I’ve been thinking recently about the debate that swirls around zoos, pitting animal rights advocates on one side against zookeepers, scientists and many of the general public on the other. I have to admit it had been years since I visited a zoo, with concerns about animal rights and the moral issues involved in keeping wild animals in captivity the main things that kept me away.

But I had heard good things about Singapore Zoo, and about the changed thinking that was now commonplace amongst zoos in many parts of the world, so I decided to take a closer look. I’m glad I did.

Singapore Zoo is worth the visit!

The most pressing argument against zoos is that no matter how well designed the enclosure, and how well meaning the handlers, a zoo life is never going to match the alternative life, lived in nature, inherently free and though often dangerous, no doubt a much richer and more fulfilling experience for any animal.

The original argument for zoos revolved mostly around the great entertainment gained by us humans in seeing wild animals up close, in an environment that offered no danger and could be enjoyed — with one’s grandchildren, no less — at little cost. But as animal rights advocates made their case more strongly this rationale grew less convincing, and many people, me included, took zoos off their attractions list.

Falling attendance numbers and the well understood reticence of many to visit zoos on moral and ethical grounds led zoo operators to invest heavily in new enclosure designs, and in programs that stressed the building of bonds between humans and our cousins in the wild. Education of the visitor became a crucial element of zoo programs, while well funded scientific programs designed to study, preserve and manage natural habitats were not only undertaken, they were pushed to the fore of the zoo visitor’s experience.

Everyone (including the animals!) has a good experience at Singapore Zoo

The result of these trends are easily seen in Singapore: there were dozens of school groups in attendance the morning I visited; the enclosures were thoughtfully designed, spacious and respectful of the inhabitants’ need for privacy, as well as the visitors’ desires to catch a glimpse of the occupant. And details of preservation programs were all around, giving visitors the clear impression that some small part of their admission fee was helping these amazing animals survive better in the wild.

I left Singapore Zoo with a clear view that zoos have now got the balance right; that human entertainment can indeed be balanced with animal rights, and the price these individuals lions, tigers and orangutans are paying is well justified by the benefits that flow to their kind, wherever they might be on the other side of the fence.

Viator offers zoo-related tours in many destinations worldwide. Search on “zoo” on the Viator.com site for a complete listing.

- Rod Cuthbert

 Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s Singapore tours and things to do, Singapore attractions, and Singapore travel recommendations, or book a private tour guide in Singapore for a customized tour!

Singapore Zoo by Rod from Viator Travel Blog

Find guides all over the world for your cruise shore excursions!

Spend some time talking to regular cruise-goers about shore excursions and a common view becomes clear: generally speaking, the shore excursions offered by cruise lines are cookie-cutter operations, designed to move large groups off the ship, through some points of interest onshore, and back onboard again with a minimum amount of fuss.

And that’s all fine and good if your main reason for cruising is the onboard activities and you really don’t care too much about the ports of call.

Well, let’s just assume for a moment that you do indeed care about those ports of call, and that you’re not only looking forward to your shore excursions, but you want them to be tailored exactly to your interests and needs.

The bad news is that your cruise line can’t really help. The good news? Viator can!

Private Guides can plan tours for groups of all sizes!

Besides our wide range of shore excursion group tours, we also offer Private Guide services in many popular ports of call. With the onsite messaging system provided, you can communicate with your Private Guide to plan a tour that is tailored to the size and make-up of your party and the interests you’ve stated.

Consider this example from a recent Viator Private Tour Guide request:

Hi there, We are traveling on the Celebrity Equinox, and will be docked at Kusadasi on November 24 from 7 am – 6 pm. We are looking for a tour that will take us to Ephesus, Temple of Artemis, House of the Virgin Mary, St. John Basilica, plus the Terrace Houses, and no carpet store! We would also like to have lunch. We have 6 adults and 2 children in our group.

You can tell that this cruiser has been here before, though perhaps not with the entire family. They’d like to share the highlights, avoid the lowlights, and make sure that everyone in the group has a good time. Some Viator Private Tour Guide clients are even more specific:

My family of four (parents with a 13-yr old & and a 3-yr old) will be docking in Civitavecchia on April 23, 2012. In our one full day in port we’d like to see some of Rome’s “usual suspect” highlights such as St. Peter’s, The Trevi Fountain and The Coliseum, but we’d also like to spend some time strolling in lesser known (and not crowded!) neighborhoods where we can grab some food and let the kids de-stress. For lunch we want real Italian pizza, and it has to be good, or my teenager will sulk all afternoon. My husband is a collector of vinyl records (LP’s) and he’d love to spend some time browsing for things he can’t find back home; and I’d love to buy some leather boots, preferably from a store that is only in Rome. Can we do all that?

