Did your guided tour live up to your expectations? (1 Viewer)

[irnbru]

Ok from the recommended tour guide thread Im seriously considering becoming a guide for travel in Scotland and the islands.
As part of my research and for those that have taken trips
1. Why did you take it rather than go by yourself?
2. Did you feel you got value for money?
3. How many vehicles in the group.
4. Were you charged per person or per vehicle?
5.Was it enjoyable?
6. What if anything wpuld have improved your trip?

Any other input would be great.

 

[scotjimland]

Morocco 21 day tour. 2007 ..

1. Hype, suggesting it was a trip better undertaken with an 'experienced' tour guide. This proved to be nonsense.
2. No.. IMO .. it was expensive and , poor value for money.
3. About 10
4. Charged per person.
5. I found it exhausting and rushed.. I enjoyed it better once we left the group at the end of the tour and did our own thing.
6. More time to enjoy the sights with less driving.

I wouldn't go on another tour unless it was somewhere like a trip to China.. as organised by members of the Silk Route Motorcaravan Network(SRMN)

Good luck with you plan..

 

[****]

Cochem Castle in.... errrr Cochem. Crap tour guide but can visit unless you take the guide. Woman couple not speak English so we got a sheet of A4 about the areas we walked through. She was fine with French and Dutch. Felt rushed round and thrown out at the end.

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[DBK]

I think there is a market opportunity but probably different to traditional MH tours in Europe or say New Zealand. For tours outside the UK part of the attraction is the tour offers a safety net and a measure of reassurance to folk who otherwise might not want to travel outside the UK.

How many times have we read on here about people being nervous just going to France? Yet the same folk wouldn't worry at all about going to Scotland.

The point is a Scottish tour would need to do something people couldn't easily do on their own. For example, a whisky tour with overnight parking within walking distance of distilleries would certainly attract takers. You wouldn't need to know much about whisky as the distilleries could provide the expertise at each visit.

Other Scottish themes could be industrial, battles, Highland Clearances etc., but you would need someone on the tour who knew the subject of course!

 

[WillH]

Living in Scotland and touring extensively here I cannot see a market for guided tours as the tourism industry is so well geared up these days. Even in the most remote places there is plenty of info and a warm welcome. Add to that the fact it is only a days drive from anywhere else in the UK so a guide is hardly needed.

 

[irnbru]

Living in Scotland and touring extensively here I cannot see a market for guided tours as the tourism industry is so well geared up these days. Even in the most remote places there is plenty of info and a warm welcome. Add to that the fact it is only a days drive from anywhere else in the UK so a guide is hardly needed.

Maybe so for folk who live here. What about visitors like americans and australians etc whose time might be limited. What might suit one might not suit another.

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[WillH]

Very true, not considered that but Scotland doesn't have that many roads and most of the folk I meet on my travels are going solo on their trip. We meet Germans, Dutch, Aussies, Kiwi's, French and North Americans every year.

 

[Bacchus]

Living in Scotland and touring extensively here I cannot see a market for guided tours

I think the biggest benefit would be having a translator available...

 

[big map]

Good luck with your new enterprise. I think it will work, especially if you introduce visitors to secret places.

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[Allan & Loren]

1. We went on a tour last summer as we were new to motorhoming and wanted all the arrangements to be made by someone else. We were nervous about going abroad on our own and thought having an experienced motorhoming guide would be a benefit. Our tour guides were terrible and all they did was check us in to the campsites each night then disappear to enjoy their dinner privately and resurfaced to check us out in the morning, we did see them one evening about 10.30pm when a group of us were sitting enjoying a drink together and they asked us to go to bed as we were too noisy and they wanted to sleep!
2. We didn't feel it was good value for money. We just felt we had subsidised their holiday.
3. Meant to be max of 10 but had 12 inc guides
4. Charged per motorhome which inc 2 people. Anymore would be extra and dogs not allowed.
5. We enjoyed it overall because the people on the tour were great. If we'd had a bunch of miserable people we probably would have ditched the tour and done our own thing.
6. Less driving and more time to enjoy the stops. We often found we left one site mid morning, were driving all day to arrive at the next site at tea time. No time for sightseeing, just lots of roads.

