The benefits of a local guide.

www.vivalavidatravel.com



Travel is such a funny thing.

There are so many different types of travelers that getting to know my clients is the FIRST and MOST important thing I can do when their planning vacations.

When my clients begin to plan their vacations with me, it's critical to know what kind of traveler they are. Some travelers prefer to get to their destination and explore on their own and others prefer to have a guide. Many clients do copious amounts of research on their upcoming trip and decide that they will navigate their trip on their own based on their own research. There is no right or wrong in how people choose to experience their travels but when it comes to traveling to a new destination and exploring, I often encourage people to choose to travel with a local guide.

Self-guided travel is amazing and creates moments of spontaneous adventure but it can also be exhausting and challenging. While I was in Japan, on a guided trip with G Adventures, I kept running into the same two women from Europe who were traveling through Japan on their own. I asked them how on earth they were tackling the Japan rail system on their own and how they figured out how to get from point a to point b and what to see in the middle of it all. They did extensive research on their trip to Japan.  I asked them how their trip was going so far and they said, "Good, but it's so tiring trying to figure everything out." Meanwhile, our guide, Kozo, had everything ready for us in terms of train, bus, boat schedules, and we were free to enjoy the journey without the hassle of constant worry. In addition to having everything prepared for us ahead of time, Kozo, was incredibly knowledgeable about all things Japan.

Kozo, my Japanese G Adventures guide and myself. 
First of all, I can't read Japanese. Secondly, when there were monuments with information in English, I have to admit, I skimmed over the information and did not retain what I just read. Kozo engaged us in the story of the location and shared with us information we would NEVER know if he hadn't educated us on what we were experiencing. Having his presence left me feeling much more fulfilled with my travels to Japan. If I were just on my own, I would have been completely overwhelmed and would have not been able to be in the moment while traveling.

If you're traveling to a new destination, you will want to make the most of your travel experience. You'll want to come away from your trip inspired, more knowledgeable about the destination,  relaxed and feeling like the experience was fulfilling in every way possible. A guide makes this happen for you.

Having a local guide is like having an instant friend who wants nothing but to ensure you have a great time. A local guide gives you first hand accessibility to the culture and traditions of your destination. You are free to educate yourself beyond what you'd normally do on your own because you have an incredible resource with you at all times. Local guides have an enormous amount of professional experience in guiding people through their countries. An additional perk in using a guide is that they work for companies that allow them to "skip the lines" and bypass the hoards of people winging their trip and waiting in lines for sometimes hours.

 My  local guides from Mexico, Japan, Peru, The Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and beyond are now my friends and we still keep in touch. What's beautiful about this is that my guides now feel more like family than just a guide.

Local guides bring you closer to the destination and to the experiences you'll be having and it bridges cultural gaps by immersing you in local customs and traditions.  After so many experiences shared with your guide, you will feel so connected to your travel experience and to the people and history of the destination.

A nice balance of spontaneous self guided exploration and local guide service creates for a most perfect travel experience. Trust me on this.

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