One afternoon, we received a box that was addressed to Logan, one of our tour guides. Upon opening it, we saw a huge stack of children’s books and picture books. Looking at the sender’s name, I did a good search in my mind and located the name of Pin Yoon, one of our clients who had just finished her trip and went back to Singapore.

The physical conditions cannot stop our guests from desiring to visit Taiwan again

Pin Yoon and her brother brought their over 90 years old parents to Taiwan. Although they both had trouble standing or walking for too long and had to rely on wheelchairs for moving, they still had a great time exploring the island. The grandpa was so excited the day before the trip that he couldn’t even sleep!

As Pin Yoon’s travel consultant, Nana took all the elderly’s special requirements into account. She mentioned that one of the key things about planning was for the elderly to return to the hotel room early every day for some rest. In addition, Pin Yoon also emphasized that showers are more preferable than the bathtubs in case their parents accidentally slipped while getting out the tub. Pin Yoon’s sweetness made a great impression on Nana.

Although it is a last-minute arrangement, we are willing to assist to make the clients more comfortable

Nana also remembered that; at first, Pin Yoon only requested for one wheelchair, and the parents could take turn using it. However, after getting in touch with the clients and assessing their physical strength, she figured that two wheelchairs would make the trip much easier. Therefore, she arranged another wheelchair right away and had it send to the clients’ next destination. “This last-minute arrangement came with extra cost, but in order to make the clients more comfortable and at home, we are willing to assist,” Nana said.

 

Accessible tour has its limitation but we believe the point is to create valuable memories together

Logan, who was the guide for the family, was also touched during the trip. “I admire and respect both the siblings who were willing to take their aged parents on a trip and the parents who, despite their physical condition, still willing to follow their children out for some fun. Plus, the fact that they chose Taiwan as their destination made everything more meaningful to me! I considered myself as a very critical role in this trip and felt super responsible to take good care of the family.” Even though accessible tour has its limitation, we believe that the point is for the clients to be with their family and create valuable memories together.

Clients visited Sun Moon Lake where the old couples once did on their honey moon many many years ago.

Logan walked with the clients beside the Sun Moon Lake where the old couples once did on their honey moon many many years ago. He watched the children took their parents’ hands down the road slowly and one step at a time. He said emotionally, “My wife and I met each other while I was leading a tour. Although a tour guide’s job means I can’t get back home everyday, the absence does make the heart grow fonder. I cherished my time with my wife and the children more. Watching the clients being there for each other reminded me that my own family has a wonderful future ahead and deserves to be treated with nothing but love.”

 

Logan’s family.

At every site, Logan helped with moving the wheelchairs and getting the parents in and out of the vehicle. His sincerity did not go unnoticed. Pin Yoon learned that Logan has two pre-schooled daughters. As a thank-you gift, She sent many children’s books they kept at home after going back to Singapore. This nice gesture from afar carries love and care from both sides and truly warms our hearts.

30代導遊與90代旅客   跨越世代的情誼

某日午後，公司收到了一箱寄給導遊Logan包裹。拆開來後，裡面是一疊厚厚的童書與繪本。看著寄件人的姓名，在腦海中搜尋了一番，想起了是參加完行程，剛回國的新加坡旅客Pin Yoon。

Pin Yoon和哥哥帶著超過90歲的雙親來台灣旅遊，兩位老人家無法久站與久走，多數時候必須仰賴輪椅移動。即便如此，仍不影響老人家們遊玩的興致，爺爺在出發前一天還開心得睡不著覺呢！

身為Pin Yoon的行程規劃師，Nana謹慎打點好長輩們的特殊需求。Nana說：「規劃的重點是要讓老人家每天下午能提早回飯店午休；此外，Pin Yoon特別強調，基於安全起見，飯店房間的衛浴，必須以淋浴設備為主，避免長輩使用浴缸時滑倒。」Pin Yoon對於父母親的貼心，讓Nana印象深刻。

Nana也回憶，原先Pin Yoon僅要求準備一輛輪椅，讓父母親輪流使用。但在實際接觸客人並評估他們的體力之後，發現使用兩輛輪椅會更有機動性，因此緊急將另一輛輪椅調度到旅客的下一個目的地。「這些臨時的安排雖然會產生額外的成本，但為了讓客人有更舒適的旅程，我們都願意來協助。」Nana表示。

