Mitch Bach sat down with João Perre Viana, the founder of Walking Mentorship, to talk one thing we tour operators are all familiar with: walking.

But not many of us design week-long trips where all you do is walk. Sometimes alone. Sometimes in a group. That's it. Beyond some shared meals and moments, there isn't much of a plan. Each group takes on a different spirit, but it's all guided by a mentor who along the way tries to facilitate and gently foster personal transformation. What that looks like is up to the individual guest.

This conversation veered away from the nitty-gritty of business, and towards diving into the importance and magic of what we do as experience creators.

For more show notes, visit tourpreneur.com. And be sure to join nearly 20,000 tour operators in our Facebook group!

• Joao’s background and origins in Portugal
• Is Walking Mentorship a tour company?

• The first Camino de Santiago in 1993
• The impact of the walk and self-discovery
• Realization of a calling to this work

• Corporate career delay and returning to the idea
• Email to “fools, friends, and family,” and pilot programs
• Early feedback and attempts to give up on the idea

• Layers of experience: curiosity, physicality, purpose, self-understanding, spirituality, culture
• Doors in a room analogy for guiding participant journeys

• Emphasis on total freedom and responsibility
• Rare participant withdrawal and the ethos behind the program

• Critique of traditional, structured, checklist-driven tours
• Deprogramming guests and creating space for transformation

• Meaning of risk (internal vs. external threats)
• The “wolves” participants face within themselves
• Ensuring physical and psychological safety

• The universal quest or search among participants
• Every individual’s unique journey and needs
• “There is no replay” principle

• Mentor’s responsibilities and boundaries
• Preparing participants for returning home
• Structured support with eventual independence

• Backpack packing as a life metaphor
• Balancing physical challenge with adaptability
• Reading the group and tailoring the journey

• Approach to phone/device use on programs
• Fostering mindful interaction with technology

• Applying listening, eye contact, and personalization even to short tours
• Offering small but impactful experiences

• Listening as a crucial guiding skill
• Asking questions through...