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Will I find Jaipur Walking Tour Tiring?

Jaipur Heritage Walking Tour By JaipurRetold — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 10:47:43 +0000

Is Jaipur Walking Tour Tiring?

Many travelers often ask if our Jaipur walking tour is tiring? Let’s explore the topic is Jaipur walking tour tiring. It is a logical question. I say logical because not everyone is used to walking a lot. Travelers from some of the countries are used to walking a lot because it is part of their daily lives. They may lead an active life or walking is a routine they follow as a fitness regime. In some cases, in certain countries people rely a lot on public transport. This means they often walk from their residence to the tube or MRT station. People usually assume walking tours involve a lot of walking because of the word “walking”.

Is Jaipur walking tour tiring because it involves a lot of walking?

When it comes to Jaipur walking tours designed and led by Jaipur Retold, we ensure our walking tours are well designed. We spend a lot of time and effort to ensure our walking tours are fun and easy to walk. We want to make sure none of the travelers find our Jaipur walking tour tiring.

In all likelihood, for a two-hour walking tour in Jaipur led by Jaipur Retold, you probably won’t walk more than 2 km. For all practical purposes, this means during our Jaipur walking tour you won’t cover more than a kilometre in one hour. The average human walks at a speed of 4-6 kilometres per hour. Anything above 6 kilometres an hour would be jogging or sprinting.

What to expect on our Jaipur walking tours when it comes to walking?

Our Jaipur walking tours involve a very slow pace walking. We never hasten travelers on our Jaipur walks. We understand that walking tours are meant to be fun and enriching. It is with these concepts we carry on our walks. So take your time whenever you decide to do walking tours in Jaipur with Jaipur Retold.

Are our Jaipur walking tours senior friendly when it comes to walking?

Walking tours in Jaipur by Jaipur Retold are senior friendly. We have led many walks with senior travelers. We go a great length to ensure Jaipur walking tour is anything but tiring for seniors.

Are our Jaipur walking tours child friendly when it comes to walking?

Walking tours in Jaipur by Jaipur Retold are child friendly. We encourage travelers to bring children along. A walking tour in Jaipur is a great place to observe and learn when it comes to young ones. Children will not find Jaipur walking tour tiring or strenuous. In fact, with so many things to see and absorb, kids are quite engaged.

Additionally, almost all our tours can be customised to suit your requirements. If you want a walking tour in Jaipur with dogs, you are welcome to bring them along. Want us to customise a tour for you, let us know!

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How to choose a Walking Tour in Jaipur?

Jaipur Heritage Walking Tour By JaipurRetold — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 06:54:12 +0000

How To Choose A Walking Tour in Jaipur

Travelers and tourists often wonder how to choose a good walking tour in Jaipur among so many on offer. It is mindboggling to find a variety of Jaipur walking tours listed on online portals and google maps. With so many reviews praising the ones that they have undertaken, it becomes very challenging to choose the best walking tours. A large number of people select a walking tour based on the lowest price on offer. This is more so in the case of India where people feel why pay more? Quite logical but not entirely true. This blog is intended to help you choose the best walking tour in Jaipur.

The parameters to choose a walking tour in Jaipur?

I’m sharing some of the parameters you can use to pick a walking tour among the large numbers that one finds listed on various portals or search engines like google. This will also help you to select the best walking tour in Jaipur. Read Purpose of a walking tour

Credentials of a Walking Tour Guide

With the lack of any guidelines from the department of tourism in Rajasthan/Rajasthan Tourism Development Corp. it is very easy for anyone to become a walking tour guide in Jaipur. While this does allow a lot of freedom and choice from the tourist perspective, it has its own issues. Many experienced travelers have highlighted that these walking tour guides in Jaipur have been cooking up stories and sharing false facts. Often, they share distorted facts to add spice up their narratives.

What is the recourse? One of the options when choosing a walking tour guide in Jaipur is to find a licensed tour guide. Before you enroll for a walking tour, ensure the walk leader has a licence issued by the tourism department. Some do not possess licence or show a fake one. Even though there are a large number of licensed tour guides in Jaipur, very few walking tours meet the standards.

