Tour Guide tips to avoid client cancellations

How early do you travel clients book your guiding service? Some people book last-minute trips and may require a tour guide while they are already in town. Some travelers prefer good planning and may book their trip a year in advance.

Sightseeing tour cancellations usually do not apply to last-minute booking because the tours happen right away. However, cancellations do happen more with tours booked long before the actual tour date. Before we talk about ways to avoid client cancellation, we need to know the reason why travelers want to cancel the tour.

There are unavoidable reasons like natural disasters, political issues, etc. The volcanic ash in Europe caused thousands of flights to cancel or delay. Demonstrations in Bangkok have turned violents and thus travelers change their destination due to safety concerns. Cruise lines change route and skip the port in their original plans is another reason out of the traveler’s control. There is little a tour guide can do with such cancellations.

Another possibility is personal reasons - family members pass away, work changes, physically unfit for the trip … The clients may have to cancel or delay the whole trip. With these situations, you may offer your tour guide service in their next visit. Be attentive to their personal reasons and leave the tour options open. Travelers will appreciate your understanding and may still pass on the word about your service even though they haven’t met you as planned.

What OurExplorer do not wish to see and what a tour guide really should avoid is a client cancellation because of low professionalism. E.g. change the price from original communication. There are high and low seasons in many destinations but once a price quote is agreed, it is very poor performing of a tour guide to ask for more money. Even worse is short notice before the tour date. Slow reply to the client queries after they made the booking. Clients will feel less confident with you if their questions are not addressed properly and quickly.

There are occasions that a tour guide is unable to guide as scheduled (not because you got another more profitable booking). In such cases, you should communicate with your clients and explain the reasons clearly. Meanwhile, find a dependable tour guide for your client as a substitute, so that their sightseeing tours will not be affected.

It takes efforts to build up client trust and confirm a client booking. Do you have problems with tour cancellations? What do you do to reduce the number of cancellation? Share your problems and we can discuss.

Tips for Visiting 2010 Expo Shanghai

Shanghai finally welcomes the opening of Expo 2010 after eight years of preparation. As the biggest Expo site ever in the event’s history, it is not easy to cover everything in one day. However, you can do it in an efficient way to avoid crowds and maximize your visit. Here are some tips for visitors to Shanghai and Expo 2010 for a great experience.

There are 8 direct entrances at the Expo site, another 4 ferry entry locations, and 1 metro line entrance. It is recommended to avoid entrances in the Pudong side. Most country/city pavilions are in Pudong area, as well as the Expo Axis (main entrance), more visitors tend to enter there. It takes longer to pass the security check entering the actual site. Moreover, the machines to reserve popular pavilions e.g. China pavilion will be running short. Entering from Puxi entrances (Gate 1, 2, 3) can be a better choice to avoid crowds and start the Expo visit in a fresh way.

Besides public transportation like metro, Expo bus, ferry, the Expo taxis in light yellow-green colour are easy to identify. They are much newer and also bigger in space. Note that common taxis can't access to the Expo area.

The Expo site is opening till 24:00 every day, so a late start may help to avoid crowds. If you enter around 11 – 12 am, there will still be 10+ hours to visit various pavilions. Moreover, you can enjoy the night view of various pavilions and the stunning one-arch Lupu Bridge.

After you arrived at the Expo site, there will be the security check. Have a read of what can bring and what are forbidden, and you can get through the security check quicker. E.g. water is not allowed to bring into the Expo site.

Once you entered the Expo site, it is recommended to get an Expo site map first. You can get a better idea of the layout and plan your itinerary of the day. Where to get the map? In the information centre near entrances. Make a reservation of the pavilions if required. Many popular pavilions require reservation, e.g. the China Pavilion, the Theme Pavilions… Appointments can be made with the booking machines near entrances. This is to better control the visitor flow in the site and avoid extreme long queuing.

