tour guides not tied to one company

I thought it interesting when talking to our guide from SPG in Stockholm. She said that there, as well as some other ports, the guides are licensed and not necessarily contracted to just one company or cruise line . So you might have a great guide representing a private company and that same guide might be doing a ship excursion tour the next day. Made sense that the private companies try to keep the "best" guides working for them. But because the number needed from day to day can vary, guides will go where the job is.

So, when you have a great guide you want to recommend, remember he/she could be working for a competitor another day.

ps. Our guide said obviously the guides would MUCH rather do agency tours over ship tours.

I thought it interesting when talking to our guide from SPG in Stockholm. She said that there, as well as some other ports, the guides are licensed and not necessarily contracted to just one company or cruise line . So you might have a great guide representing a private company and that same guide might be doing a ship excursion tour the next day. Made sense that the private companies try to keep the "best" guides working for them. But because the number needed from day to day can vary, guides will go where the job is.

So, when you have a great guide you want to recommend, remember he/she could be working for a competitor another day.

ps. Our guide said obviously the guides would MUCH rather do agency tours over ship tours.

Your wording is a little odd. Private companies are providing the services for ships' excursions. In fact, there was a thread a short while ago in which the poster, as a private visitor, hired the same company that the ship had hired for its own excursion. (If that poster is reading this thread, perhaps he/she will chime in.)

In St Petersburg, we used White Nights Travel. This company keeps only two guides on their full time payroll. However, they can cope with far more than two bookings at the same time since White Nights maintains a list of preferred free lance guides hired when the need arises. I suspect that is a standard approach for all the top rated tour companies. I also suspect the top rated companies stay top rated by hiring only the best supplemental guides.

In many European cities as in London the official licensed guides are self employed. Therefore, they choose the jobs they want to do and don't necessarily work all the time for the same company.

They earn good money as it takes some years and a lot of study to get their licence.

In many European cities as in London the official licensed guides are self employed. Therefore, they choose the jobs they want to do and don't necessarily work all the time for the same company.

 

They earn good money as it takes some years and a lot of study to get their licence.

Yes this was the point I was trying to make. I just thought I'd mention our conversation with the excellent guide we had. Altho we booked thru SPB, she was independent and did jobs for others.

Sometimes cruisers here recommend a particular guide at a company. But that person could very well be working for someone else the next day.

In Europe non guides (bus drivers) are not even allowed to give tour discriptions. In Rome we had no description till the licensed guide arrived. In Venice, same thing. The guides and buses will sometimes travel long distances to their next gig. in places that do not license guides (like Alaska) I have been told some pretty amazing things. I always ask a guide I am impressed with for their card. Standards are very strict. It amounts to a college degree.

We have hired many guides and they often "patch" together their schedule. Some tour companies try to mask that their guides are actually free lance and individual -- sort of like independent contractors. Some companies use only first names so that it is harder to locate the guide. Some companies are ONE person but the web site seems to be a larger operation. I have actually used tour companies, individuals found here on cruise critic and on trip advisor and in google searches and individuals who also use booking (tour) companies. I then email back and forth and get a set itinerary or plan for our visit and a set price and a statement of what transportation. I usually try for a statement that the guide will be the one who I have communicated with (then I know English level and some of personality) but occasionally I do get someone's first cousin once removed:D These emails on my phone or better yet printed out reminds all parties of what the deal is and keeps fuss down to a minimum. We have had great experiences doing this. Often it is cheaper fee also -- tour companies take as much as 50% of the tour cost for booking fee and pay the guide once a month AFTER the tour is given -- a long time period. Guide share/fee for shore excursions is even less (or more) depending on the deal struck between the independent guide and the company providing shore excursions to cruise line. Cruise line sells the tour company's offering for a cut of the fee. If the country you are visiting have stricter laws of who and what a tour guide must be then that liscence often brings a higher fee -- less people are able to market themselves as guides. (Japan for example must have commercial (taxi) driver's permit and pass an exam in language and cultural knowledge while Indonesia you must register with a $5 stamp only! 2 guides I used in Feb. 2015 One I paid 300US$ day (Japan) and one was closer to $75 day (Yogyakarta Indonesia). Both highly rated and both were wonderful but the price difference was based on local economy and supply and demand which we negotiated by email and by research). I have come to trust the reviews and reviewers on some sites very much and I try to help individual guides who have made my travels wonderful by sharing reviews. It takes a community to travel well.

I then email back and forth and get a set itinerary or plan for our visit and a set price and a statement of what transportation. I usually try for a statement that the guide will be the one who I have communicated with (then I know English level and some of personality) but occasionally I do get someone's first cousin once removed:D These emails on my phone or better yet printed out reminds all parties of what the deal is and keeps fuss down to a minimum. We have had great experiences doing this.

Your email advice is really helpful. While you're absolutely right that the emails are useful for minimizing disputes over factual details (e.g. times, sequence of visits) a more subtle but equally important transition occurs.

In the process of emailing back and forth, we transition from being a name in a time slot -- "Tuesday 8:30 AM client at Pier 160" -- to being real people with likes and dislikes and personal idiosyncrasies. When the guide becomes invested in our happiness, the results are most worthwhile. For that reason, I often look for individual guides rather than seeking out a company. Still if the company is a good one, the administrative types will do a good job communicating this important information to the actual guide and the results can be just as good as direct contact. Besides, the best guides can make adjustments in real time to enhance her clients' visit.

I thought it interesting when talking to our guide from SPG in Stockholm. She said that there, as well as some other ports, the guides are licensed and not necessarily contracted to just one company or cruise line . So you might have a great guide representing a private company and that same guide might be doing a ship excursion tour the next day. Made sense that the private companies try to keep the "best" guides working for them. But because the number needed from day to day can vary, guides will go where the job is.

So, when you have a great guide you want to recommend, remember he/she could be working for a competitor another day.

ps. Our guide said obviously the guides would MUCH rather do agency tours over ship tours.

Hi! I also was very interested in this subject and I asked our St. Petersburg guide Inna. She said that she as well as great majority of St. Petersburg tour guides is licensed and not contracted to any particular companies. At the same time she mostly works for the Best Guides due to some reasons (better conditions, higher salary etc) but if she is not engaged with this company on one or another particular day she could work for any other local companies. She used to provide ship tours as well but now she works only for private agencies.

Jess :)

If we have a good guide, we ask for their buisnes card and contact them directly.

If we have a good guide, we ask for their buisnes card and contact them directly.

Smart idea! Will it be much cheaper to book with a guide directly? Will she/he be able to organize all the entrance tickets? The main question is the tour tickets. As far as I know only a licensed tour company - Best Guides, Spb tours, Alla, TJ and may be several others - can provide these documents. Is that correct?

Jess :)