Tour guiding takes many forms. There are city walkarounds, guided explorations through historical sites and museum tours that offer information display by display. Smaller tours can run with nothing more than a headful of notes and a powerful diaphragm. However, when tours become larger and more dynamic, there are plenty of essential items of tour guide equipment that any good provider should invest in to maximise the experience. 

This blog will offer a breakdown of the pieces of audio tour guide equipment for properly communicating facts, insights and personality to your guests. We’re also going to take a look at the difference between guided and self-guided tour supplies, so you can feel confident equipping tours of all different natures. 

Guided vs self-guided

Before you start shopping for new pieces of equipment, it’s important to consider how your tour is going to be experienced. Are you or your staff going to be offering a guided experience, relying on presentation skills to an organised audience? Or are you going to allow visitors to guide themselves, like they offer in institutions like the Natural History Museum? This should guide your purchasing decisions. 

Guided and self-guided tours are very different in terms of technical requirements. The latter is largely run off the back of audio guide technology or tablets, which can run preprogrammed information that visitors can enjoy at their own pace. These items can often be bundled for the sake of convenience. 

The rest of the blog will mostly be focused on more traditional tour tech for professionally guided experiences.

Transmitters & receivers

These are arguably the most important pieces of equipment for tours, whether led by a human or a system tour guide. Transmitters and receivers allow information to be broadcast as signals and broadcasts. This means the tour info can be delivered, either into a microphone or from a device like a tablet, then received by guests and interpreted through their headphones/ear speakers. 

Headsets, headphones & microphones

While transmitters and receivers are totally essential pieces of equipment, you need the audio tour guide equipment so you have something to deliver the information through. 

  • Microphones can be handheld or worn directly on the head, allowing the tour guide to share their knowledge with the guests. Choosing the right carrying style should be guided by the need for physical activity or expressiveness during the tour. 
  • Headphones are essential to creating the best wireless tour guide system, allowing large groups of visitors to hear from the tour guide while moving around the space. 
  • Full purpose broadcast headsets can offer the best of both worlds, with tour guides, language interpreters or audio description staff able to deliver information through them, while receiving information back in real time. 

It’s also worth noting that larger operations or teams might require items like walkie-talkies or two way radios for coordination tasks or security reasons. 

Supportive tour guide equipment

Along with all your standard audio equipment, there are various supportive pieces that any good tour guide system should include, such as: 

  • Chargers, charging stations and charging docks
  • General storage docks/carrying cases
  • Sanitising wipes for hygiene
  • Personal neck loops (for guests wearing T-position hearing aids)

With a comprehensive tour guide system equipment suite, you can provide your visitors with the best possible tours. Visit us at our website to browse the finest Tour Guide Systems for purchase and rental availability. Elevate your visitor experience starting now!