Why you need a tour guide for your family trip to Israel.

It is almost unheard of that a large group comes to Israel without hiring a tour guide. But when you are coming with your family, you might wonder if you really need a tour guide. After all, with the internet, GPS, iPhones and all the other tools available today, you should be able to find your way around pretty well. No?
Let me share with you some important reasons, you may not have thought of, why you should hire a tour guide for your next trip to Israel:

You will see a lot more

When you take a tour guide, you will not waste time getting lost, arriving at sites that are closed or trying to find your way around. On average you will see twice as much in any given day with a guide than you will on your own.

You will learn much more

A licensed tour guide in Israel must train for two years in all aspects of this countries history, geography, flora, fauna and more. The guide will make sure all your questions are answered and you understand what you are seeing.

You will save money

In the Middle East almost everything is negotiable. A good tour guide will help you get a better deal on everything from your hotel and car rental to your purchases at a gift shop or meal at a restaurant. You may find that the guide pays for much or all of his fee in this way. You will also get more value out of your trip. Between airfare, hotels, restaurants, shopping etc. you are probably spending thousands of dollars a day on your family trip to Israel, a tour guide will make sure you get as much value out of your trip as possible.

You will see stuff you never would

A knowledgeable tour guide will introduce you to places and people that you would never knew existed on your own. Believe it or not, not everything can be found on Google!

You will have a more pleasant experience

I see it all the time. An extended family comes to Israel for a Bar Mitzvah or other family event. All of the sudden there is conflict over who is in charge. If any small thing goes wrong the bickering begins with each member of the family knowing best how to proceed. In this way, a family vacation that should be a time to enjoy each other and spend time together can become very stressful and unpleasant. When you have a tour guide, everyone knows that there is a professional in charge.
I have seen time and time again how drastically this can change the entire dynamic of a family trip. And when hurdles come up along the way, it is the guides responsibility to deal with them while you take it easy. Often people comment that they days they toured with me were the best part of their family vacation just because everyone got along!

So consider a tour guide for your next trip!

These are some things you should seriously consider when making your decision about whether to take a tour guide for your family trip. Even if you don’t hire a tour guide for the entire trip, you should definitely consider hiring a guide for a portion of your visit. You will be glad you did!