7 Benefits of Hiring a Private Tour Guide

There are numerous benefits to hiring your own personal tour guide. If you have taken a bus tour or other large, guided tour, you probably have certain aspects you disliked. Travelers who selected the do-it-yourself route have also expressed disappointment. For your benefit, here are the top 7 reasons most tourists mentioned for hiring a private guide.

1. Personalized Tour Design – Larger tours with dozens of people cover a broader list of sights and topics, some which may not be of interest. This can sometimes feel like a waste of time, something most vacationers already find very limited. Private tour guides design sights and destinations with your group in mind.

2. Smaller Groups – Guides in large groups sometimes seem more like lecturers in a class of hundreds than a guide you paid to lead and teach you about the area. With privately guided tours, your guide is there for you, your friends and family. There are not dozens of people to contend with for the guide’s attention. He or she is more than willing to show you around and answer all of your questions.

3. Flexibility – Due to how many people are on larger tours and how many subsequent tours the guide might have scheduled for that day, there is not much time to stop and take in the more interesting sights you come across. In private guided tours the schedule is more flexible. For a nominal fee, tours can often be extended or booked for consecutive days with the very same guide.

4. Saving Time – Knowing the best things to see and do can be difficult, especially with limited time. On larger tours you waste time seeing things that may not be of interest. Not only are private guides knowledgeable locals who are able to make recommendations, they ask questions and design tours with you in mind.

5. Communication – When visiting new countries, it is helpful to be able to communicate. Private guides are locals who speak the language and can translate for you.

6. Saving Money – A private guide can save you money by avoiding tourist traps and taking you to destinations known only to the locals.

7. Cultural Insight and Protection – Every place has its own cultural traditions and expectations. For example, in Japan it is considered rude to point. These can also extend to larger expectations such as laws. With added insights from a knowledgeable local guide, you can avoid embarrassment or worse.