If you are coming to Maui for a vacation, chances are that you’ll be signing up for at least one guided adventure. Maybe you’ll go snorkeling with the manta rays at sunset, explore a sunken shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean, or see what all the twists and turns of the Hana Highway have to offer. Your tour guide plays an important role in whether your adventure is a huge success or an utter bust. The right tour guide can enchant you with fascinating facts, take you to hidden pockets of the island, keep you comfortable and safe, and turn your adventure into an unforgettable memory. These amazing tour guides don’t come around very often, so if you are fortunate to enjoy an activity with a great guide, make sure to reward them for their skill and service.
Up Your Tip
Most tour guides don’t earn the big bucks. They guide tours, because they love the activity and being around people. These cheerful young men and women rely heavily on tips to help supplement their income. If a tour guide takes really great care of you, the best way to show that you are a happy customer is to offer the guide a nice monetary tip. Almost all paid tour guides accept tips, but if you aren’t sure, feel free to ask. An average tip is about 15% of the cost of the tour per person. Make sure to tip for each person in your family or group.
If you had an amazing tour guide, you’ll want to tip more than the average. A good tip is considered to be about 20%. That doesn’t have to be your ceiling. Depending on your vacation budget and whether you want to really reward your tour guide, you can certainly tip more than 20%. Your tour guide will be thrilled.
Write a Positive Review
You may have noticed that there are quite a few touring agencies for almost every type of activity in Maui. The competition is tough, and many touring outfits live or die by positive reviews on sites like Yelp! If you don’t have the cash to give your tour guide the biggest tip of their life but still want to show your appreciation, then try to get them some more business. Write a glowing review on Yelp! or post a note on your social media pages. Call out your tour guide by name and explain how this person made your experience so wonderful. People who read your review may ask for that tour guide by name, giving your guide some extra work. Also, management usually reads the reviews their company gets, so giving your guide a shout-out may lead to more future assignments.
Send a Note to Management
Just in case the owners of the tour agency you used don’t check their reviews regularly, you can do your tour guide one final favor by writing a quick note to the company explaining how great your guide was. These little notes are really appreciated and will probably help your guide get more hours and assignments in the future.
You don’t always need to give ludicrous tips to show a great tour guide you care. A well written review can be even more valuable than a few extra dollars.
If you are planning to book a vacation condo through Ali’i Resorts, we’d be happy to recommend activities and touring companies so that you can get an amazing tour guide for your big Maui adventures.
