Tour Guide Service
“A good journey
starts with a good companion”
Travel with the right person or using the right tour guide service with the right attitude this will make your holiday memorable and fun.
We have found some interesting facts about tour guide and tour escorts, which would be good for travelers to know. It is not easy to find tour companies or travel agents who can set high standards of tour guide service. It does not really matter how big or famous the company is; sometimes, it is still risky to get low quality tour guides to work for tourists. In this topic, we have categorized tour guides into many types. Some of them are authorized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand and others are not.
In the following paragraphs, we elaborate on each type of tour guides we have here in Thailand. At the same time, we have taken an example of a particular case, where the guide and the tourists see an elephant. Let's find out how different tour guides react and explain about the elephant.
There are many taxi and Tuk Tuk drivers who can understand a little bit of English. Although by law, they are not tour guides, many times they act as one. For our reference, we will call them “Navigators”.
These people will wait for tourists in front of the hotel. As you walk out, they will try to ask you, “Papa, Mama where you go?” If you hesitate or start wondering whether or not you want to go with them, they will offer you a promotion, like a cheap ride to the Grand Palace and many other temples (Wat) for 3 hours for just10 baht (which is incredibly cheap). But usually tourists end up paying a lot more than 10 baht, for a faster, cooler and safer taxi. Worse even, Tuk Tuk and taxi drivers have become synonymous to aggressive touring, whether for tours, massages or for luring people into gem scams, discrediting the law-abiding drivers. Sometimes they might tell you, “Today Grand Palace is close you somewhere else.” Therefore, you might end up seeing nothing like one of our clients would do. Some of our clients never bought a tour, until their fourth visit to Bangkok. They told our guide that every time they were here and took taxi ride to the Grand Palace, the driver told them that the Grand Palace was closed. Therefore, they never got to see the Grand Palace until they traveled there with our tour guide on their fourth visit!
Example : Hey you! Elephan.
As we mentioned earlier, the low quality tour guides could work for big tour companies, joint tour companies or small size companies.
Here are examples that you may find funny:
Hello & Goodbye Guides
Many tour guides in this category operate their tour like this: They find you, say hello, then get into the vehicle. You will probably hear them again when it is time to say goodbye!
Cell Phone Addicted Tour Guides
After that, they put hands free in their ears and keep talking on their cell phone all the time; their cell phone will ring every 3 minutes. Or they will just keep listening to the music!
Then there is another type of tour guides whom we call “Ipod tour guides”. They put on their earplugs, play the music they like and sleep until arrival. Another time you will hear them speak will be when they have to inform you about the meeting point and the time available for sightseeing. They will normally say, “I will give you 15 minutes, you come back here OK?” After arriving at the hotel, they will wait for your tips and say goodbye. These kinds of tour guides work for low budget joint tours.
Karaoke Tour Guide
One of our clients told us about their experience about a karaoke tour guide from another tour company. He did not know what to tell the client during the trip. Once getting into the car, he started singing karaoke and asked the client to join him. Rest assured we do not have such guides in our company!
Example : When it comes to touring, they may not be around you. If they are around, they will probably explain about the elephant like this: “That is Thai elephant. They are very smart.”
Local Guides
There are two kinds of tour guides in temples. For example, at the Grand Palace, you will see official tour guides, who work in schedules, taking a special group of people, like students, who are on a school trip to learn about the history of the temple. These tour guides will be holding speakers and walking the group around, explaining about the place. Mostly, they know every single detail about the inside of the Palace, but their service is only for special groups from the government. Another type of tour guides also hold a license and can be found standing in front of the Grand Palace or other sightseeing attractions, museums or temples. They are local guides of those particular sightseeing places only. They are ready to come to you when you step in for sightseeing, “Do you need a tour guide?” We admit some of them are very good and can speak English very well. But, mostly they speak reasonable English and provide inaccurate information.
Example : When they see the elephant, they might tell you, “This is a elephant, it has 4 legs and 2 ears, 1 tusk,” which is an obvious fact that you know when you see it.
If you are looking for someone who can tell you more than ‘this elephant is an animal with 4 legs, 2 ears and 1 tusk,' you need a good tour guide. Why? Because they provide a good and acceptable service. For example, they will never leave you before their job ends. Their English might not be of a very high standard, but it will be understandable and communicable. They may not have much experience, but at least they will be enthusiastic to make your tour fun, and they will try to get along with you. You feel that they try hard to explain.
Example : Here is what they might say: “The white elephant is a sacred animal in our country; we used to have an elephant in our flag for the elephant in the temple represent to albino elephant.” They might even add their own experience from their youth or tell you about relevant Thai beliefs, which is nice to know about.
These tour guides have a long time experience. They speak good English and can handle a small group size very well. They are punctual; they provide good information about their culture, and they feel comfortable to be around you. They are very enthusiastic to work with you. Sometimes, they use practical examples to make you understand their sophisticated culture. Mostly, they work as freelance guides for reliable travel agencies. However, tours bought from such agencies can be very expensive, especially if you are booking them from your hometown.
Example: In addition to what three star guides told you about elephants being sacred and represented on our flag, four star guides will tell you more, like how they know this about elephants and what a white elephant stands for.
If you are a perfectionist, you need to book an excellent tour guide. Excellent tour guides can mostly handle a big group of tourists. Also, they are very talented in public speaking. You will enjoy and love to hear them talk and inform you about every topic. They are very informative, natural and knowledgeable. Excellent tour guides have a long term experience in the business. They also get a lot of complements. They can deal with difficult situations and are good at solving unexpected problems. There is no doubt about their service and knowledge. They can make your trip very memorable and fun. When they speak English, you need not worry about the language problem.
Often, five star tour guides can make excellent guides if they have also specialized in a particular area, such as history and culture, or if they are interested in art, architecture, night life or entertainment. If they do not know about something, but there is a special request for it, these guides will do their homework and gather the needed information prior to the tour.
Example : They can also tell you more about elephants, like how they used to be arranged in troops for war. They can tell how many types of elephants there are in the world and explain how Thai elephants vary from others. They can tell how much elephants eat and drink in a day. And they will tell you the most interesting stories ever.
You can expect them to know about any topic, including Thai Government, culture, food, drink, education, social activities, shopping malls, teenagers. Also, if you come from the US, they can tell you the difference between the Prime Minister of Thailand and the President of your country! They speak excellent English.
Note
The above information is based on facts from our direct experience with tour guides in Thailand. It can be used as a guideline while deciding the kind of service you would want for your tour. However, it must be noted hereby that we do not mean to offend or insult anyone or any business in particular.
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