Our hosts were nice people but not friendly, sociable people. They had not grasped the concept that we were paying guests and as such needed looking after. Their customer relations were really poor.

Another issue was in their preparation of the trip. They had a small motorhome under 3.5 tonnes and several of the routes throu the villages did not allow over 3.5 tonnes and some of the roads were very tight for the longer vehicles. We're 7.5 tonnes and 9m and a couple of the hy era on our trip were 4.5 tonnes and 9m and we all had to take long detours, one added nearly 3 hours to the driving. The holiday form we completed included make/model/height/width/tonnage but it became obvious very quickly that they had planned the trips from the uk only. some of the campsites we went to they had never visited before either so couldn't help with places to shop, visit, etc as just as new for them.

 

[Graham and Jane]

You could be on a winner. May I suggest you do a tour then decide if its for you. Look how many people were interested when they thought you were planning "A Scottish Tour".

 

[irnbru]

You could be on a winner. May I suggest you do a tour then decide if its for you. Look how many people were interested when they thought you were planning "A Scottish Tour".

Lol true but might be a completely different stiry doing it as a living and not freebie.

We are doing one 2 weeks after Falkirk. Need to fit a party in Blackpool in first.

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[Langtoftlad]

If you are seriously considering this as a commercial venture - then my suggestion would be to invest the time & money in going on a tour yourself. Or joining an existing company as a tour guide.
From my time in customer services, I suspect the issues for you wouldn't be the tour guiding as such - but the incessant demands from your "guests" at all hours & their unreasonable expectations.
Not everyone is so "happy go lucky" as "Funsters" .

Another suggestion;
Rather than actually physically going on tour with your 'guests', how about developing & writing suggested itineraries which you could then sell.
Would include suggested routing, with realistic timings. Places to visit and places to stay. Then people can take as long or as short as they like.
Of course, they wouldn't get the being part of a gang element.

Regards Steve

 

[DanielFord]

Rather than actually physically going on tour with your 'guests', how about developing & writing suggested itineraries which you could then sell.

That is a good idea, I'm afraid a guided tour is my idea of hell. I like to wander on my own, without someone telling me where I need to be and when.

 

[Movinon]

Having spent years travelling all over the place on our own, we decided to do a proper tour and went to Greece last year with the Camping and Caravanning club. there were both motorhomes and caravans. It was expensive but included ferries, numerous coach and boat trips (including a full day to Albania), campsites and some group meals. The point is we have become aware that we are missing a lot driving around because of the uncertainty or impossibility of being able to park at some popular attractions, and ignorance about the value of less advertised destinations.

It was charged per vehicle and there were 19 vehicles if I remember correctly. Whether it was expensive would be difficult to assess without a breakdown of the cost of doing it on your own, and there is the subjective element of the price in relation to one's own financial position to consider. It was £2000 for a month starting out from San Moreno, but at the end we really felt we had seen southern Greece.

The biggest problem was the weather - the temperature hit an unseasonable 42C in September. The biggest asset was our tour leader who was really excellent, although I heard that he wasn't paid anything other than expenses.

Some years ago we travelled for a month with another non-club group where one couple were seriously into religion. Although there were only a dozen vans in the group they formed a clique with six or seven like-minded couples and excluded everyone else. This led to considerable friction and a less than cheery finish. Likewise, on this Greek tour the larger more expensive vans started grouping together and socialising amongst themselves, and there was clearly an inference by some that they felt superior to other folk and wanted preferential treatment.

I reckon that the best tour would comprise of no more than 8 or 10 vans and last for no more than 2 weeks.

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[MattR]

I think there is a market opportunity but probably different to traditional MH tours in Europe or say New Zealand. For tours outside the UK part of the attraction is the tour offers a safety net and a measure of reassurance to folk who otherwise might not want to travel outside the UK.

How many times have we read on here about people being nervous just going to France? Yet the same folk wouldn't worry at all about going to Scotland.

The point is a Scottish tour would need to do something people couldn't easily do on their own. For example, a whisky tour with overnight parking within walking distance of distilleries would certainly attract takers. You wouldn't need to know much about whisky as the distilleries could provide the expertise at each visit.

