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She Recommends Her Guides Round the World
Evelyn Hannon
Though I love the freedom of solo travel, I always consider it an absolute
bonus to have someone show me around a foreign destination on my first day
there. Sometimes it's another Journeywoman welcoming me to her city,
pointing out the female-friendly cafés or shops that gals will be sure to
love. Other times it's a representative from a tourist bureau who will be
introducing me to the major sightseeing highlights of the region. And, when
language is a barrier (as it was in China), I was delighted to have somebody
to explain what I didn't understand and to speak on my behalf.
This article is a compilation of recommended guides and drivers that other
JourneyWomen readers worldwide have tried and now generously recommend to
others. Perhaps these suggestions will come in handy for other females
looking for assistance at their destinations of choice.
 If anybody else has a favorite guide they'd like to share with our JW
Network, please send your recommendations to: editor@journeywoman.com.
Please put the words, 'great guide' in the subject line.
However, a small word of caution
before we begin. Journeywoman has not tried all of these guides herself
and therefore cannot personally vouch for those she hasn't met. To avoid
the smallest possibility of safety issues, we ask that female travellers
always use common sense when connecting with potential guides on the Internet.
Be careful about revealing personal info, like your home address, to anybody
you are networking with. If you plan to meet a guide, make sure that it
is done in a busy place like a café, hotel or a museum. Cyberspace
is imperfect; treat it accordingly, stay safe and have loads of fun!
Dave, a guide in and around London...
 There's a driver named David Brown who does package or individualized tours in the London/Bath/Wales area. My daughter and I spent a delightful day with him last fall in Wales. He was prompt, dependable, courteous and quite personable. In addition to that, he was a wonderful "sport". My daughter really wanted to go to the botanical garden in Wales. The weather was very, very uncooperative -- high winds coupled with sheets of pouring rain. David first warned us that we'd be spending time outdoors in that rain, then went right along with the plan -- providing huge umbrellas (which were basically useless, but appreciated) and keeping high humor in the face of being soaked and cold. Maintaining his good humor, he finished the day by taking us to some other, more dry sites. The day could have been quite a disaster, or even just satisfactory; David's good humor allowed us to have a marvelous adventure. In the meantime, he and his wife have acquired a B&B cottage in Wales; my daughter and I have made arrangements to spend 4 days there this fall. David's website is: http://www.scenictravel.co.uk.
Cheryl, Chesterton, Indiana, USA
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Henri,
a guide in and around Paris... 
We "discovered" Henri
when renting an apartment in Paris through his sister -in-law (who
is an agent in Seattle). Henri is retired, lives in Normandy (where
he is also happy to be a guide) and speaks fluent English. He is
absolutely charming! Spending a day with Henri is always full of
little surprise stops and interesting anecdotes. He will help you
plan your outing, or, give him a general idea of your interests
and he will go from there. One day we were driving through the Champagne
area on our way to Reims and I thought it was probably time for
the "vendage" -- when the grapes are being picked. The next thing
we knew, we were in the fields talking to the locals who were, in
fact picking the grapes! Henri Leers can be reached by phone at:
+011-33- (0) 2-33-20-55-76 and by fax at: 011 33 2 33 20 44 87
Rosalyn, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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Laurent,
a guide in Paris...
I just returned from
a few days on my own in Paris. I
had the most fabulous guide while I was there -- Laurent Guariglia.
He was extremely knowledgeable about all the areas we visited and
he spoke wonderful English. At the end of our times together Laurent
always made sure to put me in a cab and give the driver complete
directions to my hotel so I wouldn't have a problem. I will definitely
contact this nice man on my next visit to Paris. Email: laurent.guariglia@free.fr
Mobile: (33) 6 77 49 27 37.
Paula, California, USA |
Karen,
a great guide in Paris...
 My
friend and I recently hired Karen Henrich of Nuit Blanche Tours
for her one day Paris orientation. Karen first told us lots of things
by email even before we arrived, including the best way to get from
the airport and how to choose a hotel which saved us a lot of hassle
and money. Also before we arrived she determined our likes/wishes
and then picked us up at our hotel and escorted us all around the
city, made us comfortable using the public transportation, showed
us her bargain shopping places and wrote down many things which
helped us plan the remaining days of our stay in Paris. I would
highly recommend using this guide; we felt instantly comfortable
with a fellow English speaker who, because she lives there, knows
the ropes of Paris intimately. We had lots of laughs and heaps of
fun too! Her email is info@nuitblanchetours.com
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 Nan,
a great guide in Venice, Italy...
I
know a fabulous guide: Nan McElroy. Why is she terrific? How shall
I count the ways? She lives in Venice, for a start, comes from the
US so there's no language issue but of course she speaks Italian;
she's written an incredible little guidebook called Italy: Instructions
for Use which is a treasure trove of practical information; she's
smart and sassy and knows her stuff. You can contact her via her
site: http://italyinstructions.com/
I know you're going to like her!
Linda, Venice, Italy
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Svetlana, a guide in Prague...
 In Prague, contact Svetlana Radova at: svetlana.radova@tiscali.cz. Her English is perfect and she is licensed to guide in Prague and has the
additional license to guide in the Jewish Quarter. Svetlana's partner,
Ondrej is available to drive you in Prague, (they are driving us to Krakow
and back) and available for airport pickups as well. I met Svetlana three
years ago and we have stayed friends ever since we first met!
Rosalyn, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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Dana Chaloupka,
a guide in Prague... 
My husband and I recently
visited Prague. Since neither of us knew one word of Czech, we were
concerned about the language barrier. We learned of a guide called
Dana Chaloupka from an online message board and emailed her about
our pending visit. She responded with a broad range of itineraries
and prices. Dana spent time in the United States and speaks English
very well. She knows her history and all the sights of Prague and
patiently showed and taught us about her city. We also traveled
by train to a small town outside Prague (Uvaly), where she grew
up. We visited her family home and her neighbor, and we went into
several shops, getting a glimpse of normal life in a small Czech
village. She was a wonderful guide and a very pleasant person. Dana
does not work for tour companies -- she hires drivers when needed.
We feel her services made all the difference in the world in enjoying
this beautiful historic city. We heartily recommend her. Dana can
be reached at: danachal@volny.cz
/ or dachal@quick.cz
Sherri, Iowa, USA |
Ab, a great
guide in Amsterdam... 
Last year we found
a guide in the Netherlands who was recommended by Rick Steves. Ab
Walet (abwalet@yahoo.com)
is a retired history teacher and he's just great. Ab took four of
us on a wonderful four hour walking tour of Amsterdam. He showed
us sights never mentioned in guide books as well as giving us history
and background information about the usual places. My favorite was
the Theater Kadinsky which looks as if Judy Garland should appear
at any minute to introduce the premier of 'The Wizard of Oz.'
Pinkie, Brevard, USA
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More Guides Worldwide: 2/3/4/5/6
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