Don’t be fooled: Those ‘free’ walking tours aren’t really free

The adage that there’s no such thing as a free lunch has held true since the 1930s when it was coined in America to refer to the food offered in bars as an incentive to get people drinking. Don’t expect any such thing as a free walking tour, either.

Free walking tours are advertised as a way to meet other like-minded travellers and see the “real” city or have an “authentic” experience beyond the traditional city-tour concept. Tours do often veer away from monuments and history in favour of advice on neighbourhoods to explore, and where to eat and drink.

At the end of the tour, though, a tip will be expected. And okay, you’re seldom pressured, and if you’re downright mean can just walk away, so this isn’t exactly false advertising. Or is it?

A case taken to the UK Advertising Standards Authority found that if guides intended to ask for tips, that should be divulged upfront in their advertising without using the word “free”. As a result, in the UK these tours are now described as pay-what-you-want tours.

This is not to say that free walking tours are a scam. Given guides are wholly reliant on tips, you can expect them to be lively, entertaining and informative. They aren’t constrained by tour-company or tourist-office policy, and are often genuinely enthused about their city.

Another plus? You can join a tour more spontaneously than one you’ve paid for in advance, depending on how you feel on the day – or what the weather is like. Joining an expensive pre-paid tour in the rain is never fun.

You’ll find free walking tours listed on the likes of TripAdvisor, guidebook websites and websites such as guruwalk.com and freetourcommunity.com, as well as advertised in hotels and hostels.

In this era in which more attention is being paid to the ethics of travel, though, there are some things to consider. Some tours may well be hosted by hobbyists or freelance professionals who can earn good money, especially if well reviewed online.

However, others are operated by unseen commercial companies. Guides pay the company a set amount per participant regardless of their tips. Often the company earns more than the guide while having no obligation to pay the employee benefits or insurance coverage.