Want to add a little adventure to your next destination? Consider a self-guided tour. This goes for sites, museums, city and, neighborhood.
You could make it up as you go along or you can make it as organized as if you had a tour guide.
The first thing is to do your research, make sure you have your tour mapped out and your sites pinned. Doing this in advance will save you a ton of time and will logistically make sense. You could do this the old-fashioned way, or you can use an online vacation map.
Contact the tourist board for that city, go to the local blogs for advice and look for apps that are designed for self-guided tours like this mobile app by Detour that provides a cool GPS guided walking tour of the Black Panther Party in Oakland, CA.
Check the locations for operating hours. See if there is self-guided audio you can access. Some self-guided audio can be borrowed or rented from a tourist office, the museum office or a company if you’re not inclined to get an app.
Check the city’s tourism website as well as the individual site’s websites. You can even check with the library, yes, I said the library or university for historians who can assist you. Libraries are still a good source for information.
If your self-guided tour is outdoors, make sure you check the weather, the conditions of the streets and walking areas and that there are places to eat nearby.
Self-guided tours can be a lot of fun and a way of getting to know the area and culture in a very personal way. And, some areas of interest may not have a formal tour available so in this case you can do it yourself!
Now go out and explore!