What is a Sightseeing Ride

What are Sightseeing Rides and what level of service is expected from our drivers

Alex Kostyuk avatar
Written by Alex Kostyuk
Updated over a week ago

Sightseeing Rides are Private and customisable tours provided by Welcome and operated by a selection of our most knowledgeable & friendly Welcome Drivers.

Sightseeing Rides are all about a ride with a local (you) showing his city to a friend (traveler). You have the chance to be a local ambassador of your city to a newcomer and showcase the best your city has to offer.


Customisable Format

The Sightseeing Ride experience is completely customisable to the traveler's needs. 

The stops provided to our sightseeing ride pages are indicative and recommended. They help travelers to get an understanding of what the ride will be and provide them with an idea of the route along the map.

You are always free to adjust the route, and remove or add stops that you think travelers will find interesting according to their personality and preferences. Adjust the itinerary differently to families, couples or elderly people.
Always keep in mind that most people are here to have a great time, relax from their busy schedules, and in general, create beautiful lifetime memories.


What is Expected from you

  • Once travelers get in your vehicle, ask them their preferences and if there is something specific they want to see or someplace they want to spend some more time on. Tailored made treatment rewards with great reviews!

  • There is always a suggested itinerary to follow but the tour is completely customisable, and points of interest can be added or taken away as desired in discussion with the traveler.

  • At an attraction or a museum, make sure you know the opening hours beforehand and help travelers get in or buy their tickets at the entrance.

  • Share your local perspective on culture, cuisine, local recipes, life, and its rhythms, and in general, give them an overall feeling of the “local” life in your city and country. 

  • Travelers love taking great photos! Get them to places where they can take memorable photos of their trip.

  • Give recommendations about great places to eat traditional food and advice for their remainder of their stay in your city. After the tour, travelers will continue their vacation in your city and they will appreciate your local advice for places to eat and drink for the rest of their visit. 

  • Adjust your commentary to the type of person you have in your car. Not all people want to take a history lesson, most of them want to just get introduced to a new city and learn some facts about it.



What you should Avoid

  • Not Asking the traveler to offer a customisable tour, and following a fixed itinerary without traveler agreement. 

  • Not sharing information about the sights you are visiting or passing by.

  • Refusing to stop for photos when travelers ask. 

  • Refusing to drive travelers at a certain sight within the city centre.

  • Not helping travelers to buy tickets or enter at attractions visited.

  • Finishing the tour earlier than the duration advertised without traveler agreement.

  • Denying to drop-off travelers at any address around the centre (if time permits).

  • Being late to pick travelers up. 


Useful Tips for Great Reviews

  • Travelers always appreciate a language lesson! Tell them some useful or funny words! That will instantly generate a nice atmosphere in the car.

  • Remember that you are a local guide. Travelers will continue their vacations and they will surely appreciate some tips and recommendations about their upcoming plans. Give them your last recommendations and tell them that they can contact you anytime and ask for more advice. 

  • Take advantage of your car extras! if you have a sunroof offer travelers if they would like to open it. If you have Spotify ask them what is their favourite music to play during the ride and let them choose what they like!

  • Get them to taste the best street food. Make sure your recommendation is safe. 

  • If you have a tablet in your car it would be good to show some pictures of places before the ride begins and let travelers decide what they want to visit.

  • Be flexible with your time, and ask travelers if there is something else they would like to visit or see before driving them back to their hotel. The more flexible you are with your time, allocating an extra 30 minutes in the total duration, the more likely the travelers will be keen to reward you with tips! Always have in mind that travelers have paid a significant amount of money to do the tour. It’s not a good feeling for them to see their driver constantly looking at his watch.

  • If you happen to never have done this specific tour again and want more information about it you can ask for help from one of your colleagues or Welcome Pickups on the Welcomer application chat. 

  • Before doing the tour, refresh your knowledge on the sights you are going to visit in Wikipedia to enhance the experience for the travelers. 

  • Go the extra mile! Take photos with them, sing with them and treat them like family. 


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