Historical, cultural, and architectural city tours on foot are the most popular touring methods in Berlin. If you are a walking tour guide, then the interest of tour participants is the only thing that you should consider. From some simple rules given below, it will be possible to make each partying event safe and enjoyable for all parties. In this article the writer shall outline some of the critical and necessary safety precautions that should be taken while conducting Berlin walking tours.
Preparation is Key
In any form of the walking tour before beginning the journey, basic planning is crucial. Accomplishment of the latter requires thorough study of the tour route and introduction to the landmarks and possible dangers that can occur on the way. Carry out a map study of the area and then highlight safe paths highlighted in green, safe pedestrian walkways and safe crosswalks. Make sure that you establish with whom your children stay informed about transportation, when and where you should call in an emergency, and the closest hospitals or clinics.
Here are some additional steps to take before each tour:
Review the prognosis and inform the participants about the weather condition and recommend what they should wear.
Always have with you a first aid kit with simple medicines on hand.
From the emergency contacts, prepare something important like emergency contact numbers to be made available.
tell a close coworker or a friend about a detailed schedule.
Guide with Confidence
The whole idea of walking tour guides is to ensure that the group follows a particular route within the city as safely as possible. Here are a few tips to help you guide your tour participants with confidence:
Make sure that all the people in the group are able to hear your directions. Verbal communication should be done in a way that reaches all the people, use portable Public Address System or raise your voice.
Make sure to observe the speed you and everyone in the group are going and don’t let anyone slow down or get left behind.
Do not use facilities like the phone while leading a tour around the various stations.
Sometimes, we have to pull over at certain areas so that citizens can be briefed and asked some questions.
People must always pay attention to what is going on around them or look for dangers.
Educate on Pedestrian Safety
A lot of Berlin’s streets are pedestrianized and many of the walking tours take you through areas where there is a lot of traffic. Another thing that I believe must remind your tour participants is the basic rules of travelling on foot. Here are some key points to cover:
Whenever crossing the streets, stay on zebra crossings and only cross when the traffic lights are green.
Always be careful when crossing the road no matter the color of the light.
Never run individually when crossing the road; always do it as a group to avoid least conspicuous would be killed.
Participants should be advised against the use of headphones or just walking around with their attention on their phones.
Warn them about cycles and other pedestrians on such routes so that they avoid an incident with them.
Consult Current Conditions
Depending on the neighborhood, the current environmental conditions, as well as possible safety hazards must be known by anyone who leads a walking tour in Berlin. Keep abreast with the current affairs, the weather conditions as well as happenings in the city. When planning or during the course of the tour look out for any construction or roads that are closed off that one may be forced to alter the tour route to safe the lives of the group.
You Should Trust Your Intincts and Be Alert
During walking tour guiding, there are some things you do not plan for; you just have to be sensitive to your environment. If you observe any dubious person or if there is something wrong or can be dangerous to you or your group, your instincts are right and you have to take measures to avoid it. In safety we are always better off to be more proactive rather than reactive.
Safety always comes first as a Berlin walking tour guide. Through observing these tips and showing that can participant’s safety is our priority you will throughout make sure that all participant is okay.
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