Featured image: Having the right guide makes all the difference / Photo credit: by bernardbodo on Envato

Six Tips to Find the Right Guide

Shari Eberts, Guest Writer

Editor’s Note: I invited Shari Eberts, a hearing loss advocate and author of Hear & Beyond: Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss, after reading a version of this article on LivingWithHearingLoss.com. It’s important to me that we continue to make travel accessible to all by exploring it from all perspectives. We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.   

My family and I recently traveled overseas to mark an important family milestone. It was an amazing trip with many historical sites to see, a beautiful countryside to experience, and a special family event to observe. It was a once in a lifetime trip, so we decided to splurge on a private guide. But it was critical that we find the right one. I didn’t want to miss one word because of my hearing loss.

2. Take a test drive

I had a video conversation with our assigned guide before things were finalized. I wanted to experience how well I could hear him and to see how easy he would be to lip-read. I also wanted to assess his attitude about my hearing loss. Would he try to be helpful or find it annoying? I was very impressed. In our call, he proactively listed a few suggestions that he thought would help me hear well during the trip, including my sitting in the passenger seat of the van.

3. Start off on the right foot with a reminder

On our first morning of touring, I reminded the guide about my hearing loss and was happy to see that he had already cleared out the spot in the passenger seat for me to sit.

4. Provide real-time feedback, both positive and negative

I was so happy on the first day with how well I was hearing that I made a point to mention this to the guide. I complimented him on how clearly he was speaking, and he was pleased, which motivated him to continue with his efforts.

5. Continue to self-advocate along the way

Whenever we visited a site with a film, I asked if it was available captioned, and if I missed something, I asked for a quick summary from my guide. This saved my family the task, which decreased the burden on them. Plus, they all probably benefited from hearing the information again.

6. Confirm important details by email or text

Even though I was hearing well, I didn’t want to risk mishearing important details, so I asked the guide to confirm all reservations and other appointment times with me via email or text.

The Upfront Investment Is Worth the Time

While finding the right tour guide for our trip required an upfront investment of time, it allowed me to weed out service providers that were not sensitive to my needs and provided a strong backdrop for the success of the trip. It worked so well that I plan to use this same process anytime I need to hire a service provider again.

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