Q – Having just received my retirement “papers”, my wife and I are off to see the world for the next twenty years. That is of fate, my knee joints, and arthritis, all permit it. The few trips that we’ve done abroad were a mixed bag, and we found that so much is determined by the quality of the guide. Love this site and but we’ve never heard you address this issue. Do you get better guides on escorted tours or when you pay for more deluxe private arrangements.
A – Excellent question. Generally speaking, you will get the very best guides on a higher-end escorted group tour. Here’s why: Almost all guides are contracted. If they can secure work with a well-known tour operator who is going to be doing multiple departures of the same tour, they can depend on a full season of work. Most of the better guides prefer looking after groups because the tips they receive from a happy bus load of guests can be many times greater than the tips they would receive from just one couple.
There is, of course, another view. Some of the better tour guides think it is below them to escort groups of folks and to play to an “audience”. It is sort of like bragging to your friends that you just had a great dinner at Applebee’s. Guides love to brag to other guides that they just showed Justin Timberlake around the Medina. They prefer customizing their commentary and really getting to know one or two couples at a time. The best guides can receive both salary and tips and the very best book up months in advance and can get you around crowds and bureaucracy.
If you would like the best possible, genial overview, we think one of the guides associated with one of the Top Ten rated escorted tour firms will best meet your needs. If you detest crowds and have a particular sightseeing agenda, private guides can absolutely make a trip exceed your expectations. o note that every escorted tour member evaluates their guide in writing. The bad ones are quickly weeded out, a comforting thought given your investment. Have a wonderful retirement.
