A day in the life of a tour guide at Ela Quad Safari in Kreta

07:00 am I wake up to start my day early with a nice ride to my local coffee shop where I enjoy a fresh morning coffee and a small chat with the locals in agia pelagia village.

08:00 am I am checking the quad bikes to make sure everything is ready for the quad tour as left the night before and that there is enough air pressure on the tires. Once all the quads have been checked and are ready, I then prepare the office papers for the clients to make sure they will not have to wait long when they arrive.

09:00am the drivers arrive with the guests and its always exciting to meet new people from different backgrounds and nationalities. My job is to make sure that everyone is welcomed and comfortable before I start explaining how the quad bike works and showing a few riding techniques to them. The safety briefing is usually 10 minutes long and then we are all ready to wear our protective equipment and head off to our private off-road course for quad biking training. Over there I make sure that everyone is safe to ride the quad bike and if necessary, I repeat the laps until the driver feels comfortable enough. This is the part where I must be very careful and focused to ensure the safety of our guests. It is always very satisfying when everyone in the group is able to ride the quad bike safely and there is always an atmosphere of excitement when we are ready to begin the tour as a group.

09:30 we start the tour by heading off to an off-road cliff path surrounded by the intensely blue sea of agia pelagia coast. It is always an awakening spectacle for me and this is where I begin to feel happy about the day ahead knowing that this is just the beginning. As we are heading off road I look around me and all I see is verdant mountains and occasionally a group of goats and ship scavenging for food in the bushes. Fodele the village that we are heading and although I take this scenic route every day, I can never be full of it! Very often I look on my mirrors to ensure that the group is fairing alright and that my colleagues are looking after them and ensuring that we are all staying together and safe. When we arrive at our destination, I share interesting facts and stories about the places that we are visiting, and I make sure that everyone is included and have a great time. Kreta is a well-known island for its warm hospitality and myself as a Cretan man I naturally an open-hearted tour guide. During the quad safari the humour is always there, and the atmosphere is buzzing with excitement. My guests are my priority and all I want for them is to leave Kreta with wonderful memories from our time together.

12:30 the quad safari returns to the starting point and all of us are very dusty from the off-road routes. This is never a problem as we knew from the beginning that a quad safari tour is a dusty experience! This is the time where I have a lot of photos and videos to share with my group and to collect their feedback about the tour. Although it’s the end of our time together and that sometimes can evoke a bit of sadness, I feel happy that we all had a great time together and are leaving with nice memories from Kreta island.

13:00 – 16:00 there is ‘me time’ where I usually relax and prepare for the evening sunset tour where there is more exploration and of course a new group of guests!

18:00 we begin the sunset quad safari which is my favourite tour of the day! The temperature in Crete begins to fall and it feels so cool to ride the atv at this time of the day. The air against my skin and the scenic routes makes me feel so energised and excited to show my guests around the island. I love taking pictures of my guests and recently I took a photography class with a friend where I learnt so many fascinating techniques! The sunset in Crete is glorious and I feel so happy that I get to see it every day!

21:00 I look after the quad bikes and do the necessary daily maintenance. Ι then communicate with my team about the following day and ensure everyone knows what they are doing and ensure that the day will run smoothly.

22:30 bed time, a good night sleep is essential for another full on day as a quad safari tour guide in Crete.