Last week, I had the pleasure of taking a group of enthusiastic kids on a ghost walk to raise money for charity. For the small price of £2.50—less than a sandwich these days, mind you—the kids got a fun and spooky evening out, and the donation went straight back to the charity. Win-win, right?
Well, just as I was getting into the vibe, sharing tales of haunted graveyards and eerie buildings, one young lad piped up, looking me square in the eye, and asked, “I have to pay £2.50 to listen to you chat about fake, made-up stories that aren’t true?”
I had to laugh. Kids are amazing—they have a way of cutting straight to the point! But I couldn’t help thinking about what he’d said. Because as harmless as it sounds, being a tour guide—especially one who specialises in ghost tours—isn’t as simple as “chatting about fake stories.” So, let me break down what really goes into that ticket price.
1. Storytelling (Because You Can’t Just Google ‘Scary Stuff Near Me’)
You don’t just rock up with a flashlight and spook people for an hour and a half – or two. Oh no, each tale you hear has been carefully chosen, researched, and, if we’re honest, rehearsed a million times, in my case, for 14 years! I sift through archives, dig up local legends, and talk to longtime residents to capture the eeriest, most fascinating, and true bits of history. A great ghost tour blends history with myth, throws in a pinch of mystery, and delivers a few spine-tingling surprises along the way.
2. Research (Yes, Ghost Stories Do Require Research!)
Each walk takes hours of research—because let’s face it, any decent storyteller knows you have to hook people in with a bit of truth. I spend hours digging through records, squinting over old newspaper archives, and researching old buildings, maps, and family histories to bring these stories to life. It’s a historian’s job, really, but with much spookier job requirements. Think library archives meet ghost hunters.
3. Entertainment Value (No Boring Tour Guides Here)
A tour guide isn’t just a person with a good memory; we’re full-on entertainers. We need to keep our audiences hanging on our every word, no matter the weather, the mood, or even the occasional heckler. I have to draw you in, even when I’m competing with background noise, shuffling feet, and a group of kids giggling in the back.
Tour guides are a cross between actors and circus performers: we’ve got to keep you engaged, moving, and entertained. Sometimes, it’s about delivering a gasp-worthy scare; other times, it’s just holding back laughter while trying to create suspense.
4. A Crash Course in Crowd Management (Or, Keeping Tabs on Excitable Kids)
Taking a group of adults on a ghost walk is one thing; taking a group of energetic kids is another level entirely! Herding a dozen kids across a graveyard on a chilly night is practically an Olympic event in itself. You become a teacher, a comedian, and a traffic controller rolled into one. It’s about getting everyone to focus on the tale without anyone accidentally tripping over cobblestones or wandering off into the dark.
5. A Touch of Performance Art (And, Occasionally, Improv)
A successful tour needs a little theatrics—an artful pause here, a dramatic glance there, even a small gasp when the moment calls for it. Sometimes (this happens more than you know), I have to improvise on the spot if someone has a question that I didn’t expect or if I need to adjust the story to keep everyone hooked. Every audience is different, and every tour becomes its own unique performance.
So, to my young heckler, while I appreciated his blunt honesty, there’s a bit more going on here than “chatting about made-up stuff.” That ticket fee goes into a carefully curated blend of history, entertainment, safety, and suspense. It’s for the hours of preparation, the craft of storytelling, and yes, for the fun of bringing a little spooky magic to life.
So next time you’re on a ghost walk—or any tour, really—remember, you’re not just paying for the story; you’re paying for an experience, and for a guide who’s half historian, half storyteller, and part-time juggler of groups of giddy kids on chilly evenings!
Until next time, Spooky Jo x