Viator Travel Blog

This February 21st, cities around the world will come to life as tourist guides commemorate International Tourist Guide Day. Harvey Paul Davidson, a leader and active member of both global and local guiding associations (as well as a top Viator Private Guide!) shared with us how International Tourist Guide Day came to be and what New York City guides will be doing this year to celebrate.

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.

Meet Ricardo Calvo, one of Viator’s local experts in San Jose, Costa Rica (and a highly rated licensed tour guide you’ll find at Viator Private Tour Guides).

Meet Isabell Erdmann, one of Viator’s local experts in Rio de Janeiro (and a highly rated licensed tour guide you’ll find at Viator Private Tour Guides).

Meet Christine Segall, one of Viator’s local experts in Paris (and a highly rated licensed tour guide you’ll find at Viator Private Tour Guides).

Tintin was a big part of my childhood. On special occasions my parents would buy the latest book and I became totally absorbed by the great adventures of the Belgian reporter and his snowy dog. I remember the story was always set around the world and it brought great opportunities to learn about geography and cultures in a fun way! Tintin took me to Egypt, to America, to Congo, to the Himalayan mountains…

Globe trekking via guided tours is one of the simplest and most effective ways to get the most of what you want to see, in the limited time that you can see it. So when you do finally make the effort to get to your holiday hot spot, putting your vacation in the hands of a knowledgeable and friendly tour guide is key to having an enjoyable time. To those who do it the best, we pay tribute. These are Viator’s most highly rated tour guides of 2011!

Meet Anna Ong, one of Viator’s local experts in Singapore (and a highly rated licensed tour guide you’ll find at Viator Private Tour Guides).

Meet Carlos San Roman, one of Viator’s local experts in Mexico City, Mexico (and a highly rated licensed tour guide you’ll find at Viator Private Tour Guides).

Meet Naga Subrahmanyam, one of Viator’s local experts in Hyderabad, India (and a highly rated licensed tour guide you’ll find at Viator Private Tour Guides).