Guiding the Future: Why Tourist Guides Remain Essential in the Era of Advancing Technologies

Why does the profession of a tourist guide remain and will continue to be highly demanded, despite the rapid growth of constantly evolving technologies and even the emergence of artificial intelligence?

In 2023, the demand for the services of tourist guides remains high, as travel and tourism continue to be one of the most popular forms of recreation. Thanks to the development of technology and changes in consumer lifestyles, tourists are becoming more discerning, seeking unique, personalized, and educational experiences during their travels.

Private tour guide is the best assistant on your journey

Travelling is something that changes each of us in a better way. We become a part of the country we visited, it stays in our thoughts and memories. A good journey is definitely a way to make yourself happier and the world better.

Today Chicago is a major industrial center. Every year millions of tourists come from all over the world. Mostly because of its main attraction: Lake Michigan. Beach vacation here is nicely combined with dynamic city life.

Sightseeing: with a guide or on your own?

How to organize a sightseeing tour, so that the trip left best memories - this question usually puzzles travelers.

Is it better to look for sights by yourself, using maps and hand books for each interesting object (which you still have to find in an unfamiliar country) or to use professional services of a personal guide?

The key factor here is theamount of time that you have. If your plan to stay in the country for a bit longer, for example for two or three months, then, you can take your time and get acquainted with the culture, architecture and other sights. However, you should consider possible inconveniences associated with the queues in museums, unreasonable prices in restaurants and cafes in the tourist area, etc.

In case you are pressed for time, it is more reasonable to find an insider, a person to help you get acquainted with the sights of this area in a qualified and detailed manner. Here are a few reasons, why it is wiser to hire a guide:

What a good tourist guide looks like?

To be a travel guide implies a lot of duties and responsibilities: such a person should have not only extensive knowledge of history and be ready to answer any questions about all historical epochs, but also should be a nice person. Working with people requires being friendly and stress-resistant, besides, a good guide should have enough stamina.It is important to be in love with the profession to get appreciated by tourists.

What kind of tourist guide you need?

Hereareafew types of guides:

• A “sightseeing guide” accompanies tourists on foot walks, car trips and cruises. Their competence includes the development of the route and the selection of sites to visit. A good guide considers the individual characteristics of the group members: the average age of the participants, their mobility, interests, etc. During the whole stay with his group the guide tells interesting stories, answers the arising questions and tries to meet the needs of each tourist in the group.

• A “guide-driver” can not only surprise you with interesting facts about the place of visit, but is going to take you to the chosen placeusing the safest and most beautiful roads. It is clear, that the car tour can significantly expand the horizons of your trip.

• A “guide-interpreter” performs several functions at once: the functions of a professional guide, an interpreter and an administrator. Particularly important are their skills of psychology and the ability to come along with any tourists: in fact, according to the requirements of the profession, this guide communicates with people of different age and different nationalities. This guide always includes in the route the most vivid sights, leaving a great impression of the country.

Choose your tourist guide and bring home the warmest memories of the trip.

5. Take care of the technical equipment (H2)

It’s a shame, when your camera battery is low in a fantastically beautiful place. To prevent this, take 2-3 extra batteries with you to let this beauty continue not only in your memories, but also in your pictures.

6. Learn more about the culture and the language of the places you are going to visit (H2)

Start reading books about these places! This way you will anticipate your long-awaited journey with pleasure and expand your horizons. It's also good to learn the main phrases in the language of the country you are going to visit. If you say "Hello" in the language of the local population it will certainly help to make friends with locals.Nothing can expandthe horizons of our mind as good traveling does. To make your trip a discovery of something beautiful, and not a confusion of circumstances, it is necessary to use some planning. If you want to plan a budget yet comfortable trip, start preparation in advance. Here are valuable tips for budget travelers:

1. Route planning and booking tickets

Spontaneous trips have their charm, but some moments are better to plan ahead. For example, booking a flight. This is a great chance to save your budget at the very beginning, since early flight booking assumes lower ticket prices. In some cases, it's worth planning 10 to 12 months before the trip. By subscribing to airline newsletter, you can receive information about offers and promotions directly to your mailbox.

To save even more, it makes sense to consider not only direct flights to your destination. For example, you can choose an airport near your destination, and then use a bus or car transfer. Maybe this is not the easiest way, but with proper planning it is a cheaper one.

