Is it better to travel with a tour guide
Traveling is one of the most widely enjoyed recreations. The tourist business is becoming increasingly important for many countries’ economies and provides a great variety of products and services. People are different and so are their preferences when it comes to spending a vacation traveling to interesting and exotic places. One of the first choices one should make when planning a trip is whether it would be individual or with a group let by a tour guide. If it were up to me, I would go to an excursion as a part of a tourist group.
First of all, a common problem of people traveling abroad is the unfamiliar language of the country they are visiting. This is a major inconvenience as it could hamper their communication and prevent them from learning valuable things about the place. That’s why I think that a tour guide, who in most cases knows at least two languages, would be needed. This is a professional whose job includes guidance and help. Also tour guides tell tourists about the history of the place they are visiting, information which otherwise could hardly be obtained.
Second, group journeys are supposed to be previously organized. The travel agency makes the full program of the trip: hotel reservations, transportation, food, and sightseeing. Furthermore, many services and museum taxes are cheaper for a whole group. In this way, tourists are much more comfortable, as they safe time and money, and are able to enjoy their vacation without worrying about anything.
Third, traveling in a group can provide people the opportunity to get to know with many other tourists who are from different backgrounds but are brought together by their common interest of the place they are visiting. Such group trips are a great chance for making new friendships and eventually learning a lot about different people.
For all these reasons, I prefer to travel in a group with a tour guide, as it would guarantee a more convenient and enjoyable journey.
When people are asked to list their hobbies, travel is among the most frequent words quoted. Some would choose to travel by themselves alone, some others prefer to traveling with a few close friends or family members; while still others, including myself, agree that the best way to travel is to join in a group led by a tour guide.
A good tour guide, who has professional knowledge and rich experiences about certain places, would make our journey more efficient and enjoyable. Traveling to new places is an important way to know our world in the perspectives of cultural diversity and geographic peculiarities. However, we often find ourselves confounded and do not know what to do next when we are in a new place. A tour guide may help us to arrange the optimum itineraries and schedules. He leads the group around to show us unique tourist spots that we should not miss. His explanation on certain scenic spots is also useful for us to understand further about the new place.
Besides, a tour guide would ensure the maximal security of the group member. Tourists are always warned against the potential risks ant pitfall, since strangers are easily attacked. An experienced tour guide teaches his tourists some tips and skills to guarantee the security. The tour guide is particularly indispensable in any emergencies, as he can make a timely response and right decisions.
A tour guide also has a good sense of humor. Far away from our friends and families, we often feel lonely during the journey, especially when on the way to a new destination. A good tour guide are skillful enough to relieve the loneliness by telling jokes and interesting stories, playing magic tricks, which make the journey joyful and pleasant.
Nowadays traveling is becoming more and more popular, as we have more leisure time and more money to spend during our vacations. When it comes to ways of traveling, many people prefer to join groups arranged by travel services and escorted by tour guides, while others may argue independent backpack travel should be better. My viewpoint is both have advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages of traveling with a tour group are obvious. People do not need to worry about accommodation, transportation, sightseeing schedule and restaurants and so on, all of which has been arranged in advance and taken care of by the travel service during the trip. Besides, the tour guides will tell stories behind the places of inter est, and help us with unexpected emergencies, such loss of suitcases and health problems. Being relax and educa tional is group-travel’s best feature.
However, it is not flexible for some people. Suppose when you enjoy a place well and wish to stay there a little longer, but you are told you have to come back to the bus in half an hour, just because you have to rush to the next place, which turns out to be not so nice. The arranged meals are expensive and not as tasty as it should be; the booked hotel is too far from the shopping area; you share a room with some strangers who might snore loudly all night. In short, such nuisances of group travel turn down many people who pursue more flexible travel alternatives.
So what about individual travel? The pleasure of freedom and flexibility is well guarded, and there is more chances to explore the place and encounter its people. However, there are a lot of troubles for tourists to arrange tours by themselves, and security is an issue. Moreover, during sightseeing, they might miss a great deal of valuable sites and historical relics.
In conclusion, every coin has its two sides. Only when you are clearly aware of the “two sides” can you come up with best option for your next tour. I personally choose to travel with a group in that it can save me a lot of en ergy and with the comfort of leading by a tour guide, I can enjoy a place fully.
