tour guides | don't "settle" for your cab driver

Hector, our exceptional tour guide in Costa Rica (c) 2017 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

I just read a travelogue by one of my favorite bloggers, Ben Schlappig of One Mile at a Time. Ben's expertise consists of his encyclopedic knowledge of using "miles" to book premium airline flights and hotel stays. Ben, in addition, has a thorough knowledge of various credit cards and their benefits and sign-up bonuses. I've used his service to book award flights.

Ben's story illustrates why arranging tour guides is an art.  While visiting Jerusalem with his mother, they planned to do some sightseeing. Armed with a list of specific sights they wanted to see, they hopped in a cab to their first destination. The cab driver offered to be their tour guide for the day, and they accepted.

The experience was not what they hoped for. The driver had his own ideas of what they should see and refused to take them to some of the sites on their list. He disparaged some of the Christian sites that Ben's mother wanted to visit. And, perhaps most typical of these kinds of "guides," he insisted on taking them to a tourist shop outside the city to buy a few souvenirs they intended to purchase. It ended up being a crappy, tourist-trappy store, its parking lot filled with tour busses. Once the driver pocketed his commission, the tour suddenly ended, and Ben and his mom were driven straight back to their hotel.

There are exceptional tour guides out there who will treat you to a truly exceptional experience. You'll hear stories, see sights, and gain insights that you'll remember for the rest of your life. Hector (pictured above) was our knowledgeable and personable tour guide in Costa Rica. His love for the animals and plant life of the rain forest was obvious ... and he was a hilarious story teller. I'll never forget his account of the two times he gave tours to "Mr. Jimmy" and his wife Rosalyn. (Yes, that Mr. Jimmy, the 39th President of the United States).

When and where do you find the "best of the best" tour guides? Definitely NOT in the driver's seat of your taxi. Likely NOT at the concierge desk the day before you want to take a tour. And most likely NOT if you start enquiring a few months before your trip; the best guides always get booked first ... and you'll be left with the "best of the rest."

My advice: contact your luxury travel advisor six months or a year before your trip. Sometimes we'll have a personal relationship with a great independent guide, and we can connect you. More often, we will turn to our in-country Virtuoso partners; they have the specialized expertise required to pair you with a guide best suited to you, your family, and your interests.

copyright (c) 2017 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

the morning after | why travel is important

a street in Paris (c) 2016 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

I just read a blog by my friend Ben Schlappig entitled What Does A Trump Presidency Mean For Travel? He wrote about (1) global uncertainty, (2) the possibility of a weaker dollar, (3) more visa restrictions, and (4) lots of questions about Trump. His fourth point especially resonated with me:

In the past year I haven’t been able to travel anywhere internationally without talking about Trump. The second I mention I’m from the US, the first thing out of peoples’ mouths has been about Trump. Reactions have been mixed — in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan, they seem to love him, while they don’t in most other places I’ve seen. 

I was looking forward to those conversations ending after the election, but I guess they’re only getting started. So if you go somewhere and say you’re American, I suspect the first thing out of peoples’ mouths will be “ah, Donald Trump,” for better or worse.

I've had much the same experience. While I don't travel nearly as much as Ben, every time I've been out of the country over the past year, people have asked me about Donald Trump and whether he could possibly be elected. I'm sure glad I don't earn my living as a political prognosticator!

Travel is truly important, especially in times like ours. We become international ambassadors when we travel. Person-to-person diplomacy is a powerful force. Chance encounters with citizens of different countries create opportunities to make friendships that transcend national boundaries. Even when our governments are stuck in old patterns of division, we the people of the world have the remarkable capacity to further Tikkun Olam, the healing of the world.

copyright (c) 2016 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

an amateur mistake

I wonder if you've ever experienced something like the following.

I have a Citi Prestige card in my wallet, one of the draws being the fact that I got a 50,000 "thank you points" bonus on sign-up. This morning, it was my intent to use those points, plus other points I've accrued, towards a ticket on American Airlines. (The link, by the way, gives the credit for the referral to my friend Ben Schlappig, if you decide to apply for the card).

I reached the Thank You desk at Citi, got the flights I wanted set up with the travel advisor, but something about his voice did not make me confident that he was totally on top of things. Moreover, this being the first time I had tried to "cash in" points, I was unfamiliar with the process.

So I panicked, booked the flights on aa.com, and paid cash. Only a bit later did I realize that everything would have been OK and I could have saved $800+.

I'm really an amateur when it comes to The Hobby of earning and using points. Next time, I'll just trust the process.

copyright (c) 2015 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.