Immersive Travel Like Street Magic — An Interview with DeWonder Tour Leader Angus

With flight comparison sites, online accommodation bookings, and AI-generated itineraries, travel has never been easier — so why still join a tour group, let alone an immersive one? "I think what's really important is offering a perspective — a way of looking at a country," says Angus, an immersive-travel tour leader at DeWonder Travel. He began working as a tour leader in 2014, and after joining DeWonder in 2024, he has led trips to Iran, the Balkans, Iraq, and more. In his view, good travel means that with curiosity and preparation, surprises can be found anywhere — and he hopes to deliver that experience to his groups just like a street magician.

Between Home and Away: The Meaning of Storytelling Back in 2012, Angus travelled to Switzerland with his family on a group tour and encountered a tour leader who handled everything with ease — chatting with guests, liaising with local partners, always at ease. He kept everyone laughing on the bus, and one guest even suggested helping him set up a stand-up comedy show. Looking back now, Angus finally understands just how skilled that took: "Leading a tour is actually very stressful — appearing so relaxed is incredibly difficult." At the time, he simply thought that being a great tour leader could also be really cool, and on the flight home he even asked that leader how to get into the profession. Later, he did indeed become a tour leader through a winding path, and after the pandemic he joined DeWonder because he felt it aligned more closely with his own values about travel. "Actually, there's no hierarchy in travel," he says slowly. "But over the past few decades, we've already experienced travel that's purely about material enjoyment, so naturally we start wanting something more."」As one's home and the world at large have undergone rapid changes in recent years, the meaning of travel is no longer just about pleasure — there's a growing desire to understand what's happening in the world, and to draw lessons from other places with similar experiences. Pursuing a deeper understanding is both his observation of travellers and his own attitude towards travel. When travelling, he's used to doing research before setting off, forming some idea of the destination, and then comparing that with what he experiences on the ground — he finds that this makes both the feelings and the understanding far more profound. The reality is, not everyone has the time and energy to prepare before a trip, and Angus feels this is exactly where the value of guided tours lies. For some places that are difficult to visit alone, a tour can take care of everything from food to accommodation to transport, and the tour leader or local guides can often offer a variety of different perspectives on the place. He recalls a story from when he worked at a traditional travel agency — he once tried to sell a Beijing tour to an uncle at the counter, only for the uncle to refuse and ask, "What's so great about the Great Wall? It's just a pile of broken stones." That's when he realised that no matter how important an itinerary or attraction is, if you strip away the story behind it, it becomes meaningless. In fact, when leading large tour groups, he would also share informative background and history with tour members, as well as many economic topics that Hong Kong people care about, such as property prices and the cost of living. Given this, what exactly does it mean to deliver an in-depth journey?

Interacting with locals to see through different perspectives For Angus, the most important thing is having the opportunity to interact with locals. "Everyone wants to know different things, and only by asking locals directly can you get the most authentic understanding, one that truly satisfies your curiosity." He lists the various related arrangements in the itinerary: local home visits; a local guide who stays with the group throughout the trip, allowing for extended interaction, rather than switching guides in every city just to save costs; and spending more time at each location. Flexible arrangements, such as not having fixed group meals, also add plenty of spontaneity to the journey. In Turkmenistan, their group was once invited by a local friend they'd just met to attend a wedding the next evening — if this had happened on a different day, when they didn't need to rush to catch a flight, they would have had plenty of time to take part, making for a truly rare experience.He added that the tour leader's role is equally crucial in an in-depth trip. Beyond the reading materials and historical timelines already prepared for the group, they also share current affairs happening in the country at that very moment, major recent events, and the country's relationships with its neighbours. All this effort is aimed at offering different angles from which to explore a place. Take Bhutan as an example: most descriptions revolve around it being a land of happiness or a sacred site of Tibetan Buddhism, but Angus feels there's room for deeper reflection—why does a nation founded only in modern times, with a history of just four or five hundred years, carry such a strong mythological aura? Countries like North Korea and Iran are often labelled part of an "axis of evil"—but what is life really like for the people living there? Society is full of commercialised labels, "but as a travel agency, we also have a responsibility—we don't have to view a place through a binary lens, but instead understand the dynamics at play." Yet doesn't this risk becoming just another kind of labelling, with the tour leader shaping travellers' impressions of a place instead? Angus shakes his head: "Subjective emotion is a storytelling technique used to draw travellers in to listen to objective knowledge. Whether they agree with the viewpoint presented is ultimately for them to decide after experiencing it firsthand—and it's something we can discuss along the journey."

Mutual Enrichment: Walking the Streets Is Itself an Eye-Opener Speaking of fellow travellers, Angus has always found it remarkable: "DeWonder attracts a group of really cool, really distinctive travellers." Of course, he does thorough homework for every trip, but in truth there are many destinations he's visiting for the first time himself. Fortunately, travellers rarely seem to mind—in fact, they're happy to experience a place together for the very first time.He shares stories of different fellow travellers: one who joined the Caucasus tour holds two doctoral degrees and teaches a rare aesthetics education subject in secondary school; a couple who, right before the Iran tour, had just completed a round-the-world cruise of over a hundred days; and another retired traveller who, back in the 80s after graduating from university, backpacked with friends—back when it was still Yugoslavia—and unexpectedly wandered into Belgrade, which was still embroiled in war⋯⋯ Your journeys and my adventures enrich each other's experiences and horizons, back and forth. Another who enjoys sharing travel experiences is tour leader Angus. Besides reading, watching videos, and following the news before departure, he likes to compare his observations during tours with different countries he's visited before, then discuss the differences with his fellow travellers. Whatever questions travellers ask, he keeps them in mind and tries to find the answers. "Perhaps I'm not the most witty or humorous, but I really hope my travellers can feel that I'm giving my utmost effort to provide the richest experience possible." So what kind of tour leader does he aspire to be? "I've actually thought about this question!" he says with a smile. "Walking down the street, when you notice certain things, you can add a lot of explanation—not just history, but also local culture, recent events, and pop culture can all be discussed freely. I think that would make a competent tour leader." He winks, "Just like a street magician, who can pick up any object and turn it into magic."