Here are some reasons for hiring a guide:
1. A guide will tailor a tour to your needs and tastes.
A guide can create your itinerary, arrange your accommodations and transportation and even probably save you money. He/She can offer tips on where to go and what to eat, what to enjoy and what to avoid. A knowledgeable guide can focus on the highlights of any sightseeing visit, and this will prove immensely valuable especially when you have very little time in one place. This is a very common occurrence when on a cruise with limited time at each port.
2. A guide can take you to places you would never know about.
Even if you spend hours searching the Internet or reading guidebooks, you will never really know the lesser-known places of interest. A good guide can tell you all the best places frequented by the locals and how to experience your trip as a true insider.
3. A guide will point out things that you would never notice.
A guide will explain and make sense of what you are looking at. He/She will make what may seem as a pile of stones come alive! A guide will put what you are seeing in its historical, religious and cultural context. He/She can answer questions about anything that sparks your curiosity. He/She will tell you about the customs, habits and morals of the people and explain what makes the country different from yours.
4. Using a guide is the best use of your time.
The hassles of obtaining tickets, making reservations, checking operating hours are easy for a good tour guide. A tour guide will always know the best hours to visit attractions, when prices are best, which places you can skip and any number of tricks and tactics that will help you get the most out of travel to a heavily visited location. A good guide might bring you to an attraction in the morning before the crowds arrive, or arrange for a private, after-hours tour.
5. A guide is your personal resource.
He/She can answer your questions and is able to suggest things that match your interests, both before and during your trip. In places that are exceptionally rich in historical or cultural significance, an expert tour guide can offer a depth of experience and knowledge to which no guidebook or audio guide will come even close. A good guide can explain the stories behind the monument, temple or statue and is always up-to-date with the facts.
6. A guide can be like a friend in a foreign country
When hiring a tourist guide, you will always have your personal connection in that country. You can always contact your guide and inquire for information, refer your friends or book your next trip easily and hassle-free.
A good guide will enhance your experience of the country you visit and will save you a lot of time, money and hassle.
