One of our guests, who lives just outside Philadelphia, called me the other day. Since she’s traveled with us four times in the last four years, I asked what keeps her coming back to Classic Journeys.

“Let me tell you a story,” she replied.

“It was late afternoon on the first day of our cultural tour of Morocco. A Sunday. In Fes. I was getting ready for dinner when I felt something really wrong with a cap on one of my teeth. It was just horrible pain. I knew that there would be no dentists available at least until the next day, but I phoned our guide, Jalil, in his room to tell him that I would not be down for dinner.

Jalil quickly came up, assessed the situation and advised me that I was a guest in his country and he would take care of it.” The happy ending? Jalil phoned a dentist he knew, asked him to open his office and brought Barbara there immediately. On a late Sunday afternoon, accompanied by two assistants, the dentist repaired the cap…and would not accept any payment. It was his gift to a visitor.

Barbara closed her story by telling me, “I could have gotten by on my Morocco trip with my college French, but I would not have had the experiences that I did without Jalil. I know I can go cheaper than with Classic Journeys, but I cannot go better.”

Thanks, Barbara. In my own experience, whether it’s haggling for a rug, buying a tube of toothpaste, or anything in between, I’ve found that having a well-connected local guide on a cultural walking tour makes visiting any region more hassle-free and enjoyable.