Here are 8 good reasons to take guided tours when traveling. After reading this, maybe you will dare to take a guided activity, a tour with a guide, on your next trips.
- THE GUIDED TOUR HELPS YOU GET YOUR BEARINGS
Spending a few hours with a guide at the beginning of a trip will allow you to orient yourself in the city and to get some basic information in order to continue exploring later.
2. TAKE A GUIDE WHEN TRAVELING TO SAVE TIME
With a travel guide, there is no need to look for your way. The guide takes us straight to the point, without detours. This is ideal when you have little time and a long list of tourist attractions that you want to discover.
3. GUIDED TOURS HELP TO MOVE EASILY FROM ONE ATTRACTION TO ANOTHER
Without necessarily being on a guided tour, the “Hop on, Hop off” buses, which take you from one tourist attraction to another, will make your life much easier. You get on and off whenever you want. On board, you can also use the headphones provided to hear general explanations in the language of your choice.
4. BECAUSE THERE ARE GUIDED TOURS FOR ALL BUDGETS
SANDEMANs NEW EUROPE offers free guided tours in 18 cities. In Amsterdam, the Netherlands, discover the Red Light district, the must-see coffee shops, or just take a general walking or biking tour of the city. In Berlin, Germany, take a walk from the line of the former Checkpoint Charlie wall to the beautiful Gendarmenmarkt square, the Museum Island and its former royal gardens Lustgarten.
In Copenhagen, in addition to a city tour, a pub crawl is offered. In Lisbon, in addition to the pub crawl (definitely) and a city tour, the medieval neighborhoods of Belem and Aldama are among the options. In Tel Aviv, two guided tours of the city are on the program as well as in New York, where a third one in Spanish is also offered.
Of course, a tip is highly recommended for the guide who offers the tour (value between 5-10$CAD)!
5.GUIDED TOURS OFFERED BY VOLUNTEERS THAT ALLOW YOU TO MEET THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY
A growing number of cities are offering guided tours by volunteer guides to show you their part of the country in a personalized way as if you were visiting a place with a friend.
In Paris, for example, greeters usually focus on their neighborhood. In the Bahamas, you might be invited to share a typical meal with a family. In Argentina, you will be paired with a “cicerone” who is familiar with the areas or themes that interest you.
I invite you to read my article “Visiting the slums from a tourist perspective. For or against?”
6.THE GUIDED TOUR ALLOWS YOU TO GO DEEPER INTO A THEME AND DISCOVER ATTRACTIONS OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
If you are interested in a particular subject and want to go beyond the surface tours, it is usually possible to find specialized guides by contacting travel agencies. Sometimes the most striking things are those details pointed out by someone who knows the city like the back of their hand. Seemingly insignificant things, related to an event in history or a superstition, for example, that you will remember for the rest of your life. Often, paying a little more for a thematic private tour makes the trip even more rewarding!
7. GUIDED TOURS ALLOW YOU TO MEET OTHER TRAVELERS
If you’re on your own, taking a tour while traveling, especially in a small group, is a great way to fellowship with other travelers. It’s easy to bond during the coffee break.
8. BECAUSE TRAVEL GUIDES ARE OFTEN FASCINATING PEOPLE
Many retirees, for example, take up a second career in the world of tourism. Among the guides on your trip, you may come across former journalists, teachers, historians… Particularly appreciated in the case of thematic guided tours. The best guides are the ones who add their grain of salt!