Yes! Of course you can! Specific requests like these make our guides extra happy: they get to show off their intimate knowledge of the city — a ukulele shop in Singapore? A nude beach in Sydney? San Francisco’s newest tiki bar? — and they know that you’ll end your day having accomplished exactly what you wanted, and you didn’t just follow along with a pre-set itinerary.

Let our Private Guides take you on a unique tour

A great day with a Private Tour Guide also means extra fun when you arrive back at your ship. As your fellow passengers trade stories of crowded buses and rushed tours, you can impress them with your tale of leisurely touring, stress-free shopping, and lunch in an out-of-the-way bistro where you were the only non-locals. You may get more satisfaction from the bragging rights than you should allow yourself, so try to go easy on your shipmates!

Finally, here’s a recent customer review that demonstrates the type of feedback we’ve come to expect from our Viator Private Tour Guide clients. It’s for Mario, a Rome-based guide who specialises on the needs of cruise ship passengers:

Mario did a wonderful job for us. We spent two extra days after our cruise and he arranged transportation to Rome from the ship and all our activities and transportation while in Rome. We had a group of ten with some of us having spent time in Rome and others were neophytes. Mario worked with us as our group size changed depending on the attraction. Don’t miss out on Rome and don’t miss out on Mario showing you a great time in his city.
- Jeffrey B., 23 Jun 2011

To find out more about Viator Private Tour Guides for cruise ship passengers, click here.

- Rod Cuthbert

Book a Private Guide for your Shore Excursions! by Rod from Viator Travel Blog

Remember your vacation just the way you imagined it!

At the recent PhoCusWright Travel Innovation Conference a speaker waxed lyrical about their new web site, which would relieve its users of the burden of travel planning, letting them get hours of planning done in a few minutes instead. And they considered that a good thing!

I have to disagree. As far as I’m concerned, the process of planning, researching, dreaming and anticipating exactly where you are going, where you will stay, what you will do and all the little details surrounding those things is every bit as much fun as the trip itself. And it can certainly last a lot longer!

Studies show…

That might sound like an over-the-top claim, but there’s plenty of academic research that supports the view that not only is the anticipation as enjoyable as the reality, in time it often replaces the reality in our memories of what actually occurred. Here’s a for-instance: let’s imagine you are planning a week’s getaway to the Caribbean. You anticipate blue skies, clear water, white sand and blissful days of rest with your partner, punctuated only by sensational meals at cute little beachside restaurants serving fresh-from-the-ocean seafood.

What happens might be a little different: it rains half of your time there; there’s an algal bloom that makes swimming hazardous for the first few days; your partner is stressed about work and can’t stop checking email; and by the third day you have tried every item on every menu in a three-mile radius. Which isn’t to say that your vacation isn’t going well, or that you’d rather be home… it’s just not what you anticipated.

Guess what? Exhaustive studies show that many of us–to some extent–replace the reality with what we’d anticipated, and use these combined, curated memories to inform our plans for future trips; even more surprising, we describe our vacation to friends without the low points, thereby luring them into our constructed reality.

Take your time!

Viator understands the power of anticipation and the pleasure you can derive from researching your next trip. We assist your process by providing detailed tour descriptions, customer reviews and photos, along with videos for many of our tours. We also make suggestions for alternative tours in the same or nearby locations, in many cases alerting you to tours and activities you would not have guessed existed.

We think the trip planning process can be a lot of fun, and rather than make it shorter, we’d like to make it longer, helping you make better decisions about what you’ll do on vacation, all the while enjoying the unhurried, pleasure-filled process of making them.

- Rod Cuthbert

The Joy of Trip Planning by Rod from Viator Travel Blog

Say hi to Private Guide Aykut in Antalya, Turkey!

At Viator, we’re realists. We know that the tours we offer, no matter how varied or flexible, may not suit your exact needs every time. Even though we work hard to offer tours “for everyone,” we also understand that sometimes the nature of your group or the specific things you’d like to see and do are not available in one of our standard tour offerings, and for that reason we also offer Private Guides in many destinations around the world.

The Private Guide option — as you might expect — is a little more costly than the alternative, but it does have some advantages that justify the extra expense. First and foremost is your ability to customise the exact itinerary to meet your needs. Regular tours follow a schedule that’s designed to meet the needs of the average person, but if you’d like to linger a little longer in a particular museum, spend two hours instead of one at lunch, skip the shopping or take a snooze on the beach between attractions, you’re out of luck.

