One of the challenges of a job in the tourism industry is the seasonability of the work. Depending on your exact location your season might be longer or shorter, but there will undeniably be times of the year where business is slower. Generally adult and student tours have two distinctive seasons, so if you currently only lead one type of tours this is something worth looking into as well. I am sure many of us have received comments like “Your job is one big vacation”, but being on the road and looking after people day after day is a real job as we all know, so the slower times of the year are also a good time to take some time off for a personal trip, or to spend some well deserved time at home. If you however still need to find some work to make it through the slower times of the year, there are a number of tourism jobs that will help you fill the gaps in your schedule

While the tour season generally runs from May – September for most regions in North America, larger tour operators will sometimes have additional work for other parts of the year to destinations outside of Canada and the US.  These tours are often assigned to full time, senior tour directors within the organisation, but it’s worth looking into. Many international destinations require the use of a local, certified guide, which means you will often work alongside a local tourism professional at the destination.Having a (second) passport of another country, and speaking one or more different languages beside English will notably increase your chances to obtain additional work abroad.

Over the past decade the craft beer industry has experience significant growth almost anywhere in the world. According to the Brewers Association a total of 7,480 active small and independent breweries operate in the US as of June 30, 2019. This increase in small, local breweries also created a market for brewery tours, where guests visit multiple breweries during a half or full day tour. These tours are generally small group tours, with a driver guide that educates the participants about each brewery and the different beers they produce. Brewery tours are a popular activity for out of town visitors, but also a popular activity for birthday parties, bachelor parties and corporate events, meaning that these tours operate year round.

Similaer to the craft beer tours there is a large market for winery tours in areas like California’s Napa Valley, Oregons’s Willamette Valley, and the Okanagan Valley in Canada. These tours operate in a similar fasion to the beer tours, and guests will sample various wines at multiple wineries throughout the day. The only negative part about these beer and wine tours is that the driver guide is unable to join the tastings 😉

Sports fans will travel from far and wide to visit a game of their favorite sport teams and see the home arena. Many stadiums offer fans the possibility to receive a tour of the stadium on non-game days. These tours generally show behind the scenes areaas usually closed to the public, like the press room, locker rooms and a close up look at the field.

Every city with a major airport will have a number of limousine companies offering luxury transportation options from the airport to local destinations. Advantages of a job as a private chauffeur include having a flexible schedule, a good salary, plus gratuities. These companies don’t only cater to business travelers, but often also receive inquiries for ski resort transfers, and other transportation for leisure travellers. Private chauffeurs require a commercial license, and generally a chauffeurs permit for airport pickups. As a tour guide or tour director you will already have excellent knowledge of the local area, so you will be able to quickly learn the business.

Most ski resorts offer visitors a wide variety of activities to choose from beside skiing and snowboarding. Many of the activity providers in ski resorts look for job candidates with guiding or leadership experience to fill their seasonal positions. A quick search for jobs in Whistler, Canada’s largest ski resort, reveals available positions as a snowshoe guide, ziptrek guide and snowmobile guide to name a few.

Some areas also have tour operators specializing in guided ski and snowboard tours. These tours take (international) guests to one of more ski resorts, where the tour director will assist with getting the guests set up with their rental equipment and lift passes. In some cases the tour director even gets to ski or snowboard after all the work is done so you can make money and ski at the same time, the best of both worlds!

A 2018 research report by Allied Market Research stated that the global MICE industry size was $805 billion in 2017, and projected the industry to reach $1,439.3 billion in 2025. MICE is the abbreviation for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions. This diverse segment of the travel industry caters to corporate traveles, and is therefore a year round industry, and less prone to certain challenges and changes in the leisure tourism market. Businesses operating within the MICE market include event planners, convention and visitor bureaus, meeting venues, accommodations, and transportation providers. These events often attract large numbers of attendants to the host city, with many attendants often adding a few days to their stay for pre- or post event activities. Your experience as a tour director can often benefit businesses in the MICE industry. The top 5 conference cities in the US are Orlando, Washington DC, Las Vegas, Miami, and Chicago.

Although your current employer(s) might not have any tours for you during the off season, there might be additional work available if you can “wear a different hat” within the organization. As an experienced tour director you often know the destination better than people in the office who only get to visit a destination once or twice a year, so there might be opportunities available there. Your first hand experience as a tour director will benefit you in the reservations, marketing, and operations departments to name just a few.

As an experienced tour guide or tour director you will have a wealth of knowledge of the tourism and hospitality industry. You can use this knowledge and experience to teach new students at colleges or universities as a guest speaker or even become a lecturer.

I played with the idea to write this post for some time, but kept it on the back burner for a while. The recent developments in regards to the Corona outbreak motivated me to grab my laptop and  finish the article to get the discussion going. Do you have any other tourism related jobs you rely on during the off-season as a tour guide or tour director? Please share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments below to help your colleagues!