Silver Travel Advisor managing director Lisa McAuley hails workers who strive to make holidays as enjoyable as possible
I finally made it to India, somewhere I have wanted to visit for many years. As we have a number of solo travellers who are members of Silver Travel Advisor, we launched a solo group trip hosted by myself, which went on sale last year to travel in March. It wasn’t without its challenges, not least the will-they-won’t-they saga of the reintroduction of e-visas for British passport holders. Thankfully, as we all know, they did.
In short, the trip was incredible, and as I said in my ‘closing speech’ to the group, I think we all fell in love with India. But we fell in love with it that little bit more because of our guide, Jasvir. He skilfully and knowledgeably negotiated and shepherded us through what can be a daunting destination.
Knowing the best spots for the perfect photos at endless monuments, including the mesmerising Taj Mahal; acting as our one-man shopping machine who tactfully negotiated with local sellers; and using even more tact with the local police force who decided to refuse our coach entry to a perfectly accessible road as other buses drove by without a care, were just some of the reasons we appreciated his service so much.
Unsung heroes
With his encouragement we found ourselves dancing in the street with a group of local women, and our Jeep happened to have the best position when a tiger appeared in the distance in Ranthambore National Park. He also shared many personal stories to help us understand his fascinating country with such a rich history. You get my point; he made our trip.
The experience, and in particular the impression Jasvir left upon me, made me reflect on the many unsung heroes across the globe who look after holidaymakers on a day-to-day basis. Many years ago I worked in touring and understood how a coach driver and guide could ‘make or break’ a trip.
I would like to think that the travelling public appreciate the sacrifices some people make to ensure others have the time of their lives
I’ve been fortunate to travel to some spectacular places, where without a guide it would have been nigh on impossible – not to mention potentially dangerous – to have experienced the destination as I did, climbing Kilimanjaro being one such example! In a few weeks I’m heading out with a group of female trekkers to Morocco and am really looking forward to meeting our guide,
whom I’ve heard great things about. It appears to me that guides are often taken for granted – until someone encounters one who is below par, which inevitably can happen.
Human interaction
As anyone who has visited Alcatraz knows, the audio guide there is superb. Great storytelling with evocative background noises make it easy to imagine what it must have been like back in the day. It’s a fantastic tour in my opinion, but I’ve also been left underwhelmed by other such audio guide excursions.
A future with reduced or no human interaction entirely in certain areas of the travel supply chain and guest experience horrifies me. I like to listen, talk, feel and share experiences with others, and no matter what anyone says, I just can’t imagine having as much fun with a hologram or authentically learn as much as I did with Jasvir. I’m stretching the imagination, but hopefully you get my point: there’s a time and a place for audio guides, digital interaction, ChatGPT…
I would like to think that the travelling public and we as an industry stop, think and appreciate the sacrifices some people make to ensure others have the time of their lives. People like Jasvir, who spends a lot of his time away from his family to ensure we have the best experience; the crew on cruise ships who spend months away at sea; or the hotel general managers, the porters and housekeeping staff who often live away to be able to send money home.
I know I do and will do for many years to come.