When booking a cruise liner voyage, you should pay special attention to choosing dates and entering passenger names. Be careful when filling out these fields, as a mistake may cost you a lot. The names of passengers you enter when booking must match those in the official documents by the time of boarding a cruise ship. This information has a special meaning for those who are going to change their last name, for example, after getting married.

“Nobody can discover the world for somebody else. Only when we discover it for ourselves does it become common ground and a common bond and we cease to be alone.” ― Wendell Berry, A Place on Earth

2. Travel insurance is a reasonable necessity

No one wants to get sick or get robbed during a trip, but, unfortunately, it happens. The luggage may be lost, the flight canceled, etc. The list of such troubles is quite long. In such cases traveling becomes not so economy. If you ignore travel insurance, it may lead to serious financial expenses during the trip. On the other hand, you can avoid these crazy costs for just a very symbolic amount of money for each day of travel. Just think of it as an investment in the peace of mind during your trip. By the way, make photos or your baggage in advance - this will help to identify it faster in case it gets lost and speed up the process of reimbursement according to your insurance.

3. Prepare copies and photos of your documents in advance

For successful traveling it is necessary to prepare in advance copies and photos of the following documents:

• copies of your passport or ID card;
• visa;
• medical insurance;
• driving license.

It is also recommended to have these documents in your email box. This will help to avoid serious trouble with the authorities in case the documents are lost. It is also useful to have a phone number and the address of the hotel you stopped at.

4. Make a list of the essentials for your journey

In about two weeks before your trip make a list of things that are necessary for the trip. This time is necessary to plan your baggage efficiently for travel.

These items are worth to be in your travel bag:

• medicines (aspirin, adsorbent, skin care products, drugs from allergy, antibacterial cream);
• a toothbrush;
• moisturizing cream with SPF;
• additional USB charger.

By the way, the best option is to have these items in the handbag you take on board - in case of delay or loss of baggage, they will always be with you.

5. Take care of the technical equipment

It’s a shame, when your camera battery is low in a fantastically beautiful place. To prevent this, take 2-3 extra batteries with you to let this beauty continue not only in your memories, but also in your pictures.

6. Learn more about the culture and the language of the places you are going to visit

Start reading books about these places! This way you will anticipate your long-awaited journey with pleasure and expand your horizons. It's also good to learn the main phrases in the language of the country you are going to visit. If you say "Hello" in the language of the local population it will certainly help to make friends with locals.

7. Use the services of a local tourist guide

As a rule, locals are friendly to guests and you can always rely on useful information about restaurants, sights and much more. A good way to make your trip low-cost is to get acquainted to a private tourist guide in advance. To use such services means to get unique knowledge about history, local traditions and customs, and everything that will seem interesting to you. Look at the list of tourist guides from more than 90 countries.

Tourist guides are well informed about exhibitions, concerts, markets, etc. How will this help to make your trip budget? It's simple: information is important to avoid wrong choice and extra expenditures. If you have doubts about hiring a guide, this article will help you decide.

8. Prepare backup plastic cards

In case of force majeure situations with your current bank card, you should take care of the backup card, as well as the credit card. Then, in case of sudden freezing of funds on the main account, you can always continue your trip.

Use cards that do not charge a fee for foreign transactions.

Try not to carry out operations with cards when using free public Wi-Fi.

9. Take care of cash

Cash can often be helpful in a variety of cases. Therefore, it is recommended to take care about having some cash in advance –as ATMs may not be available. This advice is not so much about paying your lunch or hotel bill, but about unplanned expenses.

The amount of money to cover such emergency expenses depends on the country you travel to, but on average $200 - 300 in well-hidden cash will give your budget trip more optimism and confidence. The correct choice of a storage place is important: probably, it will be your backpack lining, your handbag with medicines or a cosmetic bag. Include your imagination and do not limit yourself to just one secret place.

By the way, it is careless to wear a bag on your belt - pickpockets around the world know this type of bags very well!

10. Your luggage should not be too large

When dealing with a large suitcase or backpack, people usually try to fill it at most. Avoid this idea. As a result, you will have a lot of things that are hardly necessary. This is not very important for cruise trips, but in a land trip, especially when traveling from place to place, excess baggage will be very depressing. And in this case, a backpack (40 liters - quite enough) with the necessary minimum is a smart decision. A suitcase with evening dresses and other beauty accessories is perfect for a cruise.

