Rephonic
Artwork for The Tour Leaders

The Tour Leaders

Marnie
Tour Leading
Travel
Egypt
India
Turkey
Petra
Cultural Differences
China
Iran
Cambodia
Thailand
Wadi Rum
Jordan
Southeast Asia
Syria
Bangkok
Covid-19
Vietnam
Nepal
Damascus

Travel before the internet.

If you travelled before smartphones, this will feel familiar. If you didn't, you're in for a treat.

The Tour Leaders is an oral history podcast told by the people who lived it. Each episode is a conversation with someone who was out on the road in the 80s, 90s or early 2000s, leading tours or travelling independently long before GPS, TripAdvisor or smartphones existed. more

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes19Foundeda year ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Places & TravelSociety & Culture

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The Tour Leaders

Latest Episodes

I worked with Noah in Vietnam years ago, before it became the destination it is today.

In 2003, a man he met in a Korean karaoke bar told him tour leading was a real job. He'd just been fired by the company in question. Noah applied anyway.

He led ... more

Louise grew up in a village in Leicestershire and had never met anyone who'd been travelling.

Then she answered a classified ad in a magazine and ended up in Indonesia.

She spent 14 months tour leading in Laos, completed 18 trips down the Mekong,... more

Zac and I never met. Same company, same routes, same people, just never in the same place at the same time.

This episode covers travelling in armed tourist convoys through Egypt after the Luxor massacre, buses racing each other despite the military ... more

Annie traveled overland from India through Pakistan and Iran in 2000 with a dog she'd rescued from a Goan street at three weeks old, tied in a sarong around her waist.

In Iran, dogs had only just been made legal again. Everyone got off the bus.

Thi... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Hidden Brain
Hidden BrainHidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
The Daily
The DailyThe New York Times

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 11 ratings
  • Lead on!!

    I am loving this. I hope you don’t run out of tour leaders!!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Sallysalsalsal
    Australia10 months ago
  • The journey

    What a journey you have both been on and the journey still continues. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this conversation and left me thirsty for more… Marnie, hearing your voice brought back memories of our short time in İstanbul together. Warm thoughts Kylie Boyraz

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    KBfan23
    Australiaa year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Thoughtful reminiscences that spotlight the grit of early travel leadership.
Guests share vivid, sometimes dangerous, travel moments that feel both nostalgic and instructive.
Audience-friendly praise for the show's authenticity and storytelling over “tips.”

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Seventeen tour leaders, one flat, she picked the Sheraton - KJ
Q: What are the biggest changes you've seen in travel?
The prevalence of technology and how it affects people's experiences.
Seventeen tour leaders, one flat, she picked the Sheraton - KJ
Q: What was your favorite destination during your travels?
Turkey, because of its culture, food, history, and hospitable people.
She made up half the facts and hoped no one noticed - Holly
Q: What advice would you give to someone wanting to travel?
Her advice is to buy a one-way ticket, quit your job, and have an adventure.
She made up half the facts and hoped no one noticed - Holly
Q: What sparked your love for travel and the travel industry?
Holly's love for travel was ignited by her first trip to India as a backpacker at the age of 20, which opened her eyes to the world.
She made up half the facts and hoped no one noticed - Holly
Q: What are the best and worst parts of your job?
The best part of the job is being in fantastic countries every day, while the worst parts relate to the stress of managing tours and group dynamics.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Tour Leaders

What is The Tour Leaders about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show centers on first-person memories from people who led tours and traveled long before smartphones and GPS, offering candid stories from the pre-internet era. Episodes typically explore improvisation, cultural clashes, crisis moments, and the camaraderie built on the road, with a focus on real experiences rather than tips or destination guides. Unique angles include deeply personal anecdotes, a sense of evolving travel over decades, and a measured nostalgia for authentic travel moments that resurface across guests and regions.

Where can I find podcast stats for The Tour Leaders?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Tour Leaders. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Tour Leaders and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Tour Leaders get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Tour Leaders, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Tour Leaders?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Tour Leaders, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The Tour Leaders have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Tour Leaders has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Tour Leaders?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Tour Leaders:

1. Hidden Brain
2. The Daily

How many episodes of The Tour Leaders are there?

The Tour Leaders launched a year ago and published 19 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Tour Leaders?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Tour Leaders?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Tour Leaders from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Tour Leaders?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Tour Leaders. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days