Typically tag-along tours are very professional operations. Some years ago there may have been a few less reputable service providers, but the risks to unprofessional service providers is so high, that few survive today's rigorous safety standards. Many tour guides have undertaken extensive training in a range of diverse fields such as off-road
driver training, radio telephony, survival, occupational health and safety, leadership and team building, customer service, cultural awareness, cooking and hygiene, time management, small business and finance, geology, botany, astronomy, navigation and many more subjects. Today most tour operations are as professional as any business you would encounter in your daily work life.
A tour guide's primary role is to ensure a safe enjoyable journey for all participants and any members of the public encountered along the way. They also have to ensure minimal environmental damage and must remain sensitive to any cultural issues. Managing these issues, the day-to-day operation of a tour and interacting with people in a friendly and entertaining way is the work of a skilled person. Few who lack these skills will survive in the business today.
So why not consider a tag-along tour for your next holiday? Whether it be in the more populated centres, in the outback, or a remote desert location, there is a tour operator out there who can provide you with an experience you will remember for your entire life. If you are an experienced traveller, take the opportunity to holiday without the extensive preparation normally associated with such travel. Get your head out of the maps, and enjoy the scenery.