“My dream is to walk around the world. A smallish backpack, all essentials neatly in place. A camera. A notebook. A traveling paint set. A hat. Good shoes. A nice pleated (green?) skirt for the occasional seaside hotel afternoon dance.” ― Maira Kalman, The Principles of Uncertaint

Where is Brazil located?

In the North and the East, Brazil is washed by the Atlantic ocean. Being the largest state in Central-Eastern part of South America, Brazil is in 5th place in the world by population. It's a warm country with lovely landscapes, beautiful and clean ocean.

When is winter in Brazil?

Brazil is a tropical country with seasons that are opposite of seasons in Europe, winter in Europe is summer in Brazil, and the European summer months in Brazil are in the winter. And therefore it is not necessary to go to Brazil for a tropical summer in June-August as in this case, you may be disappointed.

Brazil is divided into 5 different climatic regions:

• equatorial,
• tropical,
• semi-arid,
• tropical Alpine,
• subtropical.

The precipitation is very different throughout the year and this fact affects the choice of the optimal time to visit one or another region of Brazil.

"Brazil is not what you see but what you feel. Once you spend time here - a week, two weeks - you get in the vibe. It's really intoxicating.” - Francisco Costa

How is Christmas celebrated in Brazil?

Christmas in Brazil is celebrated on 25 December. In many ways, the celebration of Christmas in Brazil is reminiscent of the celebration in Europe and North America. Christmas tree, Christmas gifts and cards, decorating the house and delicious dinner with the family is attributes of Christmas celebration in Brazil. Traditional European Christmas theme winter and snow is present in Brazil, despite the fact that Christmas in Brazil occurs during the tropical summer.

How do you say “Merry Christmas” in Brazil?

“Feliz Natal!” – the most popular phrase in Brazil during the celebration of Christmas. A gala dinner is usually served late in the evening on Christmas eve around 10 – 11 hours. As a rule, it is roast turkey, fruit and fried cod, rice cooked in a special way and many other dishes. Festive meal on Christmas day is very rich and varied. Many Brazilians attend a midnight service or watch broadcast the mass from Rome.

How celebrate the New Year in Brazil?

You used to celebrate New Year in winter? Forget about it! New Year in Brazil is a fun summer holiday. At midnight on December 31, go to the beach, eat 12 grapes and make a wish. This wish will inevitably come true. At least, the Brazilians think so.

When to visit Rio de Janeiro?

The hot and dry months in this city is September and October, the rains begin in November and continue until December – February. The temperature in Rio de Janeiro from December to March can reach +30 and above. The water temperature is + 24. Humidity on the coast is always high.

Perhaps February is the best time to visit Rio, but it is also the most expensive. The most obvious explanation of the high prices February in Rio is the world famous Brazilian Carnival. A quieter time to visit is from September to November, and the second half of March. Prices are not so high and the weather quite comfortable.

When is the carnival in Brazil?

Of course, should also mention the Brazilian Carnival, which is traditionally held 40 days before Easter. Usually, this date falls in February or early March. By the way, this festival is so colorful and exciting show that some tourists, surrendering entirely to this celebration, in the end, may not find his watch or wallet. Beware!

What is Brazil known for today?

In Brazil is widely developed tourism industry because the government pays her much attention. Tourists can enjoy beautiful beaches with developed infrastructure, comfortable hotels and apartments.

Brazil is a country of dancing and fun music and almost every tourist can easily master this skill. The most famous dance of this country is considered Samba. It’s fiery and very emotional dance wich expres feelings to your partner vividly. Brazil is also famous for its festivals, in which can take part every tourist.

The splendor of carnival in Rio de Janeiro, the Amazon jungle, cascades and waterfalls, popular beaches, famous football, great food, and wonderful hotels – this is the approximate list of what is Brazil for tourists today.

Visit Brazil and get your own idea of this country!

The summer is over, but it doesn’t mean the traveling is over. In autumn the world looks a little different and even more interesting.

The cities of Europe change the colors and shades of nature, but their world-famous sights remain the same. There are some cities of the Old World that are a must-visit in autumn. Why not go there?