And that’s the appeal of the Private Tour Guide, who will correspond with you in advance of your arrival to plan an itinerary in detail. Sometimes our customers prefer no itinerary at all, instead deciding only on a starting point and letting their tour unfold as much by serendipity as by planning. Of course being with a guide who can steer you left — into the street with the best galleries, perhaps — instead of right — where the tacky souvenir shops are — helps a lot!

Viator’s Private Guide network have been recruited with a number of things in mind, most importantly high standards of service, consummate local knowledge and an understanding that they need to be flexible in their approach to each client. If you’ve ever been on a tour where the guide seems to be talking about numbers all the time (the building is this high, it was built in this year, the architect was this old, etc. etc.) you’ll know that being able to tell your guide the type of information you’d like to hear is a real plus. Some people like historical data, others like local gossip and intrigue, while others really do want all those numbers. Our Guides get it!

Private Guide Gavin in London leads a tour

That need for flexibility is particularly true where your group consists of more than one generation: it’s a little unreasonable to expect a 12-year-old to be fascinated by the same sort of information that her grandparents are finding so intriguing. Private Guides are good at including everyone, tailoring their discussions and making sure that all the members of your group have fun, learn something new, and enjoy their day.

Rather than take only my word on this topic, here are a couple of reviews from recent customers, highlighting the reasons we think you’ll enjoy a Private Guide experience. This first review is for Vivie Pan in Beijing:

“Vivie was fantastic! She was very accommodating and flexible with our schedule. I live in China and my wife and youngest child, 17 months, came for a visit. We had Vivie for two full days and saw so many wonderful things. The best thing was how good Vivie was with our son. He was not handling the time change very well and was difficult to manage but Vivie helped out more than we could have ever asked. I highly recommend using Vivie.”
- Scott S. 19 Nov 2011

Private Guide Irene in Bangkok, Thailand!

This next review is for Irene, one of our Bangkok-based Private Guides:

“Irene provided an excellent customized tour that’s rare to find. I’ve been on a tour in Bangkok before and requested that we see the things that were off the beaten trail, and Irene did not disappoint. The train village although touted in some travel shows, was pleasantly void of the usual large tourist crowds. She offers up the unique experience of taking a boat out to the ocean to check out the oysters and feed some wild monkeys, which offered up some of the most memorable moments on our trip!”
- Timothy H. 26 Feb 2010

Whether you opt for our standard tours or the flexibility of our Private Guide options, Viator wants you to have the best vacation experience possible. For more information on the Private Guide network, check out tourguides.viator.com.

- Rod Cuthbert

Group Tour vs. Private Tour by Rod from Viator Travel Blog

I’ve been a fan of the Hop-On, Hop-Off tour for ages; the benefits are outstanding and the only downside a lingering worry for some that they might be a little, well, déclassé. Nonsense to that, I say!

So, I was in Sydney last week and took up an invitation from our team there to check out the latest sightseeing innovation – why did it take so long for someone to think of this? – in the form of a harbour-based Hop-On Hop-Off tour. It didn’t hurt that I chose a perfect Sydney winter’s day – the sort that leaves you with an unexpected tan – or that the harbour seemed to be full of activity. On second thought, the harbour is always that way, it’s just that some days it seems extra alive.

This is NOT the boat you'll take on your Hop-On Hop-Off cruise. You may see it in the Harbour, though...

So Much to See….

In any event, this is a cruise well worth taking: it leaves every 45 minutes from both Circular Quay and Darling Harbour, and stops at all the key spots around the harbour: Watsons Bay, Taronga Zoo, Darling Harbour Harbourside (near the Aquarium), Shark Island and Luna Park. Each of those destinations is worth exploring in more depth, perhaps none more so than Watsons Bay, where you can take an hour to walk past Camp Cove and Lady Jane beaches on your way out to South Head, at the entrance to Sydney Harbour.

Feeding a wallaby and posing with her for pictures at Taronga Zoo – what a thrill!

…and Eat!

It’s a brilliant walk and if you’re hungry afterwards there are a few rather good dining options near the pier, including the Watsons Bay Hotel and Doyles Seafood Restaurant, which has been in the same spot right on the beach, for 126 years. (Not a typo, that’s 126 years of serving great seafood in perhaps the finest location you can imagine.)

Besides the benefits you’ll find on shore, this cruise has some other things going for it: it’s fast, first of all, taking 1-1.5 hours for the whole circuit; it goes close to shore, which is brilliant for sightseeing and something you don’t get on the ferries, which is your other option for trips to some (at least) of these stops; it’s a great little boat – a catamaran that really rocks along, not too loud, never too crowded, plenty of seating inside and out; and there’s great narration for the whole trip.

