Point taken but they are not all like that. If you ever go ahead and start writing your brochure, you might want to adapt the words I use to describe 4x4 tour companies, "Tour companies offer an excellent service where people are either too busy with work to take the time to plan a trip, are concerned about driving in a foreign country, or want a 'buffer' between them and strangers.*"

But yes, I agree with the difficulty in handling awkward customers. More than ten years ago I spent six weeks in Azrou, northern Morocco, looking for land to build a biking base. I had some great ideas on both services that could be offered and also differing types and prices of accommodation. I spent some time negotiating on one piece of land but then decided I probably wouldn't enjoy some of the interactions with difficult biking customers. So I bought a second home (cave) in Spain instead!

As far as being a tour guide is concerned, here's two different modus operandi from two UK tour companies...

Wildcat Adventures is run by John Fulton and Brigitte Lucas who plan and lead the various tours. I've known them for years, have met up several times whilst in Morocco, and think they are a great. Their trips are carefully planned, small groups, and they are very protective of their customers' wellbeing. Once when we were in Tafraoute I offered to John to lead some of their party on a route detour the next day and was told very firmly that he didn't want that to happen. In retrospect I can understand the reasons why he wanted to remain in control. I did a couple of trekking tours with Explore Worldwide and it was similar. We were in the Greek Islands for Easter and the weather was appalling with snow. We told the guide we wanted to go lower and he made us sign out of the tour! But later that day as the snow got worse he appeared at our lower altitude with the rest of the group and seemed willing to overlook our truancy.

The other extreme was (and maybe still is) BMW World of Adventures tours where on the all-tarmac routes they would have up to 25 bikes, some two up. The participants were told where they would be spending the next night and offered the choice of riding ahead in groups of their own making, at speeds of their choice, or following on behind with the tour guide and sweeper truck. At first I thought this might be dangerously laissez-faire, but later changed my mind.

I don't think I would enjoy being a 'herding of cats' guide for Wildcat (this is ME personally, not Wildcat), but I think the approach of the World of BMW tour could be rather fun. Each night give the participants loads of detailed information for the following day and let them do their thing. Each group can decide where to stop for lunch rather than trying to find somewhere that can feed 25 bikers.

Of course off road tours are slightly different, but Peter Buitelaar of Bikerhome used to provide bikes for his tours with inexpensive GPS units. He would download the routes, all the customers had to do was follow the route line. Peter then trailed behind by a couple of km in his 4x4 so they had the experience of doing this by themselves.

Let's hope the world soon gets back to normal.

__________________
"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)