So you’re going to China! One of the biggest countries in the world, China has a lot to offer the modern traveller. From modern pulsing cosmopolitan cities, unique natural attractions, to famous cultural and historic sites, rest assured China delivers, with experiences of a lifetime.
In between booking flights and planning your itinerary, hiring a private tour guide in China might be the best decision you make; to cross language barriers, to understand cultures and customs, for an insider’s insight into those hard to reach attractions and historic sites. Given that the quality of your holiday will be affected by the calibre of your tour guide, here are some pointers on things you will need to take into consideration, when looking for, and hiring a guide.
Read online reviews
Recommendations and referrals are important as the quality of tour guides can vary. Some guides read off a prepared script that you could find in an online travel guide, while others won’t really know your language despite putting it on their resume. Here, feedback from other travellers is a valuable tool in choosing a good china tour guide.
Know who you are hiring
If you book a tour guide through a tour guide company, you are likely to communicate with a receptionist or tour coordinator, and meet your designated tour guide only when you land into the country. This may not be ideal since the tour guide may not be updates with your itinerary, special requests, or anything you would have chalked out to personalise your trip. On the other hand, if you hire an independent tour guide, you are likely to have clear and direct channels of communication with the guide, hence lessening the risk of misunderstandings. Make it clear that you expect that particular person to be your tour guide, not a friend or a fill-in guide, a practice that is sadly very common in China.
Be aware of scammers
Don’t hire a tour guide off the street. Unfortunately, scammers exist in China. There are a number of common scams operating in tourist areas in China. These often see a friendly young person approach a tourist on the street and say they want to improve their English, or to show the tourist around the city. The conversation and tour often leads to a tea house where the tourist is charged exorbitant rates for tea, while their new ‘friend’ disappears. If this happens to you, head straight to the police.
Be aware of dodgy tour operators
If the price of a tour seems too good to be true, it probably is. A tour priced much lower than similar tours on the market is likely to be offered by an unqualified travel agency working without tour guide registration, and hence one who is not able to ensure the quality of their product
Shopping stops
In China, it is very common that a number of tours will include unlisted ‘shopping stops’. Here the tour guide may tell you that it is a requirement to spend a certain amount of money in the store. Shopping stops frequently happen on bus tours. This practice violates national tourism laws, and tour operators have been banned from enforcing shopping stops since 2013.
Do your research
Find out what you can about a company: the more information they have on their website the better. A tour company should at least list a physical address, a land line telephone number, and if they are part of a tour guide association.
Avoid hidden fees
Agree in advance with your tour guide about the cost of the tour and itinerary. A tour guide should not charge extra fees part way through a tour. Make it a point to confirm with your China tour guide on a point by point basis as to what costs are included in the tour and what are not, before booking the tour; for example if entrance fees for attractions are included in the upfront price or if they are an additional discretionary cost. A tour guide should not change a tour itinerary unless an unforeseen event occurs, such as road closures or inclement weather conditions.