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Guided Tour Benefits
8 Ways Guides Make Good Trips Great
At UTracks, we’re all about helping people be their own guides on our flexible self guided trips, but we know that these trips aren’t for everyone.
Guided active holidays can help you get the most out of your
walking or
cycling experience and accomplish things that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. Guides wear many hats and have a way of tailoring trips that leave lasting memories and help you form lifelong friendships.
Here are 8 ways guides facilitate unforgettable walking and cycling holidays:
1. Local Knowledge
Our guides are passionate about the countries or regions you are walking or cycling through and will help bring to life the history, culture, flora and fauna of their homelands.
They can help you reach a level of immersion that you might otherwise not be able to achieve and get the most out of your holiday in your given time frame. They have received specialist training to educate travellers and are passionate about answering all of your questions and enhancing your experience.
This trip was amazing!!! Couldn't believe we walked as much as we did. The trip guide, Jorge Bela, was wonderful. Very knowledgeable, approachable, easy to talk to, and a great coordinator. Always added a bit more to every stop we made. Thank you. | W Mueller, San Diego, USA |
Best of the Camino
2. Increased Chance of Success
Our guides have seen it all and can help you overcome the biggest of hurdles. Think of them like personal trainers that will help you push your limits and walk that final kilometre or gear up for a long climb with their 'can do' attitude.
While our pre-booking information is designed to ensure that travellers are of an adequate level of fitness to complete their chosen tour, guided trips can be a good option for travellers who are fit but haven't done a multi-day hike before and think they may benefit from the support of an experienced guide.
Most amazing thing I have ever done. The scenery was beautiful. Our guide, Maxime, was incredible. Refuges were excellent, as was the food provided – plentiful and culturally varied. It is a physically challenging walk, so you need to be prepared as you will enjoy it more. Maxime did an amazing job of controlling the group dynamic, and himself, under very difficult circumstances at times! | S Howell Willetton, Perth | Mont Blanc Encompassed
3. Guides Love Fun
Guides have a special knack for making good trips great. From informative daily briefings, funny stories over dinner and drinks and pep talks when the going gets tough, guides strive to make sure that things are fun and that you are having the trip of a lifetime.
Excellence across the board! "Wow" experiences every day in the food, wine and walking. Our guide Andreas was fabulous, going beyond what was expected. | R Bono, Mansfield |
Food Lover's Spanish Camino
4. Camaraderie
It takes a special kind of person to be a guide. In addition to being friendly and engaging, they are skilled at getting groups to interact and become fast and lifelong friends.
This was the first time abroad and alone but the group was wonderful and we all gelled together and helped each other out. Elodie was a very helpful guide and she knew quite quickly our limitations and guided us safely through the wonderful snow laden mountains. The trip is hard with long days but I really enjoyed it. Sleeping in one room with bunk beds was new to me but we worked around it with rotas for showers and toilets. I would definitely do it again if asked. | T Hart, Suffolk | Haute Route - Switzerland
5. Tailored Experiences
Our guides understand our travel style and the preferences and expectations of UTracks travellers, and work tirelessly to tailor trips to everyone in the group’s interests so that everyone has a great experience.
Tina was an excellent guide. She was exceptionally organised, friendly, considerate and thoughtful. Her instructions were clear and she went out of her way to ensure everyone was enjoying themselves. This was our first guided cycling tour with UTracks and it definitely won't be our last. | P Batterham, Port Macquarie |
Greek Islands Bike & Boat
6. Enjoy Your Food More!
Our guides are not only experts in active travel, they also have extensive local knowledge about the country or region you are walking or cycling in. This extends to one of the most important aspects of any holiday – food!
From knowing the best traditional restaurants to making sure you try all of the local delicacies on offer, your guide will ensure that you are sufficiently fuelled throughout your trip.
Under the guidance of Mary Moody we walked the hills, and the cobble stoned streets of some historic and beautiful villages. Le Puy en Velay and the volcanic countryside surrounding is a wonderful sight to behold. Conques, Cahors and Rocamadour were magical destinations. Mary very generously gave us an insight into living in rural France, taking us to her local market , to lunch at a local restaurant, and then giving us afternoon tea at her village house in Frayssinet-le-Gelat. The end destination of Biarritz came too soon. | E Ward, Lake Tyers Beach |
Food Lover's French Way of St James
7. Navigating
Our guides will ensure you reach your destination with time to relax before dinner. If you are unsure about your navigational skills, a guided trip could be the perfect way for you to experience Europe's tracks and trails.
A highlight was getting to the top of the mountains and seeing the sights. John the guide was the best, very helpful and went way beyond his duty. Thanks for a great trip. | B Gibbons, London |
Coast to Coast Classic Guided Walk
8. Round the Clock Support
Our guides are with you from the time your trip commences until it concludes and work tirelessly to ensure your holiday runs smoothly.
It was extremely well organised and I loved our guide Manuel in particular. He was very attentive to the group and communicated well and regularly. He ensured we were well looked after. The meals and accommodation overall exceeded expectations. | K Chaffer, Sydney |
Guided Camino Walk - Sarria to Santiago
Have you been on a guided tour before? Did they go the extra distance to make your experience unforgettable? Share your stories in the comment section below!