🌏 The Real Intercultural Experts? Tour Guides
Understanding how to build trust and deliver a great job.
After traveling for two weeks through Vietnam and Cambodia, I realized something unexpected: The real intercultural experts aren’t consultants or researchers they’re tour guides.
Think about it: A good tour guide meets people from dozens of nationalities, spends hours (or entire days) with them, and knows that, in the end, it’s all about those tips. 😉
WOW you can feel, hear and see the difference between tours
The tours in French, Spanish, German, and the ones in English (for “the rest of the world”) each bring their own flavor of interaction and level of information shared.
Spanish speaking tour
I joined the Spanish-speaking group, and it was pure joy.
The guide had everyone laughing within 10 minutes, telling personal stories, cracking jokes, and calling us “mi familia”. People were asking open, sometimes deeply personal questions the kind that make strangers feel like friends by the end of the day.
She basically won our trust by winning our hearts and empathy.
French and German speaking tour
Then I glanced over at the French and German tours: SAME TEMPLES, completely DIFFERENT ENERGY.
They were laser-focused, taking notes, fact-checking everything with their Le Routard or Marco Polo guides. When the tour guide asked for questions, hands went up , not for small talk, but for references and sources.
They wanted accuracy, evidence, and solid facts. You could see the guide working hard to earn their trust!
Meanwhile, the English-speaking group was somewhere between the two smiling politely, sipping water, and trying not to get sunburned. ☀️
The build trust differently
That’s when it clicked for me: this is exactly what Erin Meyer talks about in The Culture Map- BUILDING TRUST is different
🧠 Some cultures build trust cognitively: through competence, logic, and proof.
💚 Others build trust affectively:
-> Neither is better they’re just different currencies of trust.
So next time you’re on a group tour, take a look around, you might not just be exploring ancient temples, you might be watching cultural psychology in real time.
And honestly? I’m convinced the best MBA program in intercultural management might be walking through a city or tasting food in 35°C heat, surrounded by 20 strangers (from all over the world), and one brilliant, exhausted tour guide. 😅
💬 What kind of traveler are you the “verify and fact-check” type or the “connect and joke with the guide” type?
About the Author
My personal and professional life has always been within a multi-cultural environment. I have studied and worked in 4 different countries, Colombia, Germany, Switzerland and France, an experience which has given me a dynamic cultural background and language abilities, thus providing me with a global perspective to add insights and open problem-solving skills.
Beyond my intercultural background I’m also a polyglot speaking fluent Spanish, German, English, French and Portuguese. Already at the age of 21 I discovered my passion for education and sharing knowledge and I started my journey as a teacher (German and Spanish) followed by the creation of my first company SimpleMente offering tutoring services for the kids of international schools.
Founder of Global Insights and People Development and working as an independent trainer and coach helping companies build global success through talent development in 3 main areas:
- Insights® Discovery
Identify personality types and leverage skills to build better professional relationships.
- The Culture Map
Decoding cultural differences and improve global team collaboration.
- DE&I: Diversity Equity & Inclusion
Navigating diversity for success in the corporate world.
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