Tour guides never really get their due in movies and popular culture. “We’re walking. We’re walking.” This is the kind of monotone used to mock museum docents and those who lead us through historical sites and national landmarks such as those you’ll find in Washington DC.
As with most stereotypes, though, this one is untrue. At Washington DC Guide, we believe a professional tour guide enhances every single travel experience. They’re the key to turning the unfamiliar into the unforgettable. And since you’re here, you probably already believe this too. Here are three reasons we believe tour guides are the right choice for Washington DC group travel tours.
They Know More Than You – Seriously, There’s a Test
A tour guide isn’t just a know-it-all who likes to talk. They actually do know it all. They’ve studied the attractions you’re going to visit, and not just on Wikipedia. They’ve also been there before, probably a hundred times. They’ve heard every question under the sun, and if they didn’t know the answer to it at the time they found out later. Imagine how a landmark or museum can come alive when your leader has a wealth of knowledge about its founding, its importance, and its fame.
A building is just a building and a park just a park, until you learn who designed it, why money was first raised for its preservation, who plants those flowers every year, what festivals you’ll find nearby when, what movies filmed there when, and so much more. These are just a glimpse at the rich details you’ll discover when you hire a guide for your tour.
They Entertain
We admit, not all DC attractions grab your attention at face value. An outhouse at Mt. Vernon, for instance? You probably wouldn’t even notice it unless your guide points out that it was revolutionary at the time – a three seater! – and then demonstrates on a nearby bench how close those quarters would seem. But this is what they do. Tour guides make new things familiar. They connect the dots from one attraction to the next. They tell you jokes about their many experiences at a given attraction. They tell you stories about real people with real feelings so that suddenly the artifacts and memorabilia aren’t just empty objects. Tour guides make it personal.
They Improvise
You should know upfront: Not every minute of your tour will go as planned. Large group and educational tours can especially become nightmares when things go wrong. Without a guide, you’d be lost when the place for your dinner reservations is blocked off for construction. With a guide, you’ll know that just around the block lies the cutest little diner in the known universe and – oh yea – Bill Clinton ate there once. If it’s raining like mad on the day you meant to walk the grounds at Arlington, would you know what to do instead? Probably not. A tour guide brings to the table a broad familiarity with the locale and its many charms.
A professional guide is a life raft in the storm. Use it. Take advantage of their expertise, their energy, and their bottomless pit of entertaining trivia. You’ll definitely be glad you did.