What Inspired This Tío To Become A Tour Guide?

So picture this, a 24 year old man who has been working from his home office for the last 2 years, living in his pajamas. His beard is a bit too long and unkempt, zoom meetings are becoming tedious for him, and his eyes are becoming square from all the screen time (or at least that’s what his Mum told him). Well that was me. I used to like this job when it involved me visiting other businesses on the daily, learning about how different companies make goods, and if I could, selling some of my products. One day I’d be on a mine site, next in a food production facility (don’t ask how KFC produces it’s chicken), and the next day in an aerospace hangar. But times had changed, COVID brought severe lockdowns in my home city, Melbourne, resulting in my 2 year home office marathon. But the good thing is that times always change, and those 2 years lit a fire under my bottom. Change for the better has to be established on one’s own volition, risks have to be taken - That’s what I learned, and I never looked back. 

1. Manchester (Musical Manchester Walking Tour)

When I left Melbourne, ostensibly I left for Spain, but my first stop was Manchester, a city with a special place in my heart as it is where both of my parents hail from. Before arriving, I had never actually heard about free walking tours, as far as I knew they didn’t exist. Instead, I had actually booked a beer tour of Manchester which I thought would be a good way to meet people (everyone likes a chat over a few pints). Unfortunately, this tour was cancelled due to a lack of participants, so I found myself with a free day with no plans (and no pints, unfortunately). Not one to waste a day though, I jumped online, and a few tour related searches later I had stumbled across something that would change my life. The Free Walking Tour. Little did I know what I had just unlocked. 

I showed up on the day, excited but uncertain about what I was about to experience. But thankfully it was a formative experience. I’m kicking myself now because I can’t remember his name 2 and a half years later, but the guide made the tour, and set me on an inevitable path. Firstly, he had everyone introduce themselves to break the ice. It’s always great to know where everyone comes from. But what I remember the most is that between every stop, he would choose someone new to chat with, making them feel right at home. When he got round to me, perhaps between the 3rd and 4th stop, we exchanged stories. He had been to Australia and attended a music festival that I had also been to. I told him about my parents and how Manchester had seemingly changed from their youth in the 70’s and 80’s. But one cool little addition he made to his tour was that in between stops he would play some music originating from Manchester, and he would ask his guests for suggestions. Bravely, I took the first opportunity and recommended that he play “Step On” by Happy Monday. He was surprised at my knowledge (I’ve always been a bit partial to 90’s BritPop), but conceded that it is indeed an amazing song to walk along to. And that’s what a good guide does, makes you feel seen and gets you involved whilst feeding your brain those sweet nuggets of information to immerse you in a city. I aim to replicate this in Madrid. 

2. Porto (Private Tour)

This one was really cool. I’d just come from Lisbon, where I also partook in an excellent walking tour, but Porto stands out in my mind as I was the only guest on the tour! I was sitting on the steps of one of Porto’s lovely blue tiled churches, eating my pre-made sandwich just a few minutes before the tour I had booked was meant to begin. A guy in his mid-twenties in a black jacket walked past me, clutching an orange umbrella. We locked eyes and I gave him a nod, little did I know I was his captive for the next two hours (voluntarily, of course). Diogo was his name, and my word he did a fantastic job of helping me dive head first into the history of Porto. What I loved about Diogo’s tour was that he went out of his way to give me so much more than he needed to. He took me to the top of the Clérigos Church, a thin pencil shaped church, which offered an amazing view from the top. He explained to me how Portugal was born whilst we were in a train station of all places (a lovely train station, however, with massive blue tile mosaics). To end the tour, he eloquently explained to me the Portuguese word “saudade”, meaning a feeling of yearning and melancholy, apparently originating from the age of exploration when many explorers would never return. And as we went our separate ways, I felt an instant sense of saudade. I had been chained to this man for the last two and a half hours, but I instantly felt a longing for his company and undoubtedly the many more tales of Porto that he possessed. As I sat down to a pint of Super Bock beer that evening, I began to think to myself that this free walking tour business was actually quite remarkable. Another fire was starting under my bottom.

This tour: Best of Porto: English Tour In Small Group

Provider: https://optimustours.com/en

3. Zagreb (Banter, 5 ways)

The Summer of 2023 will live long in the memory. 3 months solo backpacking meant a lot of new places, new friends, and most importantly, ridiculous amounts of sunburn. I’d arrived in Zagreb very late the previous night and simply planned to hit the hay instantaneously to be in top condition for the walking tour. This was a great decision because I ended up doing far more walking than expected! I was greeted by Luka, a tall Croatian who spoke English probably better than I do! He was undoubtedly a history buff, and the highlight of his tour was that he timed it perfectly to coincide with a cannon that is fired over Zagreb at 12pm every day! Don’t worry, it fires blanks! Looking back at the video I took of those moments, he can be heard warning the group, “Hold on to your mobile phones, please!” Undoubtedly, he has had some guests drop them in the past when the cannon fires!

