Are private tour guides worth it?

It's easily one of the best ways to maximize the experiences at the heart of your trip: gaining some understanding of a different culture, discovering what's fascinating about a destination's sights, and maybe finding a personal connection with a person or people who might otherwise seem foreign.



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But even if you're an expert, having a tour guide can bring so much more knowledge to enrich your experience. No matter how experienced you are as a traveler, it's the tour guide who can tell you the interesting facts and not-on-Google-secrets about a place.

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Most etiquette experts suggest a tip of 10-20% of the cost of a tour for outdoor guides like ours. A typical gratuity on a full-day tour is $20-$40 per person, and on a half-day trip, $15-$20 per guest.

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There are exceptions if your specific tour experience includes gratuities or you simply didn't have a good time, but in general, tipping your guide at the end of the tour is customary in the U.S. and Europe, though it's much more common in the States.

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Cost (sometimes) Private tours are usually considered much more expensive due to the luxury, convenience and personal attention they offer. While there is some truth in this, as personal tours can often be more expensive than group tours, this isn't always the case.

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And unlike a group tour, a private guide can share information and advice tailored to your particular interests and personality. Guides aren't just useful for sightseeing — they're also great at enhancing cultural experiences.

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While group tours may end up on buses with other travelers, private tours allow you to travel by a private car or minivan no matter if you're coming alone or with your family and friends. Private tours are also useful for those who need special care, including older relatives, small children, or disabled travelers.

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Just as when you buy in bulk at the grocery store, buying in bulk also helps when traveling for large tour companies. By reserving large groups of people, these companies are able to get a cheaper price, which makes the price per person cheaper as well.

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Even the most experienced travelers can feel solo travel anxiety before packing their backpack and taking a flight alone. Yes, there are awkward moments and uncomfortable situations, but the benefits and thrills of solo travel far outweigh the fear of traveling alone.

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A half-day tour with a private guide usually costs $100–300. Guides generally don't charge per person, so hiring one isn't nearly as budget-straining if you can split the cost with fellow travelers. (To get some of the same local info for less, join a group walking tour or hop a sightseeing bus.)

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While you can make local friends on trains or experience rural life on a road trip, there's no better way to see Italy than with the help of a local tour guide.

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About.com has a Tipping Guide for travelers that further suggests that the tour guide should receive a tip of 10% to 20% of the tour cost. As a last thought, the guide still needs to earn his or her tip. Just with any other profession, the tip should match the level of service.

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  • For a tour that only lasts a few hours, tip your guide 10 percent to 20 percent the cost of the tour. ...
  • For a multi-day tour, you should tip your guide $5 to $10 per day on the last day.
  • If there was a driver in addition to a guide, tip them $1 to $5 per day.


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