A seasoned tour guide and traveller, Rafiq, from Udaipur, has been working for 15 years. He enjoys this stress-free job, interacting with people from different countries, and travelling.

Born and brought up in Udaipur, Rafiq Mohammed is a seasoned tour guide and traveller. He was born in one of the oldest neighbourhoods of the city, next to Lake Pichola. Growing up beside the lakes of Udaipur, he developed a love for tourism and travelling.

Rafiq comes from a modest family, where his father was a driver and his mother a housewife. He has a small family, and apart from his parents, he has one younger brother who is also working in the same industry.

Remembering his old days, Rafiq says living by the lake and going to a school that had the lake on one of its sides is something he misses very much to this day. He enjoyed the slow-paced life of the old city and the fact that he could swim in the lake during lunch breaks with his friends. The environment and even the lakes of Udaipur were far cleaner than they are today.

The city of Udaipur was a major inspiration for him to enter the tourism industry. He says that his home neighbourhood, "Lal Ghat”, saw one of the first guest houses for tourists. He regularly saw foreigners and tourists visit the neighbourhood and also got the chance to interact with them frequently.

The interaction with tourists inspired him to also pursue the field in terms of education. He completed his graduation in hotel management and has worked in several hotels in Udaipur. He soon joined the "City Palace" of Udaipur and worked there for some time.

Rafiq says that he soon realised the stress of working in the hotel industry. He shares that he had to work without any festival holidays and couldn’t take any leave for personal reasons. This propelled him to transition from the hotel industry to travel and tourism. Rafiq worked in a travel agency for a while, both as a freelancer and in his uncle’s travel agency as a tour guide.

Rafiq has been working as a tour guide for the last fifteen years and says that it is a comfortable job that allows him the liberty to travel. He also knows several languages, like English and French.

Rafiq's inspiration behind joining the tourism industry was his close friend, who encouraged and taught him the craft of being a tour guide. His friend, who now resides in Germany, motivated him to learn foreign languages. Rafiq considers his friend his godfather because he not only helped him but also assisted in so many other ways.

Describing his experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, Rafiq says that the situation affected the tourism industry the most, during which he kept patience and hope.

Recalling his early school memories, Rafiq says that his guru once said that 40 percent of the world's population would earn a direct or indirect livelihood from tourism. It is quite true even today, as he says that this was told to him back in the early 1990s. He says that his guru always advised him to save money to travel and see the world on his vacations. The best thing to do is to cherish your memories because no one will ever take anything from this world with them.

Rafiq also mentions the importance of travelling in terms of mental health, physical development, or on a social level. "One does not need any additional requirements for this field; you can be just a high school graduate and easily jump into the field", says Rafiq.

Rafiq has tremendous love for his current profession, and he will not change anything if he ever gets the chance to go back in time. He says that this profession has brought him name, fame, and a stable livelihood. He has had the opportunity to meet people from different parts of the world and learn about their cultures.

Rafiq’s advice for anyone who wants to enter the tourism industry is that it is one of the easiest industries to get into. However, he does point out that surviving in this industry is not everyone’s cup of tea.

He suggests the newcomers follow three essential ingredients for success in the tourism industry: a good command of the language, knowledge of the field, and relevant experience.

Also, familiarity with the place, a joyful attitude, and an ability to entertain can make a tour guide very popular among tourists. He says that for someone coming from outside the region or country, everything is new. In such a case, one must have deep knowledge of the place. The reason being, a tourist can ask you anything, any random question. You must have the ability to answer that question.

To conclude, Rafiq says that to understand the intricacies of the profession, you’ll have to learn it from a professional teacher, a guide, or a guru in the tourism domain. He also discusses the government-issued tour guide license, which is available if you meet the requirements.