Why ‘Free’ Walking Tours Aren’t Really Free
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A walking tour can be a great way to discover a new location and find your bearings, but it is important to know that a so-called free walking tour might not actually be free. Interested? Read on to find out why “free” walking tours are best avoided when visiting a new destination.
They are Not Really Free
It is easy to see a “free walking tour” and be attracted to this when discovering a new travel destination, but you will find that these tours are usually not free. While there is no compulsory payment to be made, tour participants are often put under pressure to provide a generous tip for their tour guide. This means that the tour is not actually free, and it can create an uncomfortable and awkward social experience where people feel forced to tip an unspecified amount of money at the end. The tour guides can often be forceful in these situations, for reasons we will look into later on.
Can’t Claim Insurance in Case of Injury
It is not something that people tend to think of when signing up for a walking tour, but injuries can happen, particularly if hiking in nature. This is why you should only ever go on a tour with a properly trained guide who has met rigorous training standards, has safety training, and public liability insurance. If you suffer an injury on the tour that was not your fault, you might want to consider a personal injury compensation claim.
Exploiting Guides’ Labour
As mentioned before, tour guides can sometimes be forceful when it comes to leaving a tip. The reason for this is that these tour guides are often not employed and on a wage – they are instead hired in a freelance capacity. The tour guides are often university students or young people looking to make money, but the tour company will usually take a heavy cut from their tips. This means that the work is exploitative and should not be supported. These free walking tours are a clear commercial operation that can border on slavery.
It is clear that there is no such thing as a free walking tour, and these operations can actually be exploitative and cruel. Therefore, it is always important to research responsible tours and book onto these for peace of mind.
Walking tours can be an excellent way to discover a new area, but you need to be cautious of any tour that is claiming to be free. In addition to the expected tip which people are pressured into, these tours operate on a shady business model that mistreats the tour guide. Instead, make sure that you book a tour with a reputable tour provider that pays a proper salary to their hardworking guides.
