I Wish We Had Hired You for Our Entire Trip

“We should have hired you for our entire vacation.”

It usually happens at the end.

Not when I pick them up at the airport. Not on the first morning. Usually, it comes after they've spent a few days travelling around Portugal.

I've heard it more than once.

And there's usually a story behind it.

“It's hard to drive in Portugal.”

This is something I hear quite often from people who decided to rent a car.

And I understand why.

Portugal looks easy to drive around on a map. The country isn't huge. The motorways are good, the distances don't look intimidating, and renting a car gives you the freedom to go wherever you want.

Until you actually have to drive.

I was reminded of this recently with clients who had rented a car themselves.

They had a difficult time driving in Coimbra.

Then came the IP3.

And suddenly the road trip they'd imagined became something they had to concentrate on rather than enjoy.

That's the part people sometimes underestimate.

Driving in Portugal isn't necessarily difficult because the roads are bad. It's difficult because you're doing something unfamiliar while trying to enjoy a holiday.

You're watching the road.

You're reading signs you've never seen before.

You're thinking about tolls.

You're looking for somewhere to park.

You're navigating unfamiliar towns.

You're trying to work out whether Google Maps has just sent you down a road you really shouldn't be on.

And meanwhile, the rest of your family is sitting there thinking about what they're going to see when they arrive.

I've been driving these roads for years.

I know the routes. I know the alternatives. I know which roads make sense and which ones I'd rather avoid.

And, most importantly, I don't have to think about driving.

My clients don't either.

They're looking out the window.

They're taking photographs.

They're talking.

They're asking questions.

They're enjoying Portugal.

They're on holiday.

The Douro makes the point perfectly

The Douro Valley is probably one of the best examples.

Recently, I drove clients to four different wineries in one day.

Four.

By the end of the day, they were very happy that they weren't the ones driving.

And that's easy to understand.

The Douro is spectacular because of its landscape. But that landscape also means winding roads, steep hills, narrow sections and plenty of concentration behind the wheel.

Now add four wineries and wine tasting to the equation.

You don't want to spend the afternoon thinking:

“How much wine can I have before I have to drive?”

You want to enjoy the wine.

You want to look at the vineyards.

You want to have lunch.

You want to talk to the people at the winery.

And when you leave the fourth winery, you want someone else behind the wheel.

That's not about being unable to drive in Portugal.

It's about asking yourself a much simpler question:

Why would I spend my holiday driving when I could spend it experiencing Portugal?

But driving isn't the only thing

This is where the conversation about hiring a guide becomes more interesting.

People often think they're paying for a vehicle and someone to take them from A to B.

That's part of it.

But it isn't the whole thing.

A local guide knows that the itinerary written on paper isn't necessarily the itinerary you'll end up doing.

The weather changes.

A palace becomes extremely busy.

A road is congested.

A restaurant isn't worth the detour.

Someone in the family is tired.

You suddenly have an extra hour.

Or you have one hour less than expected.

Things happen.

When you've travelled these roads and worked in these places for years, you don't just know the itinerary.

You know what to do when the itinerary stops working.

That's a very different service.

Portugal looks small on a map

This is another thing I notice, particularly with American travellers.

Portugal is a relatively small country.

Put Lisbon, Coimbra, Porto, the Douro Valley, Évora and the Algarve on a map and everything can look surprisingly close together.

But a map doesn't tell you what a journey actually feels like.

It doesn't tell you which road is beautiful.

It doesn't tell you where parking becomes a nightmare.

It doesn't tell you that the place you planned to spend an hour in may deserve twenty minutes — while the little place you almost skipped may become one of your favourite memories.

And it certainly doesn't tell you what a particular road is like when you're the person sitting behind the wheel.

That's where local experience makes a difference.

The best part isn't necessarily what I show you

After 11 years as a tour guide, I've learned that my job isn't simply to take people to famous places.

Anyone can make a list of famous places.

My job is to understand the people sitting in the vehicle.

A family with young children shouldn't necessarily experience Portugal the same way as a couple celebrating an anniversary.

Someone who loves history will want a different day from someone who wants food, wine and scenery.

Someone who doesn't enjoy walking needs a different itinerary.

Someone who has already visited Portugal doesn't need the same Portugal I would show a first-time visitor.

The itinerary should adapt to the people.

Not the other way around.

And then comes that sentence

After a few days, people start to realise what they've been missing.

Sometimes they tell me about the places they visited before meeting me.

Sometimes they tell me about the driving.

Sometimes they tell me how much time they spent trying to figure things out.

And sometimes, usually towards the end, they say:

“We should have hired you for the whole trip.”

I don't take that to mean that everyone needs a private guide for their entire vacation.

They don't.

There is a lot of pleasure in exploring Portugal independently. If you enjoy driving, researching, finding your own restaurants and figuring things out as you go, renting a car can be a great way to travel.

But there is another option.

You can let someone else deal with the roads, parking, timing and logistics while you concentrate on the country you're actually here to experience.

And you don't necessarily need a guide for ten days.

Sometimes one day is enough.

Sometimes a few days make more sense.

And sometimes, after you've experienced Portugal with someone who knows it inside out, you understand exactly why people say:

“We should have hired you for the entire trip.”

The funny thing is, I never hear it on the first day

I hear it at the end.

After they've seen places they didn't know existed.

After we've changed an itinerary because the weather wasn't cooperating.

After we've skipped something that looked impressive online because I knew it wasn't worth their limited time.

After we've taken a different road because I knew it would make the journey better.

After they've spent a day in the Douro drinking wine instead of worrying about who was going to drive home.

That's when they understand.

It wasn't the Car.

It wasn't the driving.

It wasn't even the itinerary.

It was having someone who already knew Portugal sitting beside them.