5 Criteria for a Great Treasure Hunt.How a Walking Tour in Berlin Matched Up.
Posted on: 24/11/2022By Tim Carter (Owner of Black Cat Treasure Hunts)
A treasure hunt of any type should meet exacting standards in the five criteria assessed below to ensure you have an enjoyable time. When I was fortunate enough to be on a walking tour, an activity related to treasure hunts; in Berlin recently, I decided to put my theory to the test.
1. Route/Content: It should cover a broad and interesting cross section of the place you are visiting. It should also meet the title of the tour. In Berlin, on arrival, I was asked which one I was after. I replied, "An English one."...thinking that there would be ones in different languages. My tour guide laughed and said they were all in English, but checked which specific tour I was interested in. This time I replied, "The Highlights of Berlin."
I was not to be disappointed and learnt that the Cold War tour and Hitler`s Third Reich tour were also going on at the same time. I wanted to see the Brandenburg Gate, The Berlin Wall, The Reichstag, the Jewish Holocaust memorial, Checkpoint Charlie, and Museum Island. We saw all of those and so much more. Our guide had obviously put a lot of thought into the route and it made a lot of sense as he was able to weave a historic narrative into it from old to modern.
Have a think what sort of route requirements you might want your treasure hunt to include before booking it.
2. Time: The online treasure hunts on this website vary from thirty minutes to an hour and thirty. Personalised treasure hunts of all types aim for a two-hour length whilst the driving treasure hunts can on occasions run to three hours. There are good reasons for this, and it is to do with the target groups for a particular treasure hunt.
So it was for this walking tour. It was aimed at tourists, advertised as a three-hour tour, and took every single minute of it. Quite a long time to be walking you may think, but we stopped and started and were well entertained on the way so that time flew by. We needed all that time to cover the extensive list of highlights.3. Style: This can depend on your research before the day. What are the reviews saying? What guidance is given on the website? I try to adopt a written tone on the website that gives a hint of how I will write the treasure hunts.
It is fair to say that a walking tour can be every bit as reliant on your tour guide as a treasure hunt is on its author. The significant difference comes in the personalised treasure hunts where I am able to send out a first draft for comment/amendments/alterations as requested. This is an advantage when meeting the needs and desires of a group. Having said that though, our guide was engaging and amusing. He was keen for questions and wanted us to get as much out of it as possible. This extended to ensuring we walked through the middle of the Brandenburg Gate, as apparently one of his colleagues had been marked down for not doing so!
4. Value: Once again you can`t totally assess this until you have completed your activity. However, you can do your own homework on what to expect from it for the price. Do you have a budget? What are other companies offering for the same or different price? What are the reasons that these companies are charging different amounts. It could well be to do with all the factors listed above.
Black Cat Treasure Hunts could be considered mid-range for price, but high end for level of personalisation and attention to detail on content and customer service. Of course, don`t take my word for it...check reviews or ask for a sample. You can`t really get a sample of what a tour guide is like though!
5. Feedback Options:
Reviews on Google and all other social media are key to how any activity or service is viewed and has been mentioned several times already.5. Feedback Options:
The Berlin Highlights tour had an excellent rating on Trust Pilot, although our guide was keen for us to rate him on Google too. You will need to make your own choices as to where you look in advance to assess the treasure hunt or in this case, walking tour, that you are going on.
A cross section is best and In Black Cat Treasure Hunts case I have feedback on the website(testimonials), Google maps (business)reviews, Facebook and then any other comments via Twitter and Instagram too.
Got any questions on what a specific treasure hunt or type of treasure hunt entails then contact me (Tim) on info@blackcattreasurehunts.co.uk or call (01323)655346.
Got any questions on what a specific treasure hunt or type of treasure hunt entails then contact me (Tim) on info@blackcattreasurehunts.co.uk or call (01323)655346.
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