Tips for Choosing the Perfect Tour Guide
Traveling and seeing new and magnificent locations is on the minds of many people. Exploring new places and sight-seeing to the maximum is a dream come true for many tour lovers. To experience the best of the world and have a grand old time while at it, you can never go wrong with a well-trained and professional tour guide. There have been spine-tingling tales of tour-goers who chose inexperienced and unprofessional guides. Choosing the wrong kind of guide and expecting to have a splendid time is an exercise in futility. To ensure that you land the most amazing tour guide, make use of the tips given below.
Most tourist destinations have a tourism authority whose mandate is to regulate the activities and streamline the industry. They also seek to improve the experiences of tour-goers and one way of doing so is by regulating and licensing tour operators. Never choose a tour operator who is not licensed by the authorities. Licensed tour operators will likely follow a prescribed code of ethics to avoid being flagged by the tourism body. A rogue tour guide will only dampen the tour experience.
When choosing a tour guide, you can rarely go wrong by reading tour guide reviews online. Check out the online reviews for the particular tour destinations that you are eyeing. It goes without saying that tour-goers who have a bad experience will rant and rave on social media. This will warn tour-goers to avoid such unscrupulous tour guides. If the reviews are not biased, avoid the tour guides like the plague.
Although training and qualifications are paramount in tour guides, it is the experience that really makes a difference. From serving numerous tour groups, the tour operator will have great skills and expertise. An experienced tour guide will take you to places that a new tour operator cannot. To be on the safe side, choose a tour guide with tons of experience.
Imagine going on tour with a tour guide with extremely poor personal skills! A guide with low-level communication skills can be absolutely boring and this can make the experience less interesting. Ensure that you get a tour guide who is not only a gifted speaker but an avid listener. Their primary goal should be to help you enjoy the tour in a safe and relaxed manner. It pays if they can speak your language well as it can be pretty confusing if you cannot understand each other well.
Some tours can last longer than the typical run of the mill excursions. In these experiences, the wit and sense of humor of a tour guide can save the day. Always go for tour operators who like to have fun and are spontaneous. If a guide is a gifted storyteller, you can never have one boring experience during the tour. Most importantly, the guide should have a pleasant personality. These are just some of the tips to embrace when searching for the consummate tour guide.