Other Scottish themes could be industrial, battles, Highland Clearances etc., but you would need someone on the tour who knew the subject of course!

As @DBK says, it should be something that people can't easily do themselves. Battle sites, clans, whisky, food - and your own knowledge must be good - better than guide books and with USPs that make people willing to pay for your services that many others might consider doing themselves for free.

How about a meet and greet service at the Edinburgh or Glasgow airports, escort to MH hire company and guide customers to their ancestral homelands / food tours / Nessie hunt, staying in character camp sites or wild camping, enjoying locally produced food and offer local excisions when on site so there isn't the obligation to travel miles and miles every day.

I've no idea how much people would pay for such a trip - bearing in mind the cost of hiring a motorhome and fuel etc. I wonder what else could be done to generate an income to supplement income from the tour work and compliment your visit - such as supporting cycle or horse tours, those on the LEJOG etc.

 

[rb62]

Good luck with your new enterprise. I think it will work, especially if you introduce visitors to secret places.

Got yourself a name already

Sandras Secret Places

An intimate guide to Scotland

 

[Robert Clark]

Got yourself a name already

Sandras Secret Places

An intimate guide to Scotland

Sounds like a sleazy pick up joint

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[Robert Clark]

Ok from the recommended tour guide thread Im seriously considering becoming a guide for travel in Scotland and the islands.
As part of my research and for those that have taken trips
1. Why did you take it rather than go by yourself?
2. Did you feel you got value for money?
3. How many vehicles in the group.
4. Were you charged per person or per vehicle?
5.Was it enjoyable?
6. What if anything wpuld have improved your trip?

Any other input would be great.

From a marketing perspective I'm wondering if there is much demand for this service. Looking at the forums Guided Tours section, it's pretty bare.
Are you doing any market research on the potential demand ?
Best of luck

 

[DL42846]

Not wishing to dampen your spirits I'm afraid I don't see it working. For me part of the fun of having a Motorhome is to go along at your own pace and visit what you want in your own time and if you find a nice spot to stay there as long as you like. Scotland is not that difficult to tour. Somewhere like visiting Mongolia or China would be a different story. There assistance crossing boarders and complying with different laws would be appreciated and I would be prepared to pay for the expertise and security. You could target Newbies. The other problem is if you do know of some nice spots once they have been posted on a site like this your redundant.
Maybe I'm bias as every time I have visited Scotland its rained none stop. The last time was a scuba diving trip, we could have stayed in our wet suits for the whole week. The sun did come out on the last afternoon as we were packing up. I do hope to tour Scotland in the Autumn.
I know of some 4X4 tours which operate in Morocco and the Pyrenees. They seem to be very aggressive in there marketing. I have never been on any of them. They seem very expensive for what they are. There main market seems to be first timers.
Just my thoughts.
Good luck.

 

[MattR]

Not wishing to dampen your spirits I'm afraid I don't see it working. For me part of the fun of having a Motorhome is to go along at your own pace and visit what you want in your own time and if you find a nice spot to stay there as long as you like. Scotland is not that difficult to tour. Somewhere like visiting Mongolia or China would be a different story. There assistance crossing boarders and complying with different laws would be appreciated and I would be prepared to pay for the expertise and security. You could target Newbies. The other problem is if you do know of some nice spots once they have been posted on a site like this your redundant.
Maybe I'm bias as every time I have visited Scotland its rained none stop. The last time was a scuba diving trip, we could have stayed in our wet suits for the whole week. The sun did come out on the last afternoon as we were packing up. I do hope to tour Scotland in the Autumn.
I know of some 4X4 tours which operate in Morocco and the Pyrenees. They seem to be very aggressive in there marketing. I have never been on any of them. They seem very expensive for what they are. There main market seems to be first timers.
Just my thoughts.
Good luck.

I thought the same but if the OP can tap the overseas market, for some visitors, it will be like us travelling to Mongolia - inhospitable terrain, offal for food and an incomprehensible language.

IMHO, there must be a few USPs that rich overseas visitors would be willing to pay for.