Even if you don’t find a licensed tour guide, ensure that the tour guide is knowledgeable. Check their credentials online especially their knowledge and grasp of the subject. One of the ways you can cross check is by asking guides about the aspects covered in the walk. If you are well-versed with the subject in general, it would not be difficult to ascertain the knowledge of the walk leader.

The Jaipur walking tour guide should be passionate about the subject and not merely reciting what he or she has learnt.

Communication Skills of a Guide in Jaipur Walking Tour

It is vital to check if the communication of a tour guide is clear and loud enough. What is his or her accent? Does the tour guide speak in a strong local accent? Is he fluent in the language? In my opinion, good communication of a guide is vital to select a walking tour in Jaipur.

How can you check his communication abilities? Ask to get on a phone call before you fix up your tour. There are many tour agencies who will refuse to connect you with the tour guide. The reason is that these tour agencies hire freelancers. There is no way you can speak with tour guides. This is a red flag.

Group Size for Jaipur Walking Tour

What is the size of a group tour? Every traveller has his or her choice when opting for a walking tour. Some prefer large group tours, others smaller.

Some opt for a large group tour because it offers lower rates. Others prefer smaller groups because it allows them a lot more individual attention. Having clarity on what group size is preferred will help select a walking tour in Jaipur.

Read reviews of Jaipur walking tours with a pinch of salt

It is well documented that TripAdvisor reviews are manipulated to create a favourable impression. However, traveller reviews are important. Check for reviews on websites and Google reviews too.

One of the best ways to check the authenticity would be to have a conversation with a tour guide. Many travellers these days rely on WhatsApp calls or voice notes to ascertain whether booking that particular walking tour makes sense. This also addresses their questions and queries, if any.

Price of a walking tour in Jaipur

Is price an important parameter in selecting a walking tour in Jaipur? Yes and No.

Price is an important parameter in terms of affordability. What is not affordable is ruled out completely.

Many people think expensive tours don’t make sense. This is a fallacy. Quality of a walking tour also matters. Price is not everything; at least, not for everyone.

Large group tours can offer lower prices. Small tours usually don’t. They address a different traveller’s need.

Private walking tours in Jaipur tend to be more expensive because they rely on a fixed group size.

The price of a walking tour in Jaipur ranges from Rs. 600 to Rs. 4000 per person. How to choose the best walking tour in Jaipur with such a wide price range? Expect to pay at least Rs 1800/person to 3000/person for a quality tour in Jaipur. Low price Jaipur walks comes at a “cost.” Either the content is not high quality or the tour guides work for a kick backs. Low price walks are used as bait. Your time is the cost of a low quality Jaipur walk.

Hiring a local walking tour guide

Hiring a local from Jaipur for your walking tour will provide you with an edge when selecting a walking tour in Jaipur. This provides you with local knowledge and insider’s tips.

Students working as freelancers generally tend to offer lower prices because it is a source of extra money. However, in general they don’t offer high quality walking tours. Many students in Jaipur are working as tour guides to earn extra income. However, they are neither local, nor connected with the city. Usually, they find a job and move out of Jaipur; in a way, Jaipur is just a transit stage in their life. It might not matter to everyone but if you are seeking a local who grew up in the same locality, he or she can definitely throw a lot more insight during a walking tour because he is connected and has experienced so much over a period of time. Ask for the personal connect of the walking tour guide with Jaipur to assess his or her credentials.

How to find a local tour guide in Jaipur for a walking tour? Search online. Check if Jaipur tour guide is present on online forum, or has a website that authenticates his connection with Jaipur and his knowledge.

In summary, selecting the best Jaipur walking tour will enhance your Jaipur trip experience,

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How to choose a walking tour guide in Jaipur?