But what was most memorable about this tour was the group of friends I made during the tour. A group of 5 of us formed nicely during the tour. Young, energetic solo travellers, interested in history but also looking for some fun! We had Jack from the UK, Shai from the US, Trevor from Canada, Colin from Germany, and of course myself from Australia. 5 different countries! Amazing! After the tour we naturally grabbed a cevapi and a few beers and decided that today was a lads days. We did laps around Zagreb, visiting the spooky underground war tunnels, an abandoned railway yard, stopping for a swim at my hostel, and we even stopped at a playground to ride the swings (forever young). We capped the day off with some traditional Croatian cuisine at the Stari Fijaker restaurant (a Luka recommendation), whilst ceremoniously christening our group “The Swanky Boys” after the hostel I was staying in (see photo of the Swanky Boys above)! Never be afraid to do a walking tour alone. Chances are there will be other solo travellers looking to make friends too!

This Tour: Free Spirit Tour Zagreb

Provider: https://freespirittours.eu/tours/free-walking-tour-zagreb/

4. Prague (What are the chances!?)

Still on the same Summer 2023 Europe extravaganza, but a few months later, I found myself in Prague accompanied by my lovely girlfriend, Emely. Naturally, it was walking tour time! As usual, this one started with an ice breaker. Your name, where you’re from, is it your first time here? The usual stuff. As luck would have it, there was another couple from Melbourne on this tour today, so of course I took the first opportunity to talk to them, and was quite astounded by what I encountered. We had just met Mack & Kim, from the same part of Melbourne as myself. But it gets even crazier. I shared numerous mutual friends with Mack, and Kim went to the same primary school as I had done. Furthermore, she was in the same classes as my little brother. It later transpired that my brother could actually remember Kim getting into trouble all those years ago! Small world, hey? The tour itself was awesome, and I really enjoyed the stop at the chimney cake shop (I’m addicted to these things now), but of course the people you meet along the way make the journey, so we arranged to meet Mack & Kim later on at the London Underground Karaoke Bar. What followed was pure shenanigans. Mack & Kim got the crowd buzzing by singing “Down Under” by Men At Work in their finest Aussie accents. Shortly after, Emely and I were up. We’d of course picked “Y.M.C.A” by Village People, as who doesn’t like a sing along? The result was a whole bar of foreigners jumping up and down, poorly trying to make the letters above their heads, but nevertheless having a blast. We carried on with the night, ending up in what could only be described as a dingy Czech rock bar. But it didn’t matter. We drank, played pool and chatted the night away, thankful for a lasting friendship that we’d just had the pleasure of making. 

5. Krakow (A touching History)

Chris was simply an amazing tour guide. The depth of his knowledge about his city, Krakow, was simply unmatched. Emely and I went on his Old Town tour in the morning, and we felt as if Chris had infused all of his knowledge into us. The information he had and the way he transmitted it was unrivalled. So, Emely and I decided to check out his Jewish Quarter tour in the evening, and my word it didn’t disappoint. Chris, while knowing all of the history there is to know about Krakow, also had a knack for telling the stories of the people who have inhabited Krakow with such passion and emotion that you felt like you were there with them. The subject matter that Chris covered was not particularly happy either, but Chris approached it with such tenderness that it instilled within us a genuine sense of empathy for Krakow’s past inhabitants. Naturally, part of Chris’ tour covered the Jewish Ghetto of World War II, but what astonished me most was that Chris still had documents belonging to his ancestors that were provided to them by the Nazi occupiers. Moreover, Chris had such trust in his guests as to allow us to hold them and look at them. While the subject matter was dark, I found this truly astonishing and Chris did Krakow and it’s past inhabitants proud. 

This Tour: Krakow Explorers Jewish Quarter Tour

Provider: https://krakowexplorers.com/jewish-quarter-tour/

So, there you have it. A small selection of my walking tour experiences! I’m always keen to hear about your adventures, so feel free to send me an email detailing where you’ve been and what you’ve experienced. Find me at tiotoursmadrid@gmail.com

Don’t forget to book your Madrid - Medieval to Modern Free Walking Tour when you’re in Madrid! Perhaps one day you’ll write a blog post about it! Medieval To Modern Free Walking Tour Madrid | Book Now