I'm going to explain what the different tour options are in Washington DC so that you can pick the one that's best for you.
Hello! Welcome to Trip Hacks DC, my name is Rob.
I'm a tour guide here in the nation's capital.
If you're coming to Washington DC and you're looking for the best tips, tricks, and hacks for exploring the city,
make sure to subscribe to this channel and hit the bell
notification icon so that you don't miss any new videos; and if you're interested in signing up for a Trip Hacks DC tour,
head on over to www.triphacksdc.com afterwards, to see the tours that I offer.
There are really no shortage of tour options in Washington DC,
so I'm gonna break down what they are so that you can decide which one works best for you. If you've taken a tour in
Washington DC before, leave a comment on this video and let everyone know what it was, and how you liked it.
And before we get started, I should specify that I am talking about outdoor city tours.
So if you're looking for information about indoor tours of places like the White House or the Capitol,
I will leave links in the video description to explain what you need to do for those. With that said, let's get started...
The easiest way to break down your tour options are first to distinguish whether you're looking for a private tour or a public tour; and
then to look at the transportation options for getting you around. Generally speaking, when a tour company offers a private tour
it means that it's just going to be you and your tour guide.
These tours are best for people who really like a
personalized experience
or for larger families or groups who would actually find it more cost-effective to book a private tour than to buy everyone in the group
individual tickets. Many of the Trip Hacks DC tours that I offer are
private tours. A public tour, on the other hand, typically means that you buy a ticket for yourself and
everyone in your group and then you'll meet up with other travelers and a tour guide, and he or she will show all of you
around. These are best for people who are looking for the most
cost-effective tour option or for folks who don't mind, or even want to meet, new people.
I run my Monumental Trivia tour as a public tour. For a solo traveler or a couple,
booking that tour is a lot more cost effective than booking a private tour with me.
It just means that there could be up to about ten other people that you don't know on the tour. Another way to think about
public versus private tours is to think about going to the movies.
Most of the time you go to the movies, buy a ticket, and see it with a bunch of people in the theater that you
don't know; but you could also ask the theater for a private screening
where it would be just you, your family, and no one else in the theater.
The private screening would be a little bit more expensive, but it would also be a different and potentially superior experience,
if that's what you're looking for. Now as far as transportation goes,
let us start with the humble walking tour. Trip Hacks DC tours are walking tours,
because they're simple and almost everyone can do them. That's said, to do all of the major
monuments and memorials on the National Mall requires about three miles of total walking and for some younger kids or those with mobility challenges
this can be a little bit much. The good news is that all of the memorials are theoretically accessible,
so even if you have someone in the group in a wheelchair, a scooter, or kids and strollers,
they should be able to enjoy all of the monuments.
The reason why I think walking tours are the superior option is because there's no vehicle that I have to worry about
parking or keeping safe.
It also means that I get to go
inside the monuments with you and show you everything up close. On the other end of the spectrum
are bus tours. Bus tours can be of the hop-on hop-off variety,
and I have some information in another video that I will link to in the video description, or they can be of the variety where
the tour guide will actually get off the bus and show you around on foot. If I were going to sign up for a bus tour
I would probably choose that second option. Another flavor of the bus tour is the duck boat tour.
This is one where you'll ride around the streets around the National Mall,
then the vehicle will actually get into the river and you'll be able to see some of the sites from the water.
This is a great option for someone who wants a broad overview of the sites
but doesn't want to do any getting out and walking around.
It's also great for kids because kids
love this concept and sometimes the kids even get to drive the duck boat. On the National Mall
you'll also see a lot of tour groups on bikes and segways. Bike tours can be great because, let's face it,
riding a bike is just plain awesome.
It's also great for families with kids who want something a little bit more engaging than a walking
tour. Segway tours are ideal for people who want the novelty of riding a Segway,
which I realize is something that you probably only get a chance to do on vacation. In Washington, DC
you have to be at least 16 years or older to legally ride a Segway, which makes these tours a deal breaker for most families.
But on the other hand, if you actually want a tour that you know will not have any children on it,
then this is gonna be it. The biggest downside, in my opinion, of both the bike and Segway tours is that your guide is
responsible for keeping everyone, and the bikes, safe during the route.
So instead of going in to the monuments memorials with you,
they'll typically tell you about them from the outside
and then give you a few minutes to go explore. And this is not even everything that's out there.
There are tours by pedicab, golf cart, scooter, and all kinds of other different modes of transportation.
Even though I personally think the humble walking tour is the best, there's really no right or wrong answer.
It's all about what is best for you and your family.
But hopefully I've given you enough information
in this video to help you make an informed choice; and if you're interested in checking out the Trip Hacks DC walking tours,
you can actually go ahead and click on the Capitol dome that's on the left side of my head,
that'll take you over to www.triphacksdc.com where you can see all of the tours that I offer. Or if you want more
tips and hacks for your trip,
you can subscribe to this channel by clicking on the Trip Hacks DC logo
which is popping up right now at the bottom of the screen. Enjoy your trip!