同樣也深有感觸的是Logan，他是Pin Yoon一家人在台灣期間的導遊。Logan說：「不管是願意帶高齡父母出來旅遊的兄妹，或是即使身體有些不方便，仍願意跟兒女們出來玩的長輩，都讓我感到非常欽佩！加上他們又選擇台灣作為旅遊目的地，我就覺得更有意義了！認為自己扮演了一個關鍵的角色，有強烈的使命感要把客人的安全給照顧好。」 縱使無障礙旅遊的行程難免有所受限，但我們相信對客人來說，更重要的是能夠創造家人相處的時光。

Logan陪著客人走在多年前老父母蜜月時曾來過的日月潭，看著子女牽著爸媽的手慢慢地、慢慢地的走。他感性地說：「我跟我的太太是在我帶團時認識的，雖然導遊的工作必須經常外宿，但對我們來說就像是『小別勝新婚』，會讓我更珍惜回家後和太太以及孩子們相處在一起的時光。看著客人夫妻與子女間相互扶持，也像是在提醒著我，自己的家庭還有很長的路要走，要好好用心經營。」

每到一個景點，Logan會幫老父母搬運輪椅，並且扶他們上下車。他的真誠，Pin Yoon都看在眼裡。得知Logan有兩個還沒上幼稚園的女兒，Pin Yoon回國後，特地將家裡留下來的童書寄來台灣送給Logan，表達她對Logan的感謝。這一份遠方捎來的心意，蘊含著雙方誠摯的感情，讓人心頭暖暖地。

This tall, super tanned, and full of laughter person is our Taiwanese tour guide Yummy. His name always make people wonder what the story behind it is. The reason is simple enough—he has a big appetite. In order not to fail this interesting and impressive name, Yummy likes to take the clients on a food tour. “I am from Chiayi, and there are a lot of famous local cuisines, such as fish head casserole, cold noodles, and turkey rice. As a result, when it comes to recommending food the clients, I prefer the local dishes to the renowned restaurants praised by the media or bloggers.”

Yummy emphasized that; nowadays, clients would like their trip to be more free and flexible, and want to eat like a local. “Side dish platter, goose slices, chicken rice, or stir fries are usual cuisines that you don’t have to spend a fortune, but the clients can still taste a variety of our daily delicacies. Sometimes a good two to three hundred NTD (about 6.5-10 USD) worth of food is enough to cover the whole table! Every time I take the clients on such experience, they all feel amazed. Satisfying both to the stomach and the wallet. Most importantly, the clients feel like the locals, which is always the one thing they desire the most during the trip.”

Besides being a gourmet, Yummy has his own unique philosophy when it comes to leading a tour. “A tour guide is like a boy pursuing a girl—every tour requires enthusiasm.” This metaphor perfectly demonstrates Yummy’s constant passion for travel since the day he became a guide. “We might have been to the scenic spots for tens or hundreds of times, but every time is a first for the clients. Therefore, we have to give them our all, tell the best story, and share the most knowledge.” For Yummy, the true value of a tour guide is not just “to guide a tour,” but to accompany and experience with the travelers every step of the journey.

Talking about the most unforgettable experience, Yummy laughed and said that there is too much to share! “The first time being the driver, the car broke down; the first time being the guide and taking the clients to Jiu-fen, a storm came and broke off the plan. Of course I was nervous, but when I found out that that was not going to help me with my situation, I stop being nervous.” Speaking of his growth, behind the laughter is the attitude of facing the crisis heads on, calmly assessing the situation, and taking the best solution rather than being panic and ruining the whole trip.”

“Before becoming a guide, I was a driver. At that time, when chances of visiting different scenic spots presented themselves, I always insisted on taking every opportunity. I absorbed knowledge from many guides and developed my own style of tour-guiding.” Yummy recalled that one weekend, when he drove the guide to pick up a group of travelers at the Port of Keelung, the client’s debit card was stuck in the ATM. “The guide stood so firmly on his ground that the bank was persuaded and was willing to help with the problem even on holiday. This was a huge lesson to me.”