Last but not least, check out performances of your visiting day. There are in average a hundred performances every day. You can enjoy various entertainments presented by different countries and regions. It can be good stops between pavilion visits. You can also see some sightseeing tours.

Done with the Expo visit? There is yet another bigger stage - the city Shanghai! You can extend your exciting Expo travel with city visit and sightseeing tours customized by your local Shanghai tour guides.

Montenegro tour guide in the travel media

OurExplorer are delighted to bring to your attention that Montenegro tour guide - Vesna Alavanja has been written about in the media by a travel journalist.
Read here - the article about this excellent Montenegro tour guide

Have you had an article written about your tour guide services that you wish to share with OurExplorer?

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Tour guide Nesrin in Istanbul

Tour guide Nesrin in Istanbul

1) What is the best thing you like being a tour guide?
I think tour guiding is the most suitable job to my life style and personality. I'm a very active person and good at communication,

easy going and flexible; love travelling, people, and the most important adore Turkey and its cultural, historical richness. I am also so proud of my country and my people so I try to do my best to show my beautiful country to my guests and make them contact with locals to understand the real life in the country.


2) What is your most memorable moment in guiding so far?
Tour guiding does not mean talking about everything that we know. All of our guests are interested in different things; some of them love history, some likes to hear stories of people and monuments and some loves taking pictures and enjoy the moment.
Once, I had an international group (Canadians, Avustralians, New Zealendars, Americans) ranged from 30 to 65 years of age and we were on a round trip in Turkey for 14 days. Each of them were interested in different things. I like making my guests involving the tour with sharing their knowledge, experience, memories and skills. We were in an ancient site which was called Arycanda on the Mediterrian site of Turkey. We were the only group in the site. I had already finished my explanation about the ancient Roman theatre and its great acoustic. In order to check the acoustic :-) I asked my quest who was good at singing and some of the lady sang a well known song with her wonderful voice and we were all happy to live that moment like Romans. Then we move up to Gymnasium of Arycanda and everyone was ready for the running race for a free ice-cream at the end of the day :-) We all had a wonderful day and It was everyone's favourite site with memories.


3) What is most challenging for you in this career? Have you coped with it?
The most challenging thing is serving to people. Most of our guests have different interests, needs, expectations so we , as tour guides should be flexible enough to meet the expectations of our guests and make them enjoy their time us. I believed that I've coped with it successfully.


4 ) What is your favorite place/thing that you want to show your travel clients?
Istanbul !! It was my dream to live and have tours in this wonderful city. I adore Istanbul:-)) Istanbul is among the special cities of the world with its position as a bridge between Europe and Asia. It unites its natural beauties with its historical and cultural accumulation. Wherever you look, there is a story to be told. You do not need to go further to see the historical sites, you live with it while you are wandering in the streets of Istanbul. It is the midpoint of the new and old ,modern and classic. It is a privilage to visit Istanbul and being a guide in this beautiful city.


5) What if you were not a tour guide? What do you imagine yourself to be?
I would be a chef in a restaurant that serves intercontinental cuisine. I love cooking and try different recipes from the world cuisine. My husband is my gourmet :-))
It is among my future plans to have cooking tours in Istanbul to introduce the rich Turkish cuisine.

Sightseeing tour with Nesrin - Istanbul Old City Tour

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Visit Shanghai for the World Expo 2010 - Best tour guides

“Being the first World Exposition on the theme of city, Exposition 2010 will attract governments and people from across the world, focusing on the theme "Better City, Better Life." For its 184 days, participants will display urban civilisation to the full extent, exchange their experiences of urban development, disseminate advanced notions on cities and explore new approaches to human habitat, lifestyle and working conditions in the new century. They will learn how to create an eco-friendly society and maintain the sustainable development of human beings.” -- Expo2010.cn

Book a dependable tour guide in Shanghai

Travel in Shanghai - sightseeing tours

Shanghai is a vibrant city with over 20 million residences. It is the financial hub of China as well as a popular sightseeing destination. The city offers a variety of attractions, from the modern 21st century highrises to the colonial western architecture, from the historical Chinese garden to the local lane houses Shikumen.