Photo opportunities? Just a few....(like the iconic Sydney Opera House, of course!)

You’ll step off with your head full of brilliant images and useless facts, hopefully displacing some of the worries and woes you brought on board!

- Rod Cuthbert

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s Sydney tours and activities, Sydney attractions and Sydney travel recommendations. Or book a private tour guide in Sydney for a customized tour!

Hop-On Sydney Harbour: A Winner! by Rod from Viator Travel Blog

San Francisco is invariably one of Viator’s Top 10 destinations, and that’s no coincidence. While some destinations need to be seen once and may then be safely crossed off one’s list – I’m not naming names, that would just start arguments – the City by the Bay is a lot deeper than that, and seems to have an attraction that brings people back time after time.

One of the best views of downtown San Francisco, from Dolores Park in the Mission District

So, you may have visited San Francisco before, and now you’re considering a return trip and wonder where your focus should lie… here are a few (very subjective!) suggestions to get you thinking and planning another trip.

1. Take a Helicopter Tour

If you’ve never had the experience of riding in a helicopter, this is THE place to do it! Really, is there a city with better scenery ANYWHERE in the world? The city, the bay, Alcatraz, the two amazing bridges, Sausalito… No, there isn’t. And on a clear day? Well, you just might fly under the Golden Gate Bridge. No guarantees on that one, and the tour is brilliant anyway, but it is a cream on the cake sort of experience!

The weather was great and it was amazing to have such a view of the Golden Gate Bridge!

2. Take a Segway Tour

Continuing the motorized theme, drive yourself on this quirky and unique tour, hitting the highlights of Fisherman’s Wharf and the waterfront riding a zippy little Segway. I’ve done this tour, it’s a blast! Stop worrying that you will look stupid. You are on vacation, it doesn’t matter. The tour takes in much more ground than you would cover on foot, you have heaps more fun, and no one back home will believe the photos.

This is the PERFECT tour to surprise your family with: “We’re just doing a tour of the waterfront, you’ll love it…” They will, and they’ll love you, too. It’s especially good for families with teenage boys. I can hardly believe I’m saying that…

Rolling by Alcatraz on a Segway in scenic San Francisco: "It was easy to operate!"

3. Taste the Mission

Huh? Taste the Mission? Well, the Mission District is one of SF’s coolest places to live, with lots of great bars, restaurants and shops. It’s home to the most diverse range of ethnic cuisines you’ll find outside New York City, and if you’re a foodie you’ll want to move here! Rather than doing all the research yourself, Viator’s new Taste the Mission walking tour takes in a great range of eateries and is hosted by a “culinary concierge” who explains what’s hot and what’s not in the SF food world.

THE city for food: Delicious empanadas with red chile sauce in San Francisco - delish!

By the way, there are no dive bars included on the tour – it runs from 11am until 2pm, after all – but if you decide to stay in the area for shopping and then you notice the sun getting past the yard-arm, here are some local favorites: at Valencia and 16th, try Casanova or Dalva; on Mission near 22nd Doc’s Clock; and at 22nd and Valencia, my own local, The Latin American Social Club. Don’t have more than two of the Margaritas. You’ve been warned.

4. Get Out of Town

You come all this way and you still haven’t been to Yosemite? Sacrilege. Fix that oversight immediately with a two-day, one night excursion – we do the driving – to one of the world’s greatest National Parks. Hike, explore, sight-see or try to match Ansel Adams with some black and white shots of Half Dome… there’s plenty to see and do, but most important of all is the wilderness and beauty, a far cry from city life!

Enjoying a day in Yosemite - who wouldn't smile with this breathtaking view of El Capitan!

Well, there are a few things you probably didn’t do on your last San Francisco trip. We have plenty of other suggestions, but I just wanted to get you thinking. Did I succeed?

- Rod Cuthbert

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s San Francisco tours and activities, San Francisco attractions and San Francisco day trips and excursions get you out of the city to visit other parts of beautiful Northern California.

San Francisco Sightseeing: Top 4 Things to Do by Rod from Viator Travel Blog

Back in February I wrote about Viator’s new focus on shore excursions for cruise passengers, pointing out the numerous good reasons to look further than your cruise line’s own offerings. Since then we’ve added a range of new excursions around popular European ports that are already proving to be big hits.

Viator's shore excursions can turn a great cruise into a best-ever vacation...

And no wonder! Customers report that our excursions are often 40-50% less expensive than a comparable cruise line offering. And the experience is certainly different: smaller groups and private tours are a world apart from the economy class experience that the cruise lines offer to their “captive market,” and the Viator excursions include all the luxe trimmings — like off the beaten path itineraries and skip-the-line access — that afford bragging rights back on the ship!

