Tour escorts accompany groups of people on organized trips called “package tours” . Most people who take escorted tours want the security and convenience of having transportation, accommodations, and sightseeing arranged for them. However, not all group tours are the same. There are tours for every budget, taste, and age group. Religious tours, cultural tours, reunion tours for veterans, and tours for professional and interest groups are just several examples of outings that require the services of a tour escort. Tour escorts usually work for tour companies, which are as varied as their clientele. Some specialize in certain activities—outbound sightseeing, shopping or mountain climbing, for instance. Others specialize in certain markets such as students or retirees. Tour companies may be long established, internationally based, and highly structured; others may have a few operators at their head office and twenty or thirty escorts out in the field. Tour escorts need excellent communication skills, organizational ability, and financial responsibility. They must be able to respond calmly to such crises as airline strikes and bus breakdowns. Clients expect their escorts to be both leaders and friends. The work of a tour escort is extremely demanding. It may involve fifteen to twenty- five consecutive weeks of work without a day off, and it requires lifting heavy luggage and making arrangements to keep even the most troublesome traveler in the group happy. Tour escorts apparently enjoy their jobs in spite of these factors, as there is a fairly low job turnover among workers in this occupation.