14 Things to Never Say to Your Tour Guide If You Want a Good Experience
Your tour guide can be your passport to glimpse the ‘pleasure potential’ of some new place but also a means of getting under the surface to a deeper understanding and appreciation of where you are. With these local experts, you get insights and anecdotes that aren’t in the guidebooks, and their travel experience is enriched.
A few careless words can sour the relationship with your tour guide, however, to keep the vibe positive and to ensure that you’re making the most out of your tours, there are some things you shouldn’t be saying.
“Can You Just Take One More Picture?”
It’s perfectly normal to want to remember those beautiful places you visit, but asking your guide to take photos every couple of minutes can get a little much. Their job is to help you understand the area, not to be your personal photographer. According to a study, tour guides are often reduced to photo assistants, who are repeatedly asked to take pictures, which can sap their enthusiasm and take them away from their informative duties.
“This Isn’t Correct, I Read That Online”
Publically challenging your guide’s knowledge can make for an awkward situation. If you feel that the information you’re receiving is not clear, consider how you ask a question. It’s far more productive to have a private, respectful conversation about your concerns, instead of putting your guide on the defensive.
“We Could Go Somewhere Else, This Is Boring”
Travel is great when it’s spontaneous but trying to change the itinerary on a whim affects the guide’s plans and ruins the experience for others in the group. Such requests could also discourage your guide, making them feel like their efforts have been wasted. It is also insensitive to others on the tour who might have been enjoying the tour.
“I Know More About This Actually”
Declaring yourself more knowledgeable than the guide can come across as rude. Books and articles don’t tell you everything about a location, and tour guides have to be trained not only in the factual history of a place but also in its cultural context.
“How Much Do You Make?”
This question is considered rude and intrusive. If you are interested in the lives of locals, ask about their experiences and stories from their time on the job.
“Being a Tour Guide Must Get You a Lot of Dates”
While it may sometimes not be overly intrusive or unprofessional, asking personal questions or commenting on a tour guide’s personal life is the least appropriate behavior. The best thing to do is to keep the interactions on the tour and the guide’s expertise. This keeps the conversation professional, respectful, on-topic, and fun for everyone.
“I’ll Have a Better Route on My Phone”
Using your GPS to doubt your guide’s route undermines his or her expertise and experience. Remember that technology doesn’t always take into account local conditions such as recent road closures or seasonal changes that guides are aware of.
“Weren’t We Paying Enough to Bypass This Line?”
It’s not usually in the guide’s control to let you queue jump, and suggesting that a bribe or tip can get around the rules is unethical and probably embarrassing for the guide. These situations require patience.
“My Last Guide Allowed It”
Comparing your current guide to others is disrespectful because every guide has their style and rules to follow. Be careful not to verbally put down your guide by telling them you have had better, as they are likely doing their best to make the experience memorable for you.
“That’s Not How They Do It Where I Come From”
Comparing cultural practices might be interesting, but comments like these can come across as diminishing to local customs. If you are going to travel, you’re going to experience the differences, so embrace them.
“We Are at This Souvenir Shop My Friend Recommended, Can We Stop at This One Second?”
Asking for unscheduled stops during a tour can greatly throw off the planned flow, and timing and could put a guide in a tough spot if they have schedules to keep. Not only do those interruptions affect the cohesion of the tour, but also your fellow travelers’ experiences.
“Just the Basics, I Won’t Need All This Extra Info”
Simplifying the information may save time, but the richness of the tour will be lost. A more gentle approach is to ask for highlights first and then decide if you want more details.
“Can You Watch My Kids?”
A tour guide isn’t a babysitter and supervising your children is often not included in this job description. If they need to lead the group, this request can be difficult to grant.
“Is This Tour Not Cheap Enough?”
It’s awkward to question the cost of the tour directly with the guide because they may not be able to control how much it costs. This could also mean that the expense of their efforts isn’t worth it, which is not the most pleasant fact.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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Even if you’ve been on a safari in the past, an African photo safari is something you want to experience or at the very list add to the top of your bucket list.
But first, what is a photo safari? The phrase “photo safari” is not a common sentence structure but its meaning can be deduced easily. An African photo safari in general context means going on an adventure with the sole purpose of taking high-quality pictures.
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