Fees & deposits for private or custom tours in Brooklyn and beyond
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Neighborhood/Brooklyn tour rates: base price for up to 2.5 hours
These fees cover my services, not transportation or food, for my listed tours, not custom tours. Most neighborhood tours are 2.5 hours, but can be (and often are) extended. The Brooklyn 101 tour is 3 hours minimum. Want to hire me for a full day (7-8 hours)? I can offer a day rate, at a discount from the below rates. Please see special fees for Dyker Heights Lights tours. Basic rates, per group, for private versions of my listed tours, which rely on walking (and sometimes public transit and/or taxi):
Sorry, I cannot combine your private tour request with another group. Additional time for walking tours that last more than 2.5 hours is pro-rated, up to a 5-hour total:
If a tour goes beyond 5 hours (and some do!), that additional time may get a further discount. My rates are not inexpensive, but they are competitive: For a 3-hour tour for 4 people, my fee is $250. Some companies charge far more (say $300 or $450), or keep their pricing opaque. Anyone ordering a private tour from a portal (like Tours By Locals) is paying a fee inflated by the intermediary's significant cut. What about public tours, with a larger group and a per person charge of $30-$36? I lead them rarely. (See Schedule.) Yes, other tour companies offer public tours regularly, but those groups can be large and thus slow. Tour deposit / cancellation / payment I ask for a partial deposit (minimum $80) to hold a tour date. The deposit is nonrefundable unless I cancel (which I've never done) or bad weather (moderate-to-severe rain/snow or truly extreme heat/cold). However, deposits for custom tours or tours that require particular preparation may be nonrefundable even in case of bad weather (given the time needed for my preparation), but may be used another time. I offer multiple options for payment, including by credit card. The remainder due is payable at the end of the tour. What about tips? I'm an owner-operator, not an employee, so tips are neither solicited nor expected. Then again, they're appreciated, and common in the tourism business. (Here's a general guide to tipping in NYC, which mentions guides who are employees or contractors rather than company owners.) Some people, especially from countries where tipping is uncommon, don't tip me. That's fine. (Please do tip servers and drivers!) Some clients treat me to a snack/lunch, write a review, and/or recommend me to their friends. (Some do that, and also tip.) I especially appreciate the referrals and repeat visitors I get. |
 Brooklyn's most famous clergyman
Recommendations
I can modify any listed tour for your interests, and I can also develop custom tours. Just ask. But please read this web site first! For those new to Brooklyn, I recommend Brooklyn 101 or Brooklyn 202 (which combines Brooklyn 101 with other adjacent neighborhoods). Others might start in Williamsburg or the Lower East Side or Jackson Heights. I can often extend tours on request. Depending on your specific starting place, I can route or customize tours that maximize transit accessbility or minimize travel time. Please see the FAQ for some unusual custom tours I've given. Gift cards and gifts Gift cards for private tours are available--please contact me. Please calculate the fee based on the number of people, as stated on this page. A small surcharge will be added, to account for my extra fees, if you want a virtual gift card. But if you just want to prepay without a gift card, no fee. Tours are scheduled at mutually acceptable times. Classroom pricing I've led many tours (2 hours OK) for college/university classes and groups, which sometimes exceed 12 people. (A larger group moves more slowly, of course.) I sometimes can be flexible on pricing, but I cannot donate a tour. I can shape the tour content to meet your curriculum needs: in other words, more discussion of history, urban planning, or other issues. See more here. Please contact me to discuss. I always like seeing a syllabus, which helps me understand how my tour might complement it. Vehicle tours For vehicle tours, my fee will include a surcharge for planning, given that I typically must devise a custom driving route. That's needed even with the neighborhoods in my listed tours, because a driving route is very different from a walking one. The cost for large groups depends on the size of the group, the amount of time, and the nature of the tour. Vehicle tours can combine several neighborhoods, depending on the number of stops and how much we walk. You can provide a vehicle, but if you hire one, the cost is extra, of course, and can be significant. (I don't drive and guide.) Custom tours/special tours Some tours, including family reunion or return-to-Brooklyn tours, require far more preparation, such as custom research, extensive pre-planning, and neighborhood scouting. Because of that, I typically request a tour planning surcharge (can be approximately $60-$250, with higher fees generated by more complex plans) to compensate me for the extra time. The surcharge is nonrefundable, even if weather cancels the tour (though I hope you would reschedule). The one exception is if I have to cancel, which has never happened. Also, I sometimes price more complicated (or lengthy) custom tours in a range, for example $500 minimum to $700 maximum. The minimum indicates what I'd charge if the tour does not involve significant complications, changes, or research. The maximum indicates the potential cost if the planning gets more complicated. (Sometimes it does!) Additional services & fees Typically I meet groups in the neighborhood where the tour starts, and you arrive by public transit, vehicle, or on foot. I can meet you at your hotel/location and accompany you by public transit to the start of the tour for a modest fee that depends on my additional travel time. I can also accompany you on a trip back to your hotel if helpful, again for a variable fee. Online webinars I can modify/adapt my Coney Island webinars, as well as other Brooklyn topics, including Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park. Fees based on scope and customization--please inquire. |