Giving local tours to tourists
#1
Bike touring webrarian
Thread Starter
Giving local tours to tourists
This isn't actually a touring thread but this is where I like to post so here goes.
I live in San Francisco. One of the tourist things to do is to rent a bike on Fisherman's Wharf, ride to and then over the Golden Gate Bridge and then on to one of several places.
My usual ride involves riding along the path that virtually all of these bikers take. The bikers are given an inadequate map and I often see them standing at an intersection staring at it with a confused look. I always ask them if they need help and usually a few quick directions set them straight.
This got me to thinking that an interesting (volunteer) service would be to give people biking tours of the area. I'm not really interested in getting paid. It was more an idea of using local bikers who are going to bike to some place anyway letting locals go along with them. I realize that people are going to want to stop and take pictures on the Golden Gate Bridge. So it isn't exactly hard riding. It is more allowing them to ride some interesting routes and getting some local information at the same time.
Questions:
Is this something that makes sense?
How would something like this get started (the web would be a good place to start)
Would you use such a service if you were visting the bay area?
By the way, if anyone comes to the bay area and wants to take a ride, just let me know and we can set up something.
Ray
I live in San Francisco. One of the tourist things to do is to rent a bike on Fisherman's Wharf, ride to and then over the Golden Gate Bridge and then on to one of several places.
My usual ride involves riding along the path that virtually all of these bikers take. The bikers are given an inadequate map and I often see them standing at an intersection staring at it with a confused look. I always ask them if they need help and usually a few quick directions set them straight.
This got me to thinking that an interesting (volunteer) service would be to give people biking tours of the area. I'm not really interested in getting paid. It was more an idea of using local bikers who are going to bike to some place anyway letting locals go along with them. I realize that people are going to want to stop and take pictures on the Golden Gate Bridge. So it isn't exactly hard riding. It is more allowing them to ride some interesting routes and getting some local information at the same time.
Questions:
Is this something that makes sense?
How would something like this get started (the web would be a good place to start)
Would you use such a service if you were visting the bay area?
By the way, if anyone comes to the bay area and wants to take a ride, just let me know and we can set up something.
Ray
#2
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The web is a great way to promote that. I did a search for "paris" and "bike tour" and found exactly something for me. I did the tour on a glorious warm spring morning with a bunch of foreigners and it was great fun. Everyone met up under the Eiffel Tower, and then trekked a half mile or so to the bike shop to get our bikes and start the tour. It started at 10am and finished around 3?
I paid about €20. About US$20?
I think if you had a web page that gave your cell phone number and an idea of the route, people would find you.
I paid about €20. About US$20?
I think if you had a web page that gave your cell phone number and an idea of the route, people would find you.