A freezing but wonderful walking tour in Paris’ Latin Quarter this morning.
Bonjour from Paris, where I’m averaging 25,000 steps a day and 15,000 of those are courtesy of walking tours.
If you know me, you know this: I love a good walking tour. Rome, Istanbul, Florence, Stockholm, Salzburg, Paris - name a city, and I’ve most likely followed a stranger with a yellow umbrella through it.
And every single time, I walk away thinking two things:
- Wow, history is wild.
- These guides are absolute legends themselves.
I mean think about it - a walking tour guide is a full-time storyteller, historian, comedian, babysitter for confused tourists, translator and human GPS, all rolled into one. Rain or shine. Minus-one-degree Paris morning or 35-degree Istanbul afternoon.
And somehow, they keep going. Every day. Every group. With the same humour, the same energy, the same “here’s a secret spot locals love” sparkle. That alone makes them more resilient than most CEOs.
But what I truly appreciate the most is that walking tours remind me that expertise matters. Local knowledge matters. Nuance matters. And sometimes the smartest thing you can do - in business and in life - is just… listen. Not scroll. Not skim. Not pretend you already know. Just listen.
You learn the things no blog tells you. Not the Top 10 lists. Not the Tripadvisor summaries. Actual stories, tiny facts, neighbourhood gossip, “this is where locals actually eat” kind of intel. The good stuff.
And while we’re here - a small PSA from my cold Parisian heart: Please tip your guides well. Do not be stingy. Do not do those “free walking tours” where you freeload in the back pretending to be part of the group “by accident.” We all know what you’re doing. The guide knows too. You paid €7 for a mediocre coffee. You can tip the human who spent two hours making you smarter, safer, and significantly more interesting at dinner parties.
Baaaasically:
- Find the people who know what they’re doing.
- Value them.
- Learn from them.
- Pay them.
- And walk (and listen) more - it makes everything better.
Et voilà - that’s the memo :)
M.
xx
Manuja
Not for everyone. Never was.
