Tour Director

Student Adventures, Inc; Grand Blanc (MI); On-site; USD 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Student Adventures, Inc. is seeking enthusiastic Tour Directors to guide student groups on educational trips across multiple destinations. You will lead groups, manage logistics, and deliver engaging experiences while ensuring safety and customer satisfaction.

This role requires at least 2 years in customer service or travel, strong communication, calm under pressure, and U.S. citizenship with the ability to pass a background check; 24/7 on-call availability during trips and travel to diverse

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years in customer service or travel roles.
• Passionate about working with students.
• Excellent communication and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to stay calm and professional in high-pressure situations.
• U.S. citizenship and ability to pass a background check.
• Willingness to be available 24/7 during trips.

Responsibilities

• Lead student groups through trips with seamless, engaging experiences.
• Coordinate logistics and itineraries with hotels, drivers, and attractions.
• Provide destination knowledge and recommendations.
• Deliver outstanding customer service in partnership with sponsors.
• Be available to guests before departure and after evening arrivals.
• Manage headcounts and safety compliance.

Skills

Customer service

Travel industry knowledge

Communication skills

Problem solving

Calm under pressure

U.S. Citizenship

Job description

At Student Adventures, we create life-changing travel experiences for student groups. As a Tour Director, you’ll play a crucial role in ensuring seamless, fun, and educational trips. You’ll be the go-to expert, lead student groups, handling logistics, and making every moment count.

Travel & Explore Iconic Destinations
Make a Lasting Impact on Students
Work with a Fun & Professional Team
Enjoy a Rewarding, Exciting Career

What You’ll Do

As a Tour Director, you will:

Lead student groups through their entire trip, ensuring a seamless and engaging experience.
Manage logistics & itineraries, coordinating with hotels, drivers, and attractions.
Provide expert knowledge about each destination, offering insights and recommendations.
Deliver outstanding customer service by working hand in hand with a trip sponsor to ensure a smooth, fun trip.
Be available 24/7 for the duration of the trip to ensure smooth operations.

Who We’re Looking For

We’re seeking fun, energetic, and knowledgeable individuals with:

At least 2 years of experience in customer service or travel (or relevant certification).
A passion for working with students and providing top-tier service.
Excellent communication and problem-solving skills.
The ability to stay calm and professional in high-pressure situations.
U.S. Citizenship (required) & ability to pass a background check.

At Student Adventures, we pride ourselves on providing groups with a seamless, worry-free process from the time the group books until the time the group arrives back home from their trip. While on trip, our professional Tour Directors are there every step of the way ensuring that the group has a successful trip. Our Tour Directors are fun, knowledgeable, and experienced. They play a major role in providing the little things that make a BIG difference, paying particular attention to every detail with hands‑on care. They add the personal touch that makes our trips unique and special

Professional Tour Directors are a HUGE part of our success. We hire the finest professionals to coordinate every aspect of the trip and be the liaison for the group throughout the entire trip.

The goal is wow the customer by means of providing excellent service every step of the way.

Currently, we are looking for professional Tour Directors that are fun, energetic, and knowledgeable about the following destinations:

• Washington DC
• Chicago, IL
• Philadelphia, PA
• New York City, NY
• Williamsburg, VA
• Toronto, ON

Responsibilities

Whether you are a recent graduate from the International Tour Management Institute(ITMI), International Guide Academy(IGA), TripSchool, or a retired educator with years of travel experience, we look forward to meeting and interviewing you. We carefully screen each potential tour director to ensure that he/she meets our high standards of excellence. Once hired, your responsibilities will include the following:

• Accompany various sized student trip groups through each segment of their trip while constantly offering exemplary customer service to every guest on the trip.
• Establish a professional team relationship with the trip sponsor/teachers, chaperones, students, drivers, hotels, guides, and other employees at each travel destination.
• Establish a professional team relationship with the Student Adventures staff.
• Complete all paperwork associated with your trip including daily reports, wake-up calls, expense reports, and accident reports (if needed).
• Inform and assist guests with any special needs and/or requests pertaining to the hotel, dietary, and mobility issues.
• Acquire a strong knowledge of the trip route to make personal recommendations throughout the trip.
• Expedite group itinerary by discussing the day’s activities with the trip sponsor to ensure knowledge of plans, meeting places, etc.
• Be available to guests at least 1 hour before departure and 1 hour after evening hotel arrival each day to answer questions and provide direction. Tour Directors should realize their services might be needed at other times and need to be available for emergencies 24 hours a day.
• Ensure that headcounts are completed before motorcoach departures.
• Must possess the ability to stay calm in difficult situations and have a positive attitude.
• Represent Student Adventures in a professional manner including appearance (company dress code), attitude, and demeanor.

Trip Directing Requirements

Tour directing requirements include the following:

• Must be at least 21 years of age.
• Must be a citizen of the U.S.
• Must have a minimum of two years’ experience in a customer service or sales-oriented position, preferably in the travel industry (a combination of professional certification and experience may be substituted).
• Must enjoy working with all types of people.
• Must possess excellent communication skills, and customer service skills.
• Will be required to perform any other duties as needed to ensure successful completion of the trip.
• Must submit to a National Criminal Background Checkeach year.