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Nikki Padilla Rivera

Nikki Padilla Rivera

Creating Better Travelers Through Tours

Co-founder, Global Guide Alliance
New York City, USA

Topics Include:

  • Using tours as a means to educate travelers (to be better travelers)
  • Creating memorable experiences
  • The power & importance of tour guides (who are often underpaid, under-resourced and considered interchangeable)

More on her website

Last updated on November 7th, 2023

Nikki Padilla Rivera started her career as an NYC tour guide before moving into guide training and experience creating including running Intrepid Urban Adventures’ guide program for 1500+ free-lance guides around the world. Today she works on multiple projects to educate and push the travel industry into the modern era of memorable experiences driven by purpose.

By day, she is responsible for maintaining brand authenticity for Atlas Obscura’s multi-day adventures across the globe.

Recent Speaking Engagements

  • A Tour Guiding Career, Wanderful, March 2023
  • Working with Tour Operators, Tourpreneur, May 2023
  • The importance of branding a tour experience, wmnsWORK, December 2022

Books, Podcasts, Articles, and More

Overlooked Challenges Female Tour Guides Face and How to Account for Them
Women We Watch In Tourism Nikki Padilla Rivera: Trailblazer on the Rocky Road
Tours Are an Easy Vehicle For Education: Why Giving Facts Is No Longer Enough

In The Media