Ian Jelf wrote to uk.transport.london on Tue, 2 Nov 2004:

That said, do bear in mind that by definition I tend to deal with people
who book guided tours, so they tend to be the ones most likely to want
everything arranged for them. The problems arise when they want to do
something that isn't in an itinerary or is during "free time" but want
to be hand held to that, too.

That's true. And I am the kind of person who would only book a guided
tour of a city if I only had a couple of days there and wanted an
overview! Otherwise, I'd figure out how to use local buses, and copy a
tour using them (we did that in Hong Kong, and it was half the price a
city tour would have been, and a lot more fun!).
--
"Mrs Redboots"
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/
Website updated 31 October 2004

In message , Mrs Redboots
writes
Ian Jelf wrote to uk.transport.london on Tue, 2 Nov 2004:

That said, do bear in mind that by definition I tend to deal with people
who book guided tours, so they tend to be the ones most likely to want
everything arranged for them. The problems arise when they want to do
something that isn't in an itinerary or is during "free time" but want
to be hand held to that, too.

That's true. And I am the kind of person who would only book a guided
tour of a city if I only had a couple of days there and wanted an
overview!
No, I'm one of those, too! :-))

the fact that I don't enjoy "conventional" tours has - I think - helped
me in the way I do my job now.
--
Ian Jelf, MITG, Birmingham, UK
Registered "Blue Badge" Tourist Guide for
London & the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

"Mrs Redboots" wrote in message
...
Ian Jelf wrote to uk.transport.london on Tue, 2 Nov 2004:

That said, do bear in mind that by definition I tend to deal with people
who book guided tours, so they tend to be the ones most likely to want
everything arranged for them. The problems arise when they want to do
something that isn't in an itinerary or is during "free time" but want
to be hand held to that, too.

That's true. And I am the kind of person who would only book a guided
tour of a city if I only had a couple of days there and wanted an
overview! Otherwise, I'd figure out how to use local buses, and copy a
tour using them (we did that in Hong Kong, and it was half the price a
city tour would have been, and a lot more fun!).

I got quite a reputation during a visit to Venice for negotiations with a
company at Porto Marghera. I got hold of a water bus timetable and we had a
great time using different routes. The cross-platform change at Fondamente
Nuevo got them moving. Later enhanced by using the public transport in
Moscow and Leningrad. With a party of eight in tow, it required a long
string of tickets to get them to our destination by tram and trolley bus.
--
Terry Harper, Web Co-ordinator, The Omnibus Society
75th Anniversary 2004, see http://www.omnibussoc.org/75th.htm
E-mail:
URL: http://www.terry.harper.btinternet.co.uk/

In message , Terry Harper
writes

I got quite a reputation during a visit to Venice for negotiations with a
company at Porto Marghera. I got hold of a water bus timetable and we had a
great time using different routes.

Connecting with another thread here about "lollipop" bus routes, this
reminds me that ACTV in Venice have, in probably a majority of cases,
vaporetto services in both directions from the same stop - to the
perpetual confusion of many tourists.

--
Paul Terry

--- Paul Terry said:


Connecting with another thread here about "lollipop" bus routes, this
reminds me that ACTV in Venice have, in probably a majority of cases,
vaporetto services in both directions from the same stop - to the
perpetual confusion of many tourists.


In Gent, Belgium, one of the tram routes does a large lollipop. It's
very confusing on the maps, since they don't have any Beck-style
diagrams for the tram network -- just street maps with tram and buss
routes superimposed on them.

In article ,
(Paul Terry) wrote:

Connecting with another thread here about "lollipop" bus routes, this
reminds me that ACTV in Venice have, in probably a majority of cases,
vaporetto services in both directions from the same stop - to the
perpetual confusion of many tourists.

You don't need lollipop routes to confuse tourists like that. Try
Cambridge station with choices of destination like King's Cross and King's
Lynn or Liverpool Street and Liverpool Lime Street, both in opposite
directions on the same platform.

--
Colin Rosenstiel