For more details, check out http://www.ourexplorer.com/shanghai-tour-expo2010.aspx

How to customize sightseeing tours for travelers?

Travel agents usually offer standard packages for destinations. Travelers can choose between the offers, but not so easy to change the itinerary in a package. It is hard to find customized sightseeing tours to personal interests. The advantage of having a private tour guide is the flexibility of sightseeing. Here are some tips for tour guides to create client-oriented sightseeing tours.

Consider the country origin of traveler. People from North America have different cultural background from Asian travelers. They are interested in different things at the destination. E.g. Tuk-tuk riding can be an amazing experience for American people while not to the interest of Vietnamese. Chinese travelers may find cathedrals imposing while British people are used to them at home. Japanese visitors prefer more time at shopping while Malaysian are more interested in food. Even within the same continent say Europe, travelers from different countries will differ in their customs. People from the same origin share similarities in culture and customs. This may not apply to all individuals from one place. Yet knowing the country origin will help a tour guide to customize the initial tour schedule. The more a private tour guide considers, the more possible a client will confirm the sightseeing tours.

Consider the personal background. School teachers are interested in local schools and education system. Children prefer fun activities to pure cultural visits. Business people may want to see their industry products at the destination. Include something relevant to the traveler’s personal background when possible. This offers clients with a real customized sightseeing tour to their interest.

Consider the purpose of visit. Are the travelers coming for a family vacation? Is it a short extra day from business trip? Are they cruise passengers looking for a shore excursion? For family vacations, travelers usually look for a relaxed tour schedule. Entertainments and attraction for the kids will be appreciated. Business people are limited in time so they would prefer a compact itinerary to maximize the experience. Cruise passengers also stay short at destinations, from half a day to 2 days in one port. However, many cruise passengers would enjoy a leisure plan with visits to major scenic spots.

Consider other elements to make a better plan. For example, the number of people in the group to arrange transportation and restaurants, season and weather conditions if certain activities are affected, children and senior people in the group to adjust activity intensity…

Customizing sightseeing tours is all about personal interest. Destination is the same but travelers want their own trip and unique experience. Sightseeing tours are not about the scenic spots, but about the traveler’s visit. It is “my” trip and vacation that travelers care. Therefore, tour guides shall develop the sightseeing tour to the traveler’s personal interest.

Have you any tips to share on customizing your tours?
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Tips for Cruise Passenger pick up by tour guide

Cruise passengers are a big group of clients for tour guides in coastal cities around the world. Some tour guides targeting luxury travelers focus on cruise ships only. Cruise pick-up is similar to meeting at the airport but has its own situation. It is different from meeting clients at the hotel lobby or other venues. Here are some tips for cruise ship pick up.

Check the cruise port, especially when there are two ports at your destination city. Sometimes there will be a cruise port in city centre, while another far out by the sea for bigger ships. Check with the cruise port as well as your cruise passengers. Avoid missing your clients and wasting your effort.

Re-check the cruise stop and weather on the day. It is recommended to re-check the cruise stop on the day or one day in advance. It happens that the cruise ship changed the port of their original plan. Or they cancel the stop because of cruise itinerary changes. Sometimes, extreme weather like big fog prevents the ship from docking on time. One solution is giving your full contacts (mobile especially) to the cruise passenger. Thus, as a tour guide for pick-up, you can be notified of any sudden changes.

Confirm the cruise ship people exits. Are there several exits at one dock? Some ports are very busy that they provide several exits for passengers from different cruises. Make sure you are waiting at the right exit. Do your clients need to get outside the port to meet you? There are many ports where only big travel agents can get close to the ship. If yes, inform your clients in advance so that they know where to find you. Do hold a clear sign with the client’s name. Cruise ships are usually big with several thousand passengers.

Any experience you want to share about meeting cruise travelers?