Finding My Voice as a Tour Guide - Betti Tours Budapest

When I first started as a tour guide, I didn’t really know where to begin. It’s not a profession you see a lot of information about online. Tour guides don’t really give useful tips on how to be a tour guide. It’s a very hidden profession—it’s not like being a marketing agent or a life coach, where you see people posting and giving you ideas on how to do things.

Betti Tours Budapest at the Fisherman's Bastion in Budapest

I remember how much I struggled in the beginning to find my voice as a tour guide and creator online. My clients come through the social media posts I make, and not from any other platform—which I think is a really big deal. I had to learn that I couldn’t just make aesthetic videos about the city or the must-try spots; people had to see my face to believe that I’m good at my job as a tour guide, and that they liked my personality and energy enough to book with me instead of any other guide.

The journey began, and I think maybe around the one-and-a-half-year mark, I finally started to see what kind of content worked for me and my journey as a tour guide. The talking videos are always the ones that do best—when I share my honest opinion about places or give tips. It seems to really resonate with people.

Over the past 6 months, many people have reached out to tell me that they really appreciate my honest and open nature, and that they can feel that what I do is truly authentic. That is the biggest compliment I could ever receive. If you are one of the people who said this to me—thank you.

In the beginning, as a tour guide, I didn’t get many inquiries. My first year in 2023, I maybe did 10–15 private tours. I feel a little embarrassed to say that, but it’s the truth. Building a business takes time. Success doesn’t come quickly—it takes effort and patience. Of course, during the first year, the warmer months were when I had the most clients.

My second year in 2024, that number grew significantly. All the work I put into social media, studying to become knowledgeable about the city (trying restaurants, local foods, activities)—that’s what helped increase those numbers. I even worked a lot during the colder months, which I honestly didn’t expect. I thought people would say it’s too cold and that there wouldn’t be enough tourists. But funny enough, the right people always found me.

In 2025, up until this point, I’ve done at least 50 private guided tours, which makes me really proud. It means my business is growing at a steady pace. Doing this on my own—without first working with a tour guiding company—might not have been the smartest choice. But I’ve always believed that learning through experience is the best way. I’m glad I chose this path, because I’ve learned what the best practices are for my business and learned from my guests what they look for in a guide—what makes me unique. And that’s something no one will ever be able to take away from me. I just started my 3rd year as tour guide and I can't wait to see what is instore for me next!

Showing the beauty of this city to people is a true honor. I genuinely enjoy doing it every single time—it doesn’t feel like work when I’m out there. Of course, the paperwork side of things and answering emails is also part of the job, though it’s definitely not my favorite part. The best part is always meeting the guests after all the back-and-forths online.

My guided tours are never one-sided and never could be. Some people have told me I put too much heart into it and that I’ll burn out quickly if I continue like this. But when I look at those people, I see that they’re doing the job just for the sake of doing it—for the money, and not because they enjoy it. Maybe at some point I won’t have my heart in it as much as I do now—life changes, and I will grow—but I know I’ll always enjoy doing this no matter what.

My clients often tell me that being with me on a tour feels like meeting a long-time friend. I mean—that says a lot about the kind of person I am. I’ve done tours for solo travelers, families, groups of friends, stag parties, small female teams. I’ve helped people reconnect with their Hungarian roots—guests who specifically wanted to get to know that part of their life more deeply because their parents hadn’t shared much with them. Being able to do that for them means so much to me—showing them part of their heritage and culture.

One of the reasons I became a tour guide is because I love my country and I want people to know what it’s like to be Hungarian—with all the good and the not-so-good parts.

If you’re reading this and thinking about becoming a tour guide anywhere in the world, I’ll say this: it’s a hard job. Talking to people, leading them, being on your feet for several hours—it’s not for the weak. But it’s so worth it for all the beautiful memories you get to create with your guests. Being a private guide will always be different from being a group guide—but there’s beauty in both.

I started this journey to become a tour guide almost six years ago, and I finally feel like it’s all coming together in a way I could have only dreamed of. All the work—studying about Budapest, getting my license, creating content, collecting guest reviews, sharing my story—has led me to this point.

I’m really proud of how far I’ve come, and I’m so excited to see where things go next. I hope my business continues to grow and flourish. I hope I get the opportunities I deserve, and that one day I even have my own guides working under me.

I hope you enjoyed reading this story—it was just a glimpse of the road I’ve been on while building this business. I hope you’ll continue with me on this journey.