Does The Guest Know More About Yosemite Than An Expert Guide?
The customer is always right. We agree in the general concept—to keep the customer’s needs first, always. It’s a belief that the customer knows what’s best for the customer. This idea is important for every business, of course, and for most industries it holds true.
However, when it comes to Yosemite National Park, especially on a private Yosemite tour, we’ve learned the opposite is true: the customer is often wrong.
First of all, we mean that in the nicest way, and we will never directly say this to anyone. Diplomacy is of the highest importance to us. But the truth and showing California the right way is a key component of our belief system, too. So when there is a wrong assumption, we will calmly reposition the conversation to educate our guest on his or her best options.
Why is the customer so often wrong?
We believe it’s because most of the research conducted on visiting Yosemite (or other areas of California) is done online. People Google, search, browse, read reviews, and eventually figure out where they want to go based on others’ opinions, even though we all know everything we read online isn’t true.
The popular spots include hiking Half Dome and the Valley, and, more recently because of the National Geographic film Free Solo, El Capitan.
But that’s the tip of the proverbial iceberg; you have an entire park to see, one in which you can camp privately and comfortably on Yosemite cliffs by yourself, away from the daily crowds. And the majority of visitors—we’d say 98%–never experience it.
Think about it. If you read a guide book to get your information, so does everyone else. You are seeing what the masses see, which means you will get the same experience as them, which is what most of the tour companies offer. It’s cookie cutter and watered down.
Is that why you want to go to Yosemite—to see and do the same as everyone else?
Follow the advice on the internet and you’ll get what the crowds get, usually a lack of parking and trying to do too much in too little time. Reading a review or two is good to begin to form an idea, but there is a limit to the effectiveness of this approach, especially in today’s world of padded reviews and system “gaming.”
When you listen and book privately with the professionals, however, especially ones who are trained and experts in a specific market—for example us bringing out-of-state and international luxury travelers to privately tour Yosemite from San Francisco—we know exactly what you need (for the most part).
Every tour and person is different, and based on your interests and opinions and time frame, we create a private Yosemite tour specifically for you.
So is the customer always right?
Yes and no. Customers are right when it comes to their desires and how they want to experience a place such as Yosemite National Park. However, in the complex park that is Yosemite, we strongly suggest you lean on the experts to help bring your experience to the next level. Reserve your private Yosemite tour today.
Dylan Gallagher