​NEW STUFF

 Why I Hire a Guide When Traveling

 Have you ever attempted to climb Mt. Everest without a Sherpa? Gone up in a hot air balloon without an aeronaut? How about deep sea fishing without a captain? Sure you can rent a boat and hit the high seas yourself, however it’s easier and less life threatening to have someone along who knows the terrain and who knows how to chum the water in the best fishing spots. So why would you take a cheese and wine tour of France without a guide? Granted, you could most likely find a nice Bordeaux and a complimentary Camembert without risk of dying, but that’s not the point.

  If you have ever been to Positano, Italy walking the winding, ribbon roads trying to navigate using google you are already aware it is impossible. Google will tell you that you have arrived at your destination when the destination sits three roads above you. I recommend that you have human assistance as you maneuver about. (WithLocals.com) is a great example of real life people who can help you find out how to get where you are going. We were trying to find a cemetery that resides on a cliff high above Positano. Google wasn’t cooperating as we ascended, descended and traversed through olive groves and small residences. I really don’t know how we found the place. What I do know is upon arrival it was completely breathtaking (you can read more in my story, Love At Almost First Sight). But this sublime moment could have been greatly hastened by someone familiar with Positano’s physical eccentricities.

  Anytime when you show up in an international city it can take a half day to figure out how the public transportation works or the layout of the land. Getting from the airport to the bus or train to the stop at your destination can be a challenge. I have been through childbirths that were less stressful than getting to my hotel in Budapest. To me it’s not worth the time it takes. I’d rather have someone guide me who knows the city so that I can start my exploring sooner rather than later. It makes for a totally less stressful arrival and departure.

  I’m not, nor have I ever wanted to make people think, I’m the savviest cat out there who knows all the ropes. I’ve navigated myself, spent the time figuring these things out whilst attempting not only the language, using google translate and heading in one direction only to have someone tell me I’m at the wrong entrance to the Vatican Museum, or the wrong  locker area at a train station. A person can walk in circles for hours. Not okay if you have to get to an airport that is an hour or two away. Of course if you are wandering you can discover all kinds of cool things you may not have ever seen. I have done both. If I am visiting a city I have previously enjoyed I don’t hire a guide, only in the new cities. So if you would like to spend more of your travels visiting a city and less maneuvering it a guide might be a clever trip enhancer.

How does one go about hiring said guide? Send me an email in the subject line write “How to hire a Guide” I will send it complimentary.