As a tour guide, I’ve seen it all—lost passports, sunburnt tourists, and last-minute meltdowns. But nothing topped the day a guest named Brian missed our early morning departure for a once-in-a-lifetime hike. We’d been clear: 5:30 a.m. sharp. Everyone else showed up, bleary-eyed but excited. Brian? Nowhere. I called once. No answer. I left a message and moved on. Hours later, I got a furious voicemail: “How could you leave me? I paid for this!” I didn’t respond. I’m a guide, not an alarm clock. My job is to lead—not to babysit grown adults who can’t set an alarm.
The next day, Brian confronted me in the hotel lobby, red-faced and loud. “You ruined my trip!” he shouted. I calmly replied, “You were late. We waited ten minutes. That’s the policy.” He scoffed, demanding a refund. I handed him the itinerary he’d signed, with the bolded clause: “Tours depart on time. No exceptions.” He stormed off, muttering about writing a bad review. I smiled. I’d dealt with worse. And the rest of the group? They thanked me for not letting one person ruin the experience for everyone else.
Later that evening, a couple from the group bought me a drink. “Thanks for not waiting,” they said. “We had the best time.” That’s when I realized something: being firm isn’t rude—it’s respectful. Respectful to the group, the schedule, and myself. I used to bend over backward for every latecomer. Not anymore. I’ve learned that enabling bad behavior only punishes those who follow the rules.
Brian did leave a scathing review. But so did ten others—glowing ones. They praised my professionalism, my storytelling, and my fairness. The company backed me up. “You did the right thing,” my manager said. “We can’t reward irresponsibility.” I felt vindicated. I wasn’t being cold—I was being consistent. And in this job, consistency is everything.
A week later, I got an email from Brian. “I overreacted,” he wrote. “I was embarrassed. I’m sorry.” I appreciated the honesty. I replied, “Apology accepted. Hope you catch the next one.” Because in travel, like in life, you have to show up on time. The world won’t always wait for you—and neither will I.
