Start with the current itinerary
Send the latest working itinerary rather than an early sales version. Include dates, local times, addresses or precise named locations, scheduled admissions, meals, hotel movements, and the program element immediately before and after the guide’s service. Mark what is firm, what is a preference, and what is still being negotiated.
A good guide can help refine a local segment, but only when the constraints are visible. If the schedule is intentionally flexible, say so. If a timed reservation cannot move, make it prominent.
Vehicle and driver information
Provide:
- Vehicle type and approximate capacity.
- Transportation company and dispatch process when available.
- Driver name and day-of contact process at the appropriate planning stage.
- Known vehicle-height, length, accessibility, or loading considerations.
- Microphone or public-address expectations.
- Driver-hour or mileage constraints that affect the local segment.
- Whether the guide rides for the full segment or joins and departs at different points.
The driver remains responsible for safe and lawful vehicle operation. The guide and planner should know how to communicate changes without creating conflicting instructions.
Pickup, endpoint, and timing
List the exact desired pickup and endpoint, including the venue entrance, hotel loading area, terminal procedure, or agreed curb when known. Add the requested guide report time, group boarding time, departure target, and must-return time. Note whether the vehicle can wait, must stage elsewhere, or has another assignment.
Do not rely on a hotel or attraction name alone when a property has multiple entrances or a large campus. Final loading instructions should come from the relevant venue, transportation provider, or official authority.
Group profile and mobility
Share the information needed to plan respectfully without sending sensitive medical or identity data:
- Approximate group size.
- General audience type and interests.
- Typical walking tolerance and pace.
- Use of mobility devices or need for step-free options in aggregate.
- Hearing or communication considerations relevant to narration.
- Languages only when a verified guide-language request is being scoped.
- Whether guests prefer a narration-forward experience, short interpreted stops, or a blend.
The proposal will confirm what accommodations Hometown Advantage can support. The planner remains responsible for obtaining appropriate participant information and arranging services outside the contracted guide scope.
Confirmed admissions, meals, and reservations
Identify every booking already held, including the confirmed arrival window, group capacity, contact, payment status when operationally relevant, and who holds the voucher or confirmation. Note meals, tastings, attraction visits, restroom plans, and security or check-in procedures.
A mention in an itinerary is not necessarily a confirmed reservation. Label the status so the guide does not build the day around an assumption.
Story priorities and boundaries
Tell the guide what the group has already heard, what the tour is selling, and which themes matter most. Useful inputs include city orientation, architecture, geology, regional history, food context, industry, culture, photography, or a general highlights balance.
Also flag topics, planned speakers, onboard announcements, sales messaging, or tour-director segments that need protected time. The goal is a coordinated presentation, not competition for the microphone.
Comfort stops and pacing
Explain meal times, restroom expectations, medication or rest schedules in general operational terms, and how long the group can comfortably remain aboard. For regional days, identify any confirmed facility plan. Stops depend on current access, coach suitability, business operations, and the day’s timing; they should not be assumed from an old itinerary.
Contacts and contingencies
Provide the planner, tour leader, transportation dispatch, and day-of escalation process. Explain who can approve a material itinerary change and how that decision should be documented. If the group is arriving by air, cruise, rail, or another tour segment, share the contingency plan for delay.
A concise handoff packet
Before arrival, the most useful packet contains:
- The current dated itinerary.
- Vehicle and transportation-provider details.
- Pickup, endpoint, report, depart, and return times.
- Group profile and aggregate mobility considerations.
- Confirmed admissions, meals, and reservations.
- Story priorities and must-see requests.
- Microphone and onboard-role expectations.
- Operational contacts and change authority.
- Known comfort-stop and schedule constraints.
- Any open questions requiring a decision.
Exact requirements are confirmed for each proposal. Sending this information early does not guarantee a route or stop, but it gives the guide the foundation for better preparation and clearer questions.