Here’s the sort of review we’re seeing a lot of for these European shore excursions. This one is for the Naples Shore Excursion Private Tour, which takes in Positano, Sorrento, Amalfi and Ravello from the port of Naples:

This is a must see area of Italy! The driver was absolutely fantastic. He knew so much about the area & explained everything but wasn’t too intrusive. We had plenty of time to explore all of the areas on our own. Also important to note, the areas that he was able to take us to were cut off from the “tour buses”. So, we got to see things we never would have if we’d booked a group trip. We’ve rented cars ourselves & toured extensively through Europe. However, don’t even think about it in this area! Parking would be impossible. Car was extremely clean & comfortable. Would highly recommend this to any of our closest friends! (Raul I)

The lovely coastal town of Positano, Italy, a stop on the Naples Shore Excursion Private Tour

Viator now offers brilliant shore excursions in all the most popular ports, with new offerings this year in Barcelona, Florence, Istanbul, Athens and the French Riviera. Compare our offerings to your cruise line’s range and we think you’ll see why our customers are so happy: lower prices, a more personalised tour experience and Viator’s worry-free guarantee are just some of the reasons. Give us a try on your next cruise – you’ll be happy you did!

- Rod Cuthbert

Planning a cruise and want to make the most of it? Browse Viator’s European shore excursions, including those in Italy and France.

Viator’s European Shore Excursions: A Big Hit! by Rod from Viator Travel Blog

Viator offers quite an array of tours that showcase the magnificent castles and chateaux of Europe, and they are consistently amongst our highest rated tours. What is it about a day spent wandering around old buildings that people find so appealing? I decided to investigate; here are my findings…

The Guard at Windsor Castle

It’s just so different

It doesn’t matter where you live: the suburbs of Sydney, the centre of San Francisco, the middle of Manchester or the outskirts of Oslo: nothing can help you imagine what life must have been like for the residents of a place like Versailles, Vaux-Le-Vicomte, Cesky Krumlov, Linderhof or Windsor… to name only a few. Each of these superb “residences” — a word that strains under the weight of any of these places — has a magic and grandeur that sets it completely apart from our everyday existence.

Not the view from your office window...

It’s not just the buildings: after all, some of the architecture is decidedly stodgy (Windsor?) while some (Versailles?) can be just a little over the top. The interior design, furnishings, scale, gardens and surrounding villages all add to the realization that this is not your life, never was, probably* won’t ever be!

No matter how hard-bitten, cynical or world-weary you may have become, a day-trip to these destinations provides a chance to travel back to those days of princes, princesses and fairy tales that were part of your childhood. That’s not a bad thing, and it certainly provides a partial explanation for the wildly enthusiastic reviews we often see for these tours. But that can’t be the only reason, can it?

Away from the City

Buckingham Palace, you say, is right smack in the middle of London! I concede this point… let’s move on! Because most castles and chateaux are anything but central; they demand you leave the city and all its pressures and people behind, immersing you instead in the countryside, in tiny villages and rural surroundings where your mind turns to crops and wines and local cheese and the simpler things of life.

Don’t worry; it’s only for a day. But what a release, to escape the built-up for a moment, to breathe the fresh air of the Loire Valley, enjoy the serenity of a Bavarian lake, or feel the wind as it blows through the Blansky Forest. You can’t experience any of these things in your day to day life, and that’s exactly what makes these tours so precious. A change — even if just for a day  — is as good as a rest.

We make it easy

Viator iPhone Application

Listening to our customers talk about why they like these day trips so much, another one of the consistent messages is that Viator makes it all so easy. So, some patting of our own back is necessary here:

• Our mobile app means you can relax at a Left Bank cafe, browse tour choices, find special deals and discounts, and travel in the following days. If you’re the type who doesn’t plan ahead, Viator’s a lifesaver!
• You can drive to any of these places, or take the train in some cases, but it’s usually easier to let an air-conditioned coach pick you up at your hotel and do all the work for you. Depending on how snobbish you are, we offer small-group tours in mini-vans and limos as well.
• Skip the line, skip the hassles: our tours allow you to skip the long entrance lines that are a feature of popular destinations like Windsor and Versailles, and not just throughout the summer. That’s a benefit that will make you feel a little snobbish!

I could go on, but I think that’s a good enough wrap up of my investigation. Next time you’re in Europe, take the chance to escape the city and submerge yourself in another time and place. We’ll help make it a great experience; it’s what we do best.

