The Upsides and Downsides of Getting Travel Guides
Date Added: September 23, 2008 07:04:51 PM
Travel guides can provide good information on an area that a traveler is visiting for the first time. However, while there are advantages of getting travel guides, there are also some downsides to it.
Any well-seasoned traveler will tell you that a good travel guide have good information as well as communication skills. Ideally, tourist guides should be conversant in English to facilitate easy exchange of ideas. Travel guides should also be outgoing and friendly so that travelers would be comfortable with their company. They should also be honest as well as reliable.
Travel guides should also protect their clients/travelers from getting involved in serious trouble or annoyances. In case something unfortunate happens such as accidents or injuries, a travel guide must know how to provide first aid treatment, or where to rush the injured person.
Travel guides must also be knowledgeable enough to answer questions, whether these are related to the area they are visiting or other issues related to the travel. Good travel guides must also have good contacts as well for concerns such as accommodations and transportation, for instance.
A good travel guide should carefully plan the itinerary and see to it that travel time is used well. This means that there should be no time wasted on unnecessary stops, and that the travelers would not have to wait around or spend some time lining up. As much as possible, the travel guide should come up with an organized and carefully-thought itinerary.
However, there are travel guides who have their own agendas. There are guides who will try to extort money from their clients, or cut the trip short. Travelers can prevent tour guides from taking advantage by talking to their guides at the very beginning of the tour and setting things straight about their expectations of the tour. This way, issues that may simply result from misunderstandings can be prevented from getting way out of hand.
Having a good rapport with a travel guide can also help in preventing misunderstandings. Simple acts of kindness on the travel guide should help destroy barriers such as uneasiness and lack of familiarity. Travelers should try to engage their travel guides in friendly conversation to set the tone for the rest of the tour.
It is not difficult to find a reputable and good travel guide. Signing up with reputable travel agencies is a good way to find capable travel guides. Normally, tour guides recommended by travel agencies are competent, reliable and trustworthy. These tour guides are also guided by certain rules. Plus, they cannot risk having a bad reputation since this is their main source of income.
Travelers are also advised to give tips to their travel guides, especially to the more competent and trustworthy ones. This is a good way to reward those who have shown exemplary service to their clients, and encourages them to continue their good performance.