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[Old Soldier]

1. We went on a tour last summer as we were new to motorhoming and wanted all the arrangements to be made by someone else. We were nervous about going abroad on our own and thought having an experienced motorhoming guide would be a benefit. Our tour guides were terrible and all they did was check us in to the campsites each night then disappear to enjoy their dinner privately and resurfaced to check us out in the morning, we did see them one evening about 10.30pm when a group of us were sitting enjoying a drink together and they asked us to go to bed as we were too noisy and they wanted to sleep!
2. We didn't feel it was good value for money. We just felt we had subsidised their holiday.
3. Meant to be max of 10 but had 12 inc guides
4. Charged per motorhome which inc 2 people. Anymore would be extra and dogs not allowed.
5. We enjoyed it overall because the people on the tour were great. If we'd had a bunch of miserable people we probably would have ditched the tour and done our own thing.
6. Less driving and more time to enjoy the stops. We often found we left one site mid morning, were driving all day to arrive at the next site at tea time. No time for sightseeing, just lots of roads.

Our hosts were nice people but not friendly, sociable people. They had not grasped the concept that we were paying guests and as such needed looking after. Their customer relations were really poor.

Another issue was in their preparation of the trip. They had a small motorhome under 3.5 tonnes and several of the routes throu the villages did not allow over 3.5 tonnes and some of the roads were very tight for the longer vehicles. We're 7.5 tonnes and 9m and a couple of the hy era on our trip were 4.5 tonnes and 9m and we all had to take long detours, one added nearly 3 hours to the driving. The holiday form we completed included make/model/height/width/tonnage but it became obvious very quickly that they had planned the trips from the uk only. some of the campsites we went to they had never visited before either so couldn't help with places to shop, visit, etc as just as new for them.

You just can't please some people!!! I did offer to drive their monster van as Allan could not see over the steering wheel and I did offer to lend them a satnav with French mapping on it but no, they just wanted to go their way in their own time!!! Remember it well!!

 

[Allan & Loren]

You just can't please some people!!! I did offer to drive their monster van as Allan could not see over the steering wheel and I did offer to lend them a satnav with French mapping on it but no, they just wanted to go their way in their own time!!! Remember it well!!

Cheeky bugger!! That's no wine for you when we meet in Bristol. Anyway Allan's got a booster seat and blocks on his shoes to reach the peddles

 

[Allan & Loren]

And @Old Soldier we said we met some lovely people on our hols last year but that obviously didn't include you! You are off our Xmas card list now! Xx

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[Popeye]

I think the biggest benefit would be having a translator available...

Pity this Guy has died he'd have been perfect.......

 

[Robert Clark]

I thought the same but if the OP can tap the overseas market, for some visitors, it will be like us travelling to Mongolia - inhospitable terrain, offal for food and an incomprehensible language.

IMHO, there must be a few USPs that rich overseas visitors would be willing to pay for.

There are online research tools that allow you to see how the large the potential market is

 

[MattR]

There are online research tools that allow you to see how the large the potential market is

Can you recommend any? I wasn't aware of them but it makes sense.

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[Robert Clark]

Can you recommend any? I wasn't aware of them but it makes sense.

First place I'd look is Adwords Keyword Research tool - that would tell you how many searches there are for any given term in a month.
Then I'd try the Google Add preview tool - this would show you which websites show up for any given term.
Then I'd speak to MH rental companies in Scotland to see who else offers a guided tour services.
I'd also search Facebok for competitors

 

[irnbru]

First place I'd look is Adwords Keyword Research tool - that would tell you how many searches there are for any given term in a month.
Then I'd try the Google Add preview tool - this would show you which websites show up for any given term.
Then I'd speak to MH rental companies in Scotland to see who else offers a guided tour services.
I'd also search Facebok for competitors

Now I need to learn how to do this. Sounds handy thx

 

[Tea Bag]

Hi.
The easiest research for tours... A brochure of "Coach Holidays in Scotland",from your local Travel Agent.
This is not my idea,but gleaned from this Forum,i think the member had a connection with a European coach operation and advised another member to do just this. I thought it was a good idea ,and did just that myself,looked at the tours (Not for Scotland),picked out what would interest us,all the info is there,what to see,and where they stop over,sorted,near by Aire or Site.
Don't want to be negative,but it is something you will be up against,when you send out your Brochure,best of luck though.
Tea Bag

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