- Rod Cuthbert

* Probably? Well, consider the case of Mary Donaldson, account director at an advertising firm in Sydney, Australia, who went for drinks with friends one night in 2000, met a nice young man, and was married to him in early 2004. Now, as Crown Princess of Denmark, she has a number of rather grand residences, too numerous to mention here. For the hopeful dreamers out there: fairy tales do happen.

Planning a Trip? Browse Viator’s Europe tours & activities, especially Germany’s Royal Castles, Scottish Highlands Castles, and other Europe Castles & Chateaux.

Europe’s Castles & Chateaux: Why so Popular? by Rod from Viator Travel Blog

When our New York City team heard that I would be in town recently, they twisted my arm very, very hard (it took all of three microseconds) to persuade me to check out some of our new food tours in Manhattan and Brooklyn. As more and more people make cuisine one of the key focal points of their leisure travel, food tours have become very popular and I was keen to see what all the fuss was about.

I was surprised that most of the people on the tours with me were locals, from Manhattan, New Jersey and Connecticut. I quizzed them about why they were taking the tour and each had a similar response: they love food, they’d heard about the tour, and they wanted an expert with a deep knowledge of the city and its culinary highlights to act as their guide.

After taking the tours, I totally get this approach. New York is so vast and has so many neighborhoods and eating establishments that a visitor has literally no chance of finding gold, unless by chance. The stops we made at Veselka (borscht to die for) and Saigon (are these the best banh mi sandwiches on the planet?) are perfect examples of this phenomenon: there is simply no way, standing outside these restaurants, that you would recognize them as standout examples of their cuisine. You have to know… or you just don’t know. The same went for each stop we made: sublime Italian bread, Frank Sinatra’s favorite pizza, criminally good chocolate cookies, yucca fries that nobody wanted to stop eating… you get the idea.

Anyway: check out the slide-show of the tours here. And book at least one of these tours next time you are in New York.

- Rod Cuthbert

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s New York tours & activities, New York attractions and New York travel recommendations.

[VIDEO] New York Food Tours A Chowhound’s Delight by Rod from Viator Travel Blog

Our correspondent Phillipa Burne wrote a lovely post on Melbourne’s Colonial Tramcar Restaurant back in 2009; I was in Melbourne recently and wondered if anything had changed. The Tramcar Restaurant has become even more popular in the ensuing years, and I was keen to discover if my 2011 experience was any different to Phillipa’s. What I discovered was… well, read on to find out!

It's a cosy and warm environment on board.

Finally, they really do have the vibe just right. The Tramcar is an historical icon, as much a part of Melbourne as the MCG, and that history is beautifully preserved in the three trams in their fleet. The on-board staff are professional, fun and knowledgeable (our waiter had 5 years experience on the Tramcar, unusual for restaurants in Australia) and the whole boarding, dining, disembarking process was flawless. Throughout the evening I felt like a special guest, which is always nice.

 

Relaxing after a meal on the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant.

- Rod Cuthbert

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s Melbourne things to do, Melbourne attractions, and Melbourne recommendations.

Melbourne’s Colonial Tramcar Restaurant: An Update by Rod from Viator Travel Blog

There are some good reasons why Kakadu National Park, in Australia’s Northern Territory, is such an iconic destination. But somehow those reasons are hard to put into words, except in a less than “formal” fashion. Here goes, with some random thoughts about this (OK, I’m stealing a word from Oprah) awesome place:

Ubirr Rocks and Floodplain

Ancient rock art is a major attraction: it doesn't disappoint.

Not Ayers Rock. That’s hundreds of miles away. And I don’t mean it’s rocky, either. I mean Kadau is a place that’s got it all together, has had for 40,000 years, ever since men lived there, and it’s not really changing, except to let you and me in to marvel at it. You could spend a lifetime finding another place with all the attractions Kakadu has to offer: stop looking, and go now.

- Rod Cuthbert

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s Darwin things to do, Darwin attractions, and Darwin recommendations.

All About Kakadu National Park by Rod from Viator Travel Blog

Growing up in Hobart — Tasmania’s capital, and the largest of its cities — I freely admitted to looking down my nose at Launceston. As far as we southerners were concerned, the only thing going for our northern neighbour was its proximity — less than 2 hour’s drive — to us. My, how things have changed!

Hiking at Cradle Mountain - an easy drive from Launceston

It’s the way of things, I suppose, that major cities have these rivalries; Sydney vs. Melbourne; San Francisco vs. Los Angeles; Milan vs. Rome; etc etc. Viewed from inside one of the competitors the rivalries make sense, but for the unaligned outsider they seem sort of crazy. That’s how I see the Hobart vs. Launceston rivalry now, and certainly how any visitor to Tasmania will see it as they enjoy the very different experience that each has to offer.

