needs to break the old molds with creative and innovative ideas for how powerful and deep a travel experience can be. Working as a guide or tour operator is an incredible responsibility: to our travelers and to the planet and cultures we work in, to do something truly special and transformative. Travel changes people. It leaves a lasting impact on their lives, and will change yours when you pursue these careers.

We also believe in the huge needs to bring sustainability, equity, inclusion, and diversity to our industry. Visit our non-profit Pathways Project to see what we’re doing.

-Mitch Bach & Alan Armijo, Co-Founders

Over 500+ Unsolicited Testimonials & Reviews

…”the best decision I’ve ever made”…

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…”the best thing that has happened to the tour industry”…

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…”total pros, the real deal.”…

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…”simply no comparison”…

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…”I’m a better person and a better guide”…

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…”a game changer”…

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free e-book for tour guides

Free E-Book: Refresh & Reinvigorate Your Tours

Our short e-book shares tips and tricks for guides and business owners, and summarizes our mission in this industry: creating exceptional wow moments, delivering an engaging, story-based experience to your guests, and using technology and creativity to take your tours and guest experience to the next level.

tour guide training book

Tour Guide Bookstore

We publish our own books on destinations across the United States to help you get up and running quickly.

Become a Member!

Overwhelmed by the amount of trip research & work you need to do? GuidePRO provides tour guides & tour leaders learning support—all the logistics, commentary, mapping and more, done for you.

screenshot of tour guide smartphone app

Articles

2024 East Coast Destination Updates

The Psychology of Offering Choices to Your Tour Group

The Pitfalls of Being Too Experienced as a Tour Guide

How to Improve Your Tours by Incorporating the Senses

Introducing New Team Member Don Littlefield

Tour Guide & Tour Director Insurance Options

How To Practice Self-Care During Tour Season

tour guide compensation and salary

What is an average tour guide salary?

How to Choose your Tour Operator Booking Software

5 Tips for Guiding in Busy Places

How to Create a Free Tour Guide Availability Calendar

[Press Release] The Pathways Project: Diversifying the Travel Industry

Meaningful global partnerships

We partner with international associations, training and research companies, non-profits and conferences to support you and our industry. Our global network includes relationships with conferences like Arival, and communities like Tourpreneur which provides boots-on-the-ground resources for entrepreneurs.

And we help tour directors and guides connect with their local communities, and get work through our affiliations with associations like the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations and the Global Guide Alliance, along with dozens of local associations of which we are industry partners.

Trusted by companies around the world.

We’re known in the industry for our creativity and innovation when it comes to reinventing tourism training for this quickly-changing world, and our tour directing and guiding graduates work around the world with leading tour operators. In addition, TripSchool has been invited by some of the largest tour companies and organizations in the world to lead trainings for their guides.

“I cannot begin to adequately express my appreciation. The rumors are true, and I have experienced it first hand: TripSchool is the definitive training experience. No contest. You have imbued me with confidence and I am eternally grateful!”

—Denise Swain, SceneThat Tours

“I just wanted to stop and say a big THANK YOU to each of you. You have helped me get adjusted to this new world; one week after my graduation from TripSchool, I booked two NYC tours! And now, I’m doing performance and Broadway tours, and then three tours of southern England. Then in June, I’ll do a couple of DC-NYC tours…I don’t have any more days left between now and the end of June! Thanks so much for helping me get prepared for this life. It’s just so exciting to see what is opening up before me.”

—Greg, Tour Director Certification, ’19

Interested? Let’s start with a chat!

We love talking about the industry, and helping you figure out whether a TripSchool program is the right fit for you. Reach out to us, and we’ll set up a call to talk things through. Or just send us a note!