Travelers these days want to support local businesses and people. Hiring a local tour guide is a step in the right direction. Wondering how to find a local tour guide in Jaipur for a walking tour? Search online. Check if Jaipur tour guide is present on online forum, or has a website that authenticates his connection with Jaipur and knowledge about the pink city.

In summary, selecting the best Jaipur walking tour will enhance your Jaipur trip experience,

Explore Our Walks in Jaipur

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The post How to choose a Walking Tour in Jaipur? appeared first on Jaipur Retold Tours.

Are Jaipur Free Walking Tours Really Free?

Jaipur Heritage Walking Tour By JaipurRetold — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 14:36:13 +0000

Is A Free walking tour in Jaipur really free?

Lately, like the rest of the world, one can find a free walking tour in Jaipur. What is a Free Walking Tour? As suggested by the name, it is a tour of the city where a tour guide shows the travelers & tourists historic sites without any prefixed charges. People pay at the end of the tour based on what they want to pay. The tour guide shares historical information about past events of the places on the walking tour. How did the free walking tour concept originate? The concept of “free walking tour” first started in Berlin, Germany around 2003-05. Later, the concept of free walking tours” proliferated across the world, especially in Europe. We all know, nothing in this world is free. In the 1930s, many bars started offering free food in the USA as an incentive to get people drinking. This led to the proverb “No such thing as a free lunch“. Therefore, what is advertised as a free walking tour is not really free. Is this true for Jaipur? Yes, a free walking tour in Jaipur is not really free. More details further on this blog on free walking tours.

The concept of a free walking tour

Free walking tours are pitched as a double win: a chance to meet travellers with similar interests, and a chance to explore the city in a more genuine way, going beyond the usual tourist spots. At the end of the free walking tour, you are expected to tip. There is no pressure and one can choose not to tip, but that’s generally not the case. But then these are not free because you are expected to tip! Can these tours be called tourist scams? Not at all. Technically, these are not tourist scams because scams would be a completely different thing. In some countries, they have now started calling these walking tours “pay what you want tours” instead of free walking tours.

How do guides make money on free walking tours?

Many free walking tours have hidden deals or tie-ups with cafes or food places where they take breaks. In such cases, travelers end up paying more for snacks or coffee. Travelers have reported that some free walking tours in Jaipur include a mandatory break at handicrafts and souvenir shops. Unsuspecting travellers end up paying a lot more for what is otherwise a much cheaper product. So this is certainly a tourist scam.

Quality of a guide in a free walking tour in Jaipur

Tourist Guides working in the travel industry are not happy with free walking tours in Jaipur. They grumble about the rigorous steps that include checks, training, and hurdles like passing exams to obtain a licence or certification. On the contrary, there is no obstruction to becoming a free tour guide.

Guides are disconnected from the city on a free walking tour in Jaipur

Some companies offering free walking tours in Jaipur often recruit students as guides. These students aren’t regular employees. Instead, they’re freelancers. This allows companies to avoid paying benefits and avoid taxes as well as legal liabilities. In mainland Europe, it is the norm for the companies to take a cut of the guides’ tips; they also charge guides a fee per tourist regardless of tips received. Their logic is that it’s the charge they pay to the online portal for sign-ups. Another aspect of free walking tours is that in most cases, the freelancers are often not trained in history or culture. Some even lack basic presentation skills. Companies exploit students because they know students struggle financially and they are looking to make some extra money.

Often, these freelance guides are not local residents of the city. Because they are students, their stay in the city is limited to the period of their courses. While some freelance guides are excellent, this is usually not the case.

Setting the expectation of what a guest should pay as a tip on free walking tours

Offering things for free with the expectation of getting paid is a common trap; sometimes the tactics used are quite shady and questionable. Some opine that these are not unethical as long as people understand how they function and freelancers are not exploited. The bottom line? It is hard to decipher the reality and what is going on behind the curtains. I have met a few freelance guides who are expected to provide details of purchases made by travelers at the end of the tour. The guides get no money out of this commission earned by the tour company from the shops. The list is shared so that shops don’t under report the sales made.

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