One time, Yummy himself received a family from Singapore. Their one-year-old son was sick during the trip. However, the nebulizer machines they brought was not working due to the incompatible voltage, and the client, Gladys, was very worried. Yummy, with his quick thinking, managed to borrow the only one and available transformer from the hotel they stayed in the morning, and convinced the hotel to let them bring it along for the rest of the trip. This was the saving grace, otherwise they would have to admit their son to the hospital and cancel the rest of the trip. At that moment, Yummy showed his ability of crisis resolution, which was the accumulation of his past experience. Yummy also mentioned that for the trust he gained from this event, Gladys assigned Yummy to be in charge of their family trip next year.

Before the interview ended, we asked Yummy to recommend us some ways to explore Taiwan. He said that in comparison with walking, he thought that the speed of bicycle was more suitable for taking in the different paces in Taiwanese city and country. Next time, look forward to exploring Yummy’s hometown, Chiayi, with him on a bicycle, and experience the unforgettable taste of journey together!

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“Please do take care of Clint well. He is a treasure of your company!” A customer once gave this feedback. It makes you wonder what the Taiwan tour guide who receives this praise is like.

Clint is always calm and at ease. Thanks to this trait, Clint is always easy to get along with. 5 years ago, he left the electronics industry and stepped into tourism for his passion to travel around. The innate characteristics allowed him to adjust to the new career rather quickly and made him one of the most popular tour guides in Topology.

For Clint, one of the most important takeaways as a tour guide is to know the land that he grew up on better. “Although we live in Taiwan, we don’t really know it as well as we thought. Some contexts of our land were not taught to us at school. However, in order to introduce the beautiful country to the customers, I went back to learn it all. After piecing the history together, I found it fascinating! Especially, when I share the Taiwanese aboriginal culture with the customers, they are all very interested and amazed!” Exploring Taiwan again as a tour guide, Clint did his work. His mobile phone is filled with pictures of Taiwan’s scenery, culture, cuisine, relics, fauna, and flora. Whenever and wherever the customers have questions, he can always answer them with these materials.

Furthermore, Clint starts learning photography so that he can capture every precious moment during the trip.

The interaction with the customers also left something special in Clint’s heart. Among all, the most unforgettable memory was from David and Sandara, a family from Singapore.

David and Sandara used to work together in Kaohsiung. In 2015, they decided to bring their 5-year-old son back to travel, and Clint was their guide. That trip created lots of memory for the family; hence, in 2017, they chose to visit again. However, Sandara’s mother was diagnosed with cancer right before the start of the trip, and Sandara had to stay and took care of the grandma. Only David and the son could come. “Although Sandara could not make the trip, they brought a doll that symbolized the mother along the way. Their love touched me to the bottom of my heart.” What’s more heart-warming was that their grandma felt better the next year and joined the travel to Taiwan. Sandra, an animator, transformed their trip into a touching painting. Sadly, the grandma passed away this year, but the memory they created together will last forever. For the family, Clint is not just a tour guide, but a close and precious friend who has participated in the journey of their life.

Clint also mentioned that many of his customers were Chinese immigrants. They visited the relatives in Taiwan every few years. Many of them choose Clint as their regular guide. “I feel like I am growing with the family. Some members were just babies in my arms the first time we met; suddenly, they might be jumping around or discussing serious issues with me on the next trip. These are all special experiences.” Clint said that these families all have friends and relatives here in Taiwan, and know the country well enough to travel by themselves or to easily pick the tourism products that best suited them. Nevertheless, they still choose to travel with Topology because they treasure our unique value. “Customers fancy the depth of our cultural tour. We also help them arrange tomb sweeping, reunion dinner, and even finding long lost relatives! Most importantly, they feel like they are traveling with a friend.” Clint believes that the connection between people grows stronger through travel.

“The connection of massive travel groups usually breaks with the end of the trip, but the one of a customized trip is not. Sometimes, traveling with the customers for 10 or more days feels like living together. I am able to communicate with each and every group member and adjust the itinerary according to their likes and dislikes. I hope to think ahead of them and to provide enough information and suggestions so that the customers are well prepared before every scenic spots and activities. This way, the elderly and the young are taken care of, and other members will have nothing to worry about and have a great time.” Clint certainly raises the bar of this job with his attentiveness.

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