| Take a Walk on the Wild Side with Free Tours By Foot |
| Written by Rishbha Bhagi | |||
| Wednesday, 10 August 2011 07:15 | |||
 Visiting a new city for the first time can always be a little overwhelming. Especially when there are so many sights to see and places to go, it can be difficult to find or choose a tour group that will give you an experience that is complete with history, information, and fun. Steve, the founder of Free Tours by Foot, has managed to put together a sightseeing project that does just that and more. As can be seen from the name, the tours have no official cost to them and they take you on a walking adventure around the city you are visiting. Offering a variety of tours and experienced tour guides, these tours are definitely not something to be missed. The Free Tours by Foot initiative was started in Washington, D.C. and due to the success there, Steve came back to New York City and decided to start up a New York contingent of the tours. The concept of the tours is definitely a popular one – who wouldn't want to be able to roam and learn about a city for free? According to Steve, "[We started the free tours] partially for competitive advantage and mostly to offer tours that everyone could pay what they wanted or could afford." And it has definitely paid off. Already available in Washington, Philadelphia, and New York City, the Free Tours by Foot are planning to expand to Boston and New Orleans. The tours make a point to offer excursions to all the main and interesting parts of the city. For example, the Free Tours by Foot in New York City offers tours in Lower Manhattan, Greenwich Village, Midtown Manhattan, the Historic District, Central Park, Harlem, Brooklyn Heights/Brooklyn Bridge, or an All-in-One. The tours last approximately 2 hours, except for the All-in-One, which is more of a day tour, lasting around 6 hours with breaks in between to grab some world-famous New York City food. The tours aim to give the tourist a comprehensive journey around the city that both informs and entertains. The tourist also has the choice between free walking tours and free tours by food, as well as private tours or group bookings. The diversity of the crowds that participate in the walking tours is one of the pluses of the Free Tours by Foot, according to Steve. "The best part is...being able to tie something from our guests' backgrounds to NYC and to learn something about where they are from," he says. And this also works in regards to the tour guides. Tour guides can make or break the sightseeing experience, and Steve makes sure that the Free Tours by Foot team is one that is knowledgeable and personable. "Loud voices are a definite plus," he says. For each city that offers the Free Tours by Foot, you can find on the respective websites mini-bios on each of the tour guides to help introduce them to you before the tour. This approach guarantees the care that the Free Tours by Foot team makes in keeping a comfort level and familiarity with the tourists, for you are already somewhat introduced to the guides that you will meet and what their expertise may be. "A good tour guide is someone with lots of travel experience and who loves talking and talking to people," says Steve. "The travel background helps a guide relate to guests. It's always nice to know that the guide has visited or lived where you are from." For Steve, the reactions of the tourists are what make the sightseeing experience different each time. "My favorite part of being a tour guide is seeing the expression on a guest's face at the moment they are wowed and impressed with a site or a story," he says. "It makes showing the same neighborhood over and over to guests more fun." The Free Tours by Foot offer just about everything – great ambiance, great people, great information, and a true experience of the city that you're sightseeing in. And all of this comes at a price that you won't be able to find elsewhere. "We offer high-energy, humorous, and enlightening tours," says Steve. "We rely on tips, so a guest is unlikely to get a guide who is going through the motions. We are about personality. Our guides make sure to interact with each guest, ask them what their plans are in the City, etc. You can also take a look at our reviews on TripAdvisor to get a feel for what people experience." For more info, check out: Free Tours by Foot NYC For more articles like Take a Walk on the Wild Side with Free Tours By Foot, please visit the NYC Stories Section of Timessquare.com
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