Advantages of my private tours and excursions
Why choose a private individual tour?
Being on your own with a guide saves you from the hidden, yet still realistic risks of group tours:
- Everyone in the group will have to go at the same pace, which can cause problems for anyone with walking difficulties - and the others in the group who have to slow down or miss things to accomodate them.
- Being together with somebody else's small children might be not great.
- Some people need the toilet more often than others and the toilet lines in museums are quite long.
Joined groups - even small ones - reduce not only the cost, but also comfort. It takes only one wrong person in a group to spoil it all.
Flexibility and adaptability of a private tour.
You will have a program customized just for you, which we will develop together in advance by e-mails, and also have control over the pace of the tour and places we visit.
For example if you are tired and want a break - we can stop, if not we can continue. If you want to eat, then I can recommend a good restaurant. I can help you avoid the worst crowds of tourists that we get here in the peak summer periods. We can visit some lesser known places off the beaten track that the large groups will never visit. If it rains, as it does occassionally in St. Petersburg, then I can adapt the program to visit indoor attractions, leaving the beautiful parks and other outdoor sights for another day - when hopefully the weather will have improved. If you want souvenirs we can buy them, if not that's fine with me too - you're under no obligation to go shopping. In fact you can do anything - this flexibilty is a key advantage, together with a more personal and caring service. All the advantages of traveling independantly without any of the problems or hassle.
What makes my tours and excursions special?
- A well thought out itinerary. Every day will be special and not like the others.
- Insight into Russia and its culture: you will experience being a part of a different culture and not so much of a tourist
- Opportunities to visit places off beaten track which are not included on other tours.
- Pre-departure information to address any questions or concerns you may have.
- Small 'touches' which make the trip unique.
- Good balance between organization and independence.
On request I can arrange visit to organisations and institutions, such as:
- orphanages
- local hospitals
- local students learning English etc.
Why not take a standard excursion from a major tour operator ?
If you take a standard excursion from you will most likely be in quite a large group, travelling by tourist bus to the major sights. You can imagine how crowded many museums and attractions get when several tour coaches arrive at the same time. You will need to follow the schedule and pace of the guide, which can be quite demanding in order to squeeze in all the promised places. In the worst case it can feel almost if if you are running through the museums and palaces, unable to hear the guide, unable ask questions or stop and linger to admire !
For those that prefer to avoid the usual tourist traps a private tour is the ideal solution to seeing unique attractions, and even the chance to sample the local pastimes with the added benefit that you can enjoy your vacation without having to put up with other members of the group. In large groups nobody knows what their travelling companions will be like - they could turn into friends, but could also be irritating, annoying and end up spoiling your trip. Why take the risk?
Lastly with a major tour operator you probably won't know who your guide will be. Running hundreds of tours you will be allocated someone with appropriate licences that is available on your day. You may be lucky and get a nice experienced guide, on the other hand you may be given someone less experienced or newly qualified. Whereas I personally guide virtually all my tours so you can be assured of having an experienced, enthusiastic and motivated guide. We will develop the tour program by email - and then meet in person when you arrive. The same person, not an administrator or hired guide from a large company. Just me the owner and operator of my small business.
How I am different to other guides.
What makes me different from other licensed, experienced and nice guides ?- I keep it personal. I always find in my guests things which I like and admire. More about this here.
- My main goal is not to educate people - but to help them to enjoy their vacations. That is why I suggest and support un-orthodox ideas to compliment the must-do's.
- I research happiness. My guiding work is a kind of practical exercise in it. More about myself and my interests
My philosophy of guiding
Choosing a private guide is very much like a blind date: it is a cocktail of the anxiety and hopes. The person you are going to spend most of your time together - what she is like? And as a result - will she turn your vacations into a great experience or just tell you heaps of facts and names you will forget two minutes later? If you have doubts of this type - you are right. That is why I decided to specify some of my professional principles to put some light on my personality. I was born and brought up in St. Petersburg. Actually it is a diagnosis. I mean that in this city parents sincerely believe that a weekend spent without visit to the museum or opera was shamefully wasted. I started joining all types of excursions when I was 5. At that time guides seemed to me incredibly educated people. But with all my esteem I would never call excursions my favorite activity at that time for two reasons:- I never managed to retain any facts or figures (a bit humiliating).
- I didn't care much about all the architectural details (columns orders, friezes in the pediment etc.) that guides looked so excited about.
- An excursion should be a kind of entertainment i.e. pleasant for the listener.
- It is an interactive kind of art - unlike the tape-recorder a good guide always checks the reaction of the listener and finishes/changes topic if the listener does not seem to be interested.
- Guide is a kind of mixture of historian, actor and psychologist. Keeping the listener surprised and excited is the main thing about this job.
- Being true to the historian facts does not mean being boring.
- An excursion should not be a lecture of any kind as the listener is not a student.
- The excursion route can not be too long, or too hectic, or have any part which could spoil the pleasure of the listener.
- It is not the listener who should be educated enough to grasp the guide's facts, it is the guide who must make the stories "tasty" enough to be eaten.
Organizing a trip for a group ?
Are you the person responsible for organising the trip ? Maybe for your family, friends or colleagues ? It can be quite a challenge - especially in Russia with language problems, poor service culture, buercracy and other barriers. Why not use my competence and put the responsibility on me for everything that you do not know about and can not foresee. Freed from the burden of responsibily, not only will you companions have a great time, you will too! While cost may be a factor, it is worth remembering that your vacation time is of high value to you - don't miss the chance to relax and enjoy yourself too.
Maybe you have some specialist interest or particular reason for visiting Russia, for example meeting your Russian colleagues, visiting charity organizations or public institutions.
Such visits and meetings are great but need preparation. Its impossible to organize such things by e-mail from abroad. They require connections and experience in dealing with Russian people, many telephone calls and perseverance. This is where I can help. I have contacts and experience and can handle such tasks successfully on your behalf.
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