How free walking tours changed the way I travel

A few weeks ago I had the experience of a free walking tour with my friend while we were in Lisbon and I was impressed by her enthusiasm, repeatedly saying that many people should know about these, especially students (forever) traveling on a low budget. I remember now how excited I was too when I was in my first Erasmus in Amsterdam and, close to the end of my experience, a Slovenian colleague (much more experienced in travelling than me for sure) told me about how she always books a free walking tour when she has friends visiting her because it’s the best way they can quickly learn to enjoy the city.

So, after listening to my friend, I found myself googling about these tours in Amsterdam to try them myself. What can go wrong after all? It’s free. My first experience was with SANDEMAN’s, the company that also pioneered this concept 15 years ago ever since one man (Chris Sandeman) asked for a refund from a paid guided tour that he didn’t like because of the guide’s complete lack of enthusiasm. The company refused to pay him back since the service was completed from their side so there was no legal justification for the refund, but that didn't stop Sandeman to start his own company to avoid this problem once and for all.

And this is how Sandeman’s was born – a guided tour company that is working with freelancing guides in 20 cities around the world, guides that you can only tip at the end depending on how much you think the tour was worth. In other words, the more enthusiastic and funny and well prepared the guides are, the more motivated you are to pay them to their worth. I think it is one of the best solutions they could have found for the inconsistency you will find in the touristic market since you always depend on the mood of the people serving you.

You will hear this story in the beginning of every tour and it’s so good I am using it all the time when I am trying to convince my friends to try it too. The best argument is that the company started with a bad experience so this simply means they are motivated to avoid any low-quality experiences some tour-city companies might offer you. Anyway, today those ones will simply not survive with the standards a nowadays traveler has. The modern-day traveler will just not allow it.

With their system, the tip-based model offers you the chance to reward the guides and motivate them to get better and better. There’s no space for mundane moments for both sides. It’s a natural win-win.

What you need to do

Everything can booked online, but you can also just show up at the meeting point if you don't have time to do it last minute. Go on their website, choose a day and a suitable hour for you (They usually do it 3 times a day), book your spot and show up at the meeting point 15 minutes before the tour starts. Look for someone with a red umbrella and, of course, probably a group of people gathered there too and you're personalised experience can begin.

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Where you can try it for yourself

• Portugal: Lisbon, Porto
• Spain: Barcelona, Madrid
• The Netherlands: Amsterdam
• Denmark: Copenhagen
• Belgium: Brussels
• France: Paris, Seville
• Germany: Berlin, Hamburg, Munich
• England: London, Liverpool
• Scotland: Edinburgh
• Ireland: Dublin
• Czech Republic: Prague
• Israel: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv
• USA: New York

Some cities that I have already checked on this list are Amsterdam, Berlin and Lisbon and I am now just on my way to book another one to do with some friends here in Porto as well. I usually choose to do these tours as soon as I arrive to a place I’m travelling for a short time to (weekends away for example) because they are some of the best ways to understand on what the city stands on: the locals’ core values, their special local events, their local restaurants and old stories you can only understand truly from a local your guide himself/ herself might be (which they usually are).

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If I am staying more in a place such as for a whole semester exchange or a traineeship for a few months abroad I’d rather do it in the middle of the time spent there. I consider it more fun to try to discover the most interesting stories and facts from your local friends, teachers and make them much more personal for you. And then, of course, in the tour you will know most of the things presented but most of the times too, you will find many other facts that you missed, facts that even locals themselves don’t care about anymore.

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For example, when I was in Amsterdam the guide had taken us to see some hidden gardens inside the court of some houses I would have never imagined to find myself in, let alone understand the meaning of. Then she also told us about the hidden churches you can still find around the city in the buildings that are so narrow you would not even imagine they could keep a whole cathedral inside. If it had not been for her, I would have never found the Museum Our Lord in the Attic myself.

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Another good tip I got from the free walking tour in Lisbon was that going up with the Santa Justa Elevator might be a waste of money since you can reach the top platform by foot if you go around the Carno Convent and pass through a small restaurant there. We used the spared 5€ to eat some Pastéis de Belém and also got precious restaurants recommendations outside the expensive touristic area thanks to our guide, so think about deals or tips like these when you don’t know whether or not you want to start your holiday with a free walking tour.

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Of course there are many other companies that might do a great job as well. Sandeman's only does tours in 20 cities across Europe so there are plenty chances to find some other good ones too.

So, next time don't forget to write down a free walking tour on your destination bucket list too!

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