Tour Director Day-by-Day Curriculum
Nine days. Eighty hours. Every skill a working Tour Director needs — built around what Tour Operators actually hire for.
The International Guide Academy (IGA) Tour Director Certification Course is held live, in person, in Denver, Colorado. The program runs Saturday through the following Sunday — nine consecutive days of training, practice, and feedback.
Each day builds on the one before. The progression mirrors the way the profession is actually learned: industry context first, then logistics, then narration, then the real-world skills that separate competent Tour Directors from exceptional ones.
The day-by-day plan below is the actual 2027 curriculum.
Day One
Orientation and Foundations
- Orientation and introduction to the program
- Tour Director leadership
- Sources of income for the Tour Director
- Principles of professional conduct and ethics
- Tour Traveler Index
- Glossary and review of industry terms
- How a tour is developed by the Tour Operator and marketed
- Growing trends in the Travel and Tourism industry
- Team-building exercise for course participants
- Profile of a Tour Director
- Pre-departure preparation by the Tour Director
- Commentary planning
- Your role as Tour Operator representative
- Tour debriefing
Day Two
Public Speaking, Airline Procedures, Hotel Arrivals
- Public speaking presentations by students (recorded)
- Airline and airport procedures
- Missing passports
- International airport departures
- Airline group check-in
- Airline check-in en route
- Airline reconfirmations
- Airline cancellations, re-routes and forced overnights
- Baggage handling and tracking on motor coach
- Lost or missing baggage
- Client Welcome guidelines and content
- Hotel procedures of arrival of motor coach and passengers
- Lobby duty by the Tour Director
- Concerns you might experience at hotels
Day Three
Narration and City Tours
- Public speaking
- How to research and present motor coach narration
- Cultural practices
- Leisure days on tour
- Group departure from hotels
- Courtesy hotel rooms
- Included city tours
- Working with the local city guide
Day Four
Small-Group Project Work
- Course participants work together in small groups on assigned projects
- Hotel walkthroughs
- Researching narration for actual motor coach travel later in the course
- Preparation and development of the “Client Welcome”
Day Five
Technology, Drivers, and Role-Play
- Technology and the Tour Director
- How you and your passengers can protect the environment while on tour
- Teamwork with the motor coach driver
- Discussion with an experienced motor coach driver
- Motor coach breakdowns
- Review of research test assignments (provided prior to the start of the program)
- Review of course content covered to this point
- Balance of day on individual and group role-playing
Day Six
Optional Excursions and Group Psychology
- Optional excursions: organization, selling, and control
- Working with the suppliers of the optional excursions
- Group psychology
- Effective handling skills of individuals on your tour
- Effective handling skills of group dynamics
- Group harmony on tour
- Passengers with concerns
- Passenger emergencies — illness, death, missing passengers, leaving the tour
Day Seven
More Small-Group Project Work
- Course participants work together in small groups on assigned projects
- Continuing research of narration for actual motor coach travel later in the course
- Continued preparation and development of the “Client Welcome”
Day Eight
Client Welcome Presentations & Written Test
- Each student presents their “Client Welcome” (recorded)
- Written test
Day Nine
Motor Coach Tour & Getting Hired
- Motor coach tour with each student presenting narration
- Microphone use, seat rotation and safety procedures on the motor coach
- Review of student presentations
- Review of written test
- The final afternoon is devoted to “Getting Hired” — cover letters, resumes, telephone interview procedures, discussion of Tour Operator hiring tips, hiring book with hundreds of personalized hiring managers and their contact information
All graduates receive a book specially prepared for that specific class which covers Getting Hired. Throughout the program, participants are video recorded with copies sent to each student, role-playing is integrated daily, and the final day includes an actual motor coach tour. With IGA you learn by doing.
Ready to start your nine days?
Upcoming classes in Denver: December 5 – 13, 2026; January 23 – 31, 2027; April 3 – 11, 2027; June 12 – 20, 2027; August 14 – 22, 2027; September 25 – October 3, 2027; and December 4 – 12, 2027.
Enroll Now Schedule a 15-min call Call IGA: 303.434.7557