What to do & see in Launceston

Some cities are destinations in their own right, while some are gateways to a region. Launceston is a little of both, I think; its history as Australia’s third settlement (1806) is told beautifully through its buildings, which span the Colonial, Georgian and Victorian eras. With only 100,000 residents it’s not a big city by any means, more of a regional centre with excellent facilities. Accommodation and dining options are good, and of course it’s the shortest flight from “the mainland” as we Tasmanians call the rest of the country. There’s even a casino, and a links-style golf course (Barnbougle Dunes) that’s rated #7 public access course in the world, is an hour’s drive.

Inside the city itself, there’s plenty to see. Beer lovers will enjoy visiting Boags, the brewery famous for its quirky advertising campaigns (“Who IS James Boag?”), while the Tasmanian Design Centre and the Automobile Museum are terrific attractions where you’ll appreciate the slow pace as well as the exhibits. Outdoors, Cataract Gorge is on the must-see list for every visitor, a unique wilderness in the heart of the city.

Cataract George

Day Trips & Weekend Getaways

As a gateway, there’s a lot on offer. First up, the Tamar Valley is an important wine growing region, its cool-climate wineries gaining a well-deserved reputation for their sparkling wines, Pinots and Reislings in particular. Key wineries, all found on the well-established Tamar Valley Touring Route, are Ninth Island, Clover Hill, Pipers Brook and Jansz.

Also close by are the historic colonial towns of Evandale, Longford, George Town and Westbury. A stop in any one of these is an exercise in serenity; the pace is mellow and the afternoon teas perfect; any mention of Blackberry around these parts will result in directions to a local farm, if you follow my meaning. A little further afield the attractions become more majestic: Ben Lomond National Park and Cradle Mountain National Park being the major destinations.

Frankly, its all too easy to compile a list of the attractions that Launceston has to offer, both within the city and in its role as a gateway to the state’s north and central regions. What’s more valuable, I expect, is to give our readers some idea of what they can expect to experience if they choose to visit, which again requires a list, but one of a different kind. Here goes:

Natural beauty [abounds]
Serenity [all around you]
Wine [don't drive to the wineries. enough said?]
History [it's in the buildings, and easy to find]
People [down. to. earth.]

Viator has been working hard on bringing our customers a range of tours that show off Launceston and its surrounding regions, and we’re proud to announce their launch. We think you’ll find all the elements on my list, and more, on these carefully selected tours. Enjoy them… and don’t forget, once you’re done: Hobart is only a couple of hours away!

- Rod Cuthbert

Planning a Trip? Browse Viator’s Launceston tours & things to do, Launceston attractions, and Launceston travel recommendations.

Introducing: Launceston, Tasmania by Rod from Viator Travel Blog

Is there any better place in the world to take a helicopter flight than New York City? If there is I want to go there, now!

But some recent changes in flight regulations for helicopter operations in the New York City airspace made me wonder how much the tours had been affected. To find out, I booked our New York Manhattan Scenic Helicopter Tour, an 18-minute ride that leaves from the downtown helicopter port.

Lower Manhattan & Battery Park, taken on the tour

Well, the tour is different nowadays, that’s for sure. But I think it’s a vast improvement overall, one of those situations where the cloud definitely had a silver lining. Let me explain…

The change in flight regulations concerned the ability of tour operators to fly directly over the city, including key spots like Times Square and Central Park. The FAA, in their wisdom, decided there was no real need for a joyride to fly directly over the city at all, because the views from the Hudson (on the west side) and the East River were just as good. Having done the tours before and after the regulations, I have to say I agree.

I suspect the tour operators were a little worried that the new rules would cause a drop in numbers, so they responded by introducing new aircraft (in this case the fabulous Bell 407, with its glass bubble construction for amazing photo opportunities) and developing excellent audio tour narration. Available in a variety of languages, the audio is incredibly good. I had always thought it was quite a burden on the pilots to remember everything that you are flying over; this way the pilot can point out things that are “today” and leave the rest to the tape, a much better approach.

As for the views, you really don’t lose anything by staying over the river. In fact you do fly over the city itself, way up at 155th Street, for a close up look at the new Yankee Stadium. But this part of the tour pales against flying down the Hudson, looking across at what New Yorkers will tell you is the greatest city in the world. Now I’m not a great one for statements like that, but from up there, let me tell you… it’s hard to argue!

- Rod Cuthbert

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s New York City tours & things to do, New York City attractions, and New York City travel recommendations.

