Drinking tours are wildly popular throughout the world, especially in cities that are known for their unique types or brands of alcohol. Many tour guides allow their customers to drink on the go whereas some specialize in pub crawls and other tours that showcase their cities’ best hotspots and drinks. Before you include alcohol in your next tour, make sure that you take these points into consideration. Not only can they help you prevent legal troubles, but you’ll also be able to ensure that you provide the best tour quality possible.
Behavior and Conduct
People who sign up for a drinking tour want to enjoy the alcohol they’re going to consume, but this can come at a negative cost for the tour guide. Not only do you have to remain professional, but you’ll also be held responsible if people in your tour group become drunk and engage in misconduct.
The tour company will most likely be held accountable for any damages or trouble that people cause if you are the one who brought them to a bar or pub in the first place. As such, you should make sure that everyone who signs up for your tour receives a quick and friendly rundown of healthy drinking guidelines and rules for the tour.
As a consequence of excessive drinking or poor conduct, anyone who fails to comply can be put in a cab home at their own expense and can be dismissed from the remainder of the tour. Make sure that everyone in your group agrees to these standards before the tour begins.
You must also consider the legal implications; do you live in an area that permits the open carry of alcoholic beverages on a tour? If someone brings his or her own alcohol, starts to consume it, and then refuses to comply when you ask them to put it away, what will be your next course of action?
You must thoroughly consider all the various social situations that arise when people start drinking, especially on a vacation or a tour where the sole intention is to let loose and to have fun.
One way to help reduce the negative effects of drinking could be to have alcohol included during a meal at a nice local restaurant. You could also enforce alcohol limits without feeling too restrictive. Consider wine or beer tastings, which offer plenty of variety and fun but which do not promote excessive alcohol consumption.
Manage Transportation Carefully
The right transportation will be more important than ever when people have been drinking. You may think that if you own a vehicle or have a bus or van leased through a company that you can introduce alcohol without a problem, but this is not always the case.
Depending on your state, there may be strict legal requirements that ban charter buses or tour group vehicles from allowing drinking. If people are caught consuming alcohol or have any open alcoholic beverages in the vehicle, the company could face massive penalties.
Keep in mind that some states have strict DWI laws. You will also have to check with the leasing company of any vehicles you intend to utilize during your tour to see if they allow passengers to drink alcohol inside the vehicle. Charter bus companies hold the right to prohibit any alcohol consumption on their vehicles, so make sure you discuss this and other contractual regulations before you take anyone on the bus. Failure to adhere to any legal or contractual regulations could result in serious financial repercussions.
If you are a tour guide, you must act as the chaperone of the group. This means you cannot become drunk yourself, jeopardizing the livelihood of your clients. You must properly ID everyone, ensure they are the legal drinking age of 21 and read a statement that explains the legal drinking age in the United States and that any guests who serve alcohol to minors or who permit minors to drink while on tour will be reported to the authorities.
For tour guides who will be using a rented charter bus or other vehicles, make sure that your group remains respectful at all times. There should be no yelling, shouting, or rowdiness taking place that could distract the driver and cause an accident.
By following these tips, you will be able to make sure that you can avoid a lot of headaches when hosting your tour. You can run a safe tour that allows people to enjoy alcoholic beverages and have a wonderful experience on their vacations.
Here’s another article you might like: 4 Travel Tips for a Family Vacation That Everyone Can Enjoy