Hey there, fellow travelers! Today we’re in Washington DC with Rob from Trip Hacks DC. If you’re coming to DC, check out his site. He has info on the Metro, museums and almost everything you need to know before visiting DC. Rob is also a private tour guide, so today we’re talking about the reasons you should hire a private tour guide. You may think you don’t need a private tour, but taking tours by locals can really give you a lot of bang for your buck. Maybe you are visiting friends and you think they can be your private tour guide; chances are, they don’t know the city as well because they live there, they aren’t tourists. They may live and work in the city, but they won’t know it as well as a tour guide.
#1 A Private Tour is Time Efficient
When you are visiting a new destination, especially large cities, you only have limited time to explore. Most of us don’t plan enough time to truly experience a destination, so travelers need to be super efficient with their time. This is where a private tour guide comes in handy. They know the fastest way between monuments, and the best route to cover the most ground in a short time. On your own, you may wander a bit trying to get your bearings, and lose valuable vacation time.
#2 Get More Out of a Destination
On a guided tour, you are usually limited to the script of the guide. The private guides know their stuff, so if you want an academic background, you can get it. It’s not just facts, they know the who, what, when, where, why and how.
Watch: The Don’ts of Visiting Washington DC
#3 Get Stories and Facts
Sure, you can look up all the facts online, doing a self-guided tour aided by Wikipedia. However, you won’t be as efficient with your time. More importantly, a private tour is about more than facts. A private tour allows for the stories behind the facts. It’s the stories that really make these destinations come alive, and if you are traveling with kids, good stories will keep them engaged for much longer than a running list of facts.
#4 Ask As Many Questions As You Want
If you ask too many questions on a guided tour, others in the group will quickly get annoyed with you. With a private tour guide, you can ask all the questions you want. Often, you will find your private tour guide has certifications related to the area, whether it’s geology or archeology, and they can put a spin on the tour based on their certification.
Watch: Five Things You’ll Love & Hate About Package Tours
#5 Tour Tailored to Your Preferences
With a private tour guide, you can have the tour tailored to your particular interests. If you are more into history or architecture, they can give you more of a historical context on the tour than a guided tour might provide. Whether you are traveling with kids, visiting from a foreign country or already knowledgable about the basics of the destination, the tour will be tailored to you, not generalized for a large group. In fact, the tour guides prefer to give the tour that will be most engaging for you, so don’t be afraid to ask up front about how your interests can be worked into the tour.
#6 Become Familiar With the Area
Sometimes, a new destination can be overwhelming and even scary. You don’t know where to start or maybe you don’t speak the local language. A private tour can really help you gain a comfort level that you can carry throughout the rest of your trip. You might request a tutorial on how to use the local public transportation system; a private guide can definitely help you with that! A tour guide can tell you where to eat, but they can also go with you and show you how to order, even how to eat something if you’re not familiar with it. Don’t think a tour guide can only talk about monuments or museums.
#7 A Tour Guide is More Than a Tour Guide
While you have a private guide, take advantage of their knowledge! Just because you are touring monuments doesn’t mean you can’t also ask them for their favorite restaurant, shopping district, or spot to take photographs. This is where you can really get off script and ask them anything. Maybe you’re considering relocation, and you can ask them about growing up in the area, or how it is to raise kids, the commuting, etc.
We know, tours aren’t for everyone. Independent, experienced travelers tend to shy away from tours, but as you can see, hiring a private tour guide can be really beneficial, for even the most seasoned travelers. Having that local perspective really brings so much more out of a destination. Have you hired a private tour guide? Tell us about it in the comments!
For more travel tips, check out these blog posts and videos!