New York City Helicopter Tours: An Update by Rod from Viator Travel Blog

Viator is committed to helping our customers learn about and enjoy their vacation destination: we do that by selecting quality activities and tours offered by respected and established local tour operators all around the world. And over time, we’ve come to understand that one of the really vital elements in the products we offer is the Tour Guides themselves.

In some instances neither Viator nor our local tour operator employs the guides; they are provided by the attraction itself. In the case of the Tower of London, only former servicemen with 22 years service can apply for the role. That breeds, it seems, a very particular sort of Tour Guide:

When you think about the skills a Tour Guide needs to master, you begin to see our point: a guide needs to be a historian, a lecturer, a teacher, a navigator, sometimes a driver, a linguist, a customer service specialist, a diplomat… and often enough a psychologist as well! So when we begin to consider a new Tour Operator, the first thing we do is check out their tours by tagging along on a few. It quickly becomes apparent what type of approach the guides have, and whether that matches with Viator’s standards.

One thing we’re not looking for is numbers! Some guides bewilder their guests with so many numbers you begin to feel like a calculator keyboard: “Gaudi was born in ____, so he was only ___ when he started work on the Cathedral, which stands ___ meters tall and measures ___ meters in circumference.” Oh! For God’s sake, no more numbers! How about “Gaudi was still a young man when he started work on the cathedral, which as you can see, is incredibly big.”

Of course we like our Guides to know these numbers; and there’s often an engineer or some sort of geek in the crowd who’ll ask “What’s the circumference?” so you can find out if you really need it. But you won’t remember it. That’s what those Lonely Planet books are for; or WikiPedia!

What we are looking for is a Guide who understands why this destination or attraction might be interesting to our customers, and who can explore that connection with them. That’s not the sort of thing that guides learn in a classroom, it comes from experience and listening and an innate ability that really can’t be taught. We often hear our local operators bemoan the difficulties involved in finding great guides; an ability to find and retain quality tour guides is one of the key things that separates great tour operators from the also-rans.

When you book a Viator tour, do so with confidence that your tour guide is a professional who really knows and understands what they’re talking about, and who will ensure you get the most from your investment in the tour.

-Rod Cuthbert

Why Guides Matter by Rod from Viator Travel Blog

So someone announces they are planning a trip to, I don’t know, let’s say Paris, and that they’re excited about going to the Eiffel Tower, and the Moulin Rouge Cabaret. Then almost like clockwork you hear a voice pipe up with “Oh, that’s so cliched! Why would you go there? Those places are overrun with tourists!”

... Indulge your personal desires later on!

These are the same cynics who read lists like our recent “World’s Top 25 Attractions” and turn up their noses. Their superior air suggests what? An insiders knowledge that we are sure not to enjoy ourselves? That we’re certain to be overrun by hordes of camera-toting Chinese on their first trip abroad? That we’re sure to be disappointed with the view, or the prices, or the experience in general?

Who are these people, and why do they want to spoil everyone’s fun?

See the big attractions first...

Look, there’s a reason why a place like the Eiffel Tower becomes a travel cliche: it’s simply amazing, and you just HAVE TO SEE IT! I mean really, who would visit Paris (anywhere, for that matter) and not see ALL the cliches? They becomes cliches for a very, very good reason: they offer visitors something they just won’t get elsewhere; something unique, special, sensational, sublime, wonderful.

And yes, they do sometimes become overrun with other humans, just like you, me and our cynical friends (who presumably visited these places in their day) who don’t want to miss the opportunity to take in the experience. If we’re smart we go early, or book skip the line tickets and we focus on the experience, not on how many others decided to visit on the same day.

But if we’re really smart, we don’t block out those cynics altogether. They do have a point… sort of. A really great trip — whether it’s Paris or London or New York or who knows where — has a balance of activities; some mainstream, and some that would really only appeal to a slim minority of visitors. Search those out too! Using our Paris example again, why not indulge your love of chocolate with the small group Chocolate Lovers Tour; or further your knowledge of French cuisine with a cooking class in a private apartment; or become a better photographer and see the Latin Quarter up close with a Photographic Walking Tour?

Balancing major attractions — the things our cynical friends call cliches — with specialized, small group experiences that focus on things that you really love is the best way to really enjoy a new destination. Viator can help out with both, and we suspect that if you cover both ends of the spectrum, you’ll enjoy your vacation a whole lot more.

- Rod Cuthbert

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s Paris tours & things to do, Paris attractions, and Paris travel recommendations.

Top-50? Top-25? Avoid the Line, Not the Cliche! by Rod from Viator Travel Blog