Guided tour GetExperience

Your ID gets checked at ticketed sites, and it should match the name on your booking. Traveler's insurance is worth having on hand — some paid activities on a tour ask for proof of coverage before they'll let you join.

The group moves at the guide's pace, not yours, so shoes that hold up over hours of walking matter more than they would on a flight or a drive. A weather layer covers the swing between an outdoor stop and an air-conditioned museum.

A day of photos, maps, and translating signs drains a phone faster than an ordinary day would. Group tours often run six to eight hours, so a charger or battery pack is what gets you to the end of it with power left.

You'll spend much of the day standing outdoors, following a guide who isn't necessarily choosing the shady side of the street. Keep any medication on you rather than in a bag left on the bus — bathroom and pharmacy stops aren't guaranteed on a fixed schedule.

Tipping a guide in cash is customary in a lot of places, even when the tour was booked and paid for online. Keep your day bag light — you're the one carrying it for the whole walk, not stowing it in a trunk. A route note or offline map helps if you get separated at a stop, so you know where the group is headed next.