articles
Home » Articles » Tours » Tours 101 Working With A Tour Guide

Tours 101 – Working with a Tour Guide

If you are experiencing a new place, be it an historic landmark near the city of Vancouver or an ancient castle in a foreign country, it is a good idea to know what to expect when on a tour. Most tours operate in roughly the same fashion, and the same basic behavior is expected of most guests. Let’s take a look at some quick tips when it comes to taking tours, so that you will be able to get the most out of your experience without inconveniencing other guests.

Depending on the type of tour you are taking, you may be with just a few other people or a relatively large group. Regardless of the size of the group, if the tour guide asks you to stay with the main group, then it is always wise to do so. This is usually for a good reason – be it natural hazards during outdoor tours, or simply respect for the security of the site you are visiting. If you are with a large group of people, it may be hard to get your specific questions answered. Most tour guides will provide information about subjects of interest, and then take time to answer questions.

The trick to learning what you want to know is to ask the right questions. Try and offer open-ended questions so that the guide cannot simply give you a direct answer. This is not intended to force the host to talk at length, but rather to give an expanded idea of what you are looking for. For example, if you want to know about the time period during which a piece of art was made, rather than simply asking when it was made, ask what events influenced the creation of the art. Thus the tour guide will likely tell you not only when the piece was made, but also what outside factors during that time had a role in its construction.

That said, try and keep your comments and questions limited to things you are really interested in and that you can’t answer without the guide’s help. Every tour has someone that simply asks too many questions, and it tends to slow down the group and annoy people that can’t get their own questions in. If you’re really curious about a specific piece, you can always come back to it later and ask a nearby staff member for more info.