One of the realities of travel, especially on a cruise, is that there are lots and lots of people enjoying the same destinations and excursions as yourself. It is the certainty of the situation and for the most part traveler’s exhibit patience and understanding. Then there are the others. That is not to say that people are unkind or rude intentionally but often the stress of travel, combined with a lack of awareness of others around them, can lead to unfortunate situations that have a negative impact on the group as a whole. Ken and I refer to this as the Patrick Factor.
The original Patrick was a very nice older gentleman who had a tendency to wander. As part of a group of 44 on a two day bus tour in St. Petersburg this presented a potentially dangerous and often troubling situation. Knowing early on that this was an issue we came together as a community to keep on eye on him. So too did the two tour guides that accompanied us. At any given time someone would shout out and if he did not respond we all went into search mode. He was usually not far off but the concern was very real. It was also time consuming and interrupted the natural flow of our tour. It is important to understand as well that no one openly complained about this situation. It just was.
But after that we started to notice that others exhibited concerning and troubling behaviour that did result in delays that had a negative effect on the whole group. The purpose of writing about this is not to complain but to point out how one individual’s behaviour can affect the group as a whole.
For example, during a hike in the English countryside our guide made it very clear that we were not to go down a steep incline to the beach. As enticing as it was the additional distance was both dangerous to maneuver and time consuming and we as a group did not have that much time if we wanted to enjoy the rest of our tour. Of course one woman travelling alone did, without telling anyone else. The resultant panic as we searched for her, the concern that she has somehow fallen off the steep cliffs and was injured added a level of stress to the group that was not conducive to the environment. To say nothing of the poor tour guide.
During another excursion the group was told repeatedly where to meet the bus at the appointed time. We ended up waiting an hour for one couple that did not show up on time. We were about the abandon our wait when they arrived, out of breath and yelling at the tour operator that his instructions were unclear. Perhaps they did not notice that the other 40 folks were in the bus already, waiting.
Those are all extreme cases, but even a delay of mere minutes can throw off the careful timing of a tour, require a change of itinerary or shorten the time allocated for a specific site.
Understanding of course that sometimes delays are inevitable it is important that you are aware of the dynamics of large group tours. Show consideration for the tour guide as they try to maintain control and meet their responsibilities in the best possible way. Listen to the instructions that are provided to you, not only meet the demands of a packed itinerary and get you back to the ship on time, but more importantly to guarantee the safety of all those involved. Be aware of the others around you. Remove the Patrick Factor.