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15 Reasons Visitors Bureaus Are a Traveler’s Best Friend
Uncover the secret weapon that savvy travelers have been using for years – local Visitor's Bureaus. These often-overlooked offices hold the keys to transforming good vacations into unforgettable journeys, and today we're diving into exactly why you should make them your first stop in any new destination.
Whether you call them welcome centers, tourism boards, or CVBs (Convention and Visitors Bureaus), these modest offices staffed by passionate locals are goldmines of information that your smartphone simply can't match. From San Antonio to Salzburg, I've walked into these places and walked out richer – with maps, tips, and insider knowledge that changed the course of my travels.
The next time you're planning a trip – whether across the state or across the ocean – make the Visitor's Bureau your first stop. Those fifteen minutes could be the most valuable time you spend on your entire journey. Have you had a great experience with a local tourism office? Share your story with us at editor@thetravelingfool.com or message us on our Facebook page!
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Hi and welcome to the Traveling Fool podcast, the show that talks about travel destinations, the history, culture and people of those destinations, along with travel tips and news. I'm Bob Bales, and today we're talking about something simple but often overlooked, why every traveler should stop by the Visitor's Bureau when they hit a new city. You know those little offices, sometimes called welcome centers or tourism boards. Man, they are gold mines, whether you're road tripping through Texas or landing in some foreign town halfway across the world. I've got 15 reasons that's right, a bunch of them, for US travelers to make that stop, plus an additional five tips if you're traveling abroad. So stay tuned and we'll be right back.
Bob Bales:So what are we talking about here? Whether it's called a visitor's bureau, a tourism board or a CVB, which stands for Convention and Visitors Bureau, it's usually a small office. It could be downtown or at a rest stop or near the airport, run by folks whose job it is to help you figure out what to do at a destination. In the US, every decent-sized town has one. A lot of the smaller towns have them as well, and sometimes they may be a county-wide operation, and overseas you'll find versions in tourist-friendly cities. They're not there to sell you junk. They're there to make your visit work. I've walked into these places from San Antonio to Salzburg and every time I've walked out with something useful, a map, a tip or a heads-up about a road closure or something else.
Bob Bales:Today's focus is mostly on US travel, since most of my listeners are in America and love hitting the road here, but I'll tack on some international pointers at the end, because I know some of you are eyeing passports and may want to do some travel internationally. The point is these bureaus are free, they're local and they've got answers that your phone can't always give you. Let's start with the 15 reasons for US travelers and then we'll wrap up with those foreign extras.
Bob Bales:First up visitors bureaus have the latest on what's happening in town. You're not just getting a website's outdated calendar. I mean, these folks know what's going on today, tomorrow and next weekend. Say, you go into someplace in North Carolina and they tell you about a bluegrass festival starting on Friday that hasn't even hit Google yet, or a farmer's market popping up on Saturday morning. I've gotten tips about free concerts, live music venues or some monthly flea market or something that's going on in a lot of different places.
Bob Bales:What you get out of it is simple. You catch events that turn a regular stop into something special, without digging through a bunch of old online posts or trying to look up and see what Google can tell you.
Bob Bales:Number two they've got free maps and guides. I'm talking the physical stuff, paper that you can hold, fold and mark up. You know, the phone's great until your battery dies or the signal drops, righ? I can't tell you the number of times I've stopped by and spoke to the folks at the Visitors Bureau and found out about some historic places nearby that I didn't even know about. They've got brochures too. I mean hiking trails, historic sites, whatever. You walk in and you walk out with a plan in your hand, no data required. And you know we're going to go through these fairly quick today, so it's not going to be a real long podcast.
Bob Bales:But number three talk to locals that know the place. I mean they actually know. They live there. These aren't the call center robots. They live there, they work there. They've seen it change.
Bob Bales:In Victoria Texas I stopped by the Welcome Center and was asking about locally owned places to eat, because I like visiting the small mom and pop, locally owned places in towns that I visit. You know the ones that have been around for a while and the locals know about. Well, they pointed me to Fossati's Deli, the oldest delicatessen in Texas. Opened in 1882 by an Italian immigrant and it's still owned by the same family today, and I gotta tell you the food was fantastic. You could ask anything. Is this road construction still a mess? I heard that over here was closed down. Where's a quiet park I can visit? You get real answers from the people who aren't guessing. They live there and they know.
Bob Bales:Number four you find hidden gems. They'll point you to the hidden gems, because every city's got spots tourists miss. Small museums and quirky sites, a view that nobody talks about.
Bob Bales:In Bandera, texas, I was told about the Hill Country State Natural Area. I'm usually not one for going to big parks or bird watching and things like this. It's just not me. But this is a 5,369acre site that was gifted to the state of Texas by the family that owned the Merrick Bar O Ranch. The owner stipulated that it be kept far removed and untouched by modern civilization. So when you get there the roads are not paved. It's an old ranch road going through the ranch. It's old Texas man, with a few old buildings still standing around. There's hiking and horse trails and streams and fields and no crowds and you won't see any asphalt anywhere on that place. And you get to walk away with something unique, not just the same postcard stops that everybody else hits.
Bob Bales:Number five they know about all the discounts and deals. Now a lot of bureaus have coupons laying around. There are two-for-one museum tickets or a cheap boat tour, whatever. I've gotten free passes and discounts to attractions and passes to those hop-on, hop-off buses that drive around and hit all the interesting sites. It doesn't sound like much but it adds up. They might even tell you about free admission days or something like that. You have some cash and you get more out of your budget.
Bob Bales:Reason number six they've got the current safety info. The websites might say a park's open, but the Bureau will tell you if a trail's flooded or a downtown street's a little dicey after dark.
Bob Bales:I just recently returned from Oconee County, South Carolina. It's up in the far northwest corner of the state. The Visitor's Bureau told me about a stretch of highway that was closed because of the recent hurricane that went through there. They said they just hadn't had time to get it repaired yet or the money hadn't come through. That doesn't surprise me, but I needed to get to a small place in the county, so she directed me to a road that took me there, but I had to go up and over a mountain. It got me to where I needed to get, though, and I tell you it was a nice little ride, much better than probably being on that highway. But you stay safe and you get to skip all the surprises Because, like I said, this is the place that knows all that stuff.
Bob Bales:Reason number seven they help you dodge the crowds. You ask them when the big attractions are getting slammed, like, hey, man, when is it just a zoo to go visit the Liberty Bell over here, when's the best time to visit the cave, the museum, the park or some other attraction, and whether it's a place where school kids take field trips or when the tour buses start arriving. In St Thomas, the US Virgin Islands, they have cruise ships that dock for the day and the island gets swamped with cruise passengers. Well, the tourism folks know when they're arriving and can tell you the best times to avoid the crowds. They know the patterns. You'll get a lot smoother visit, a lot less elbowing through the lines. Number
Bob Bales:eight. They'll tip you off to nearby towns or sites. You're in Santa Fe, new Mexico, they might say well, check out Los Alamos 40 minutes north and the old atomic lab stuff.
Bob Bales:You know we were talking about Oconee County they told me about right across the border, 20 miles away in Georgia. They have the Currahee Museum. You know that's the one from Band of Brothers where these guys went and trained. Three miles up, three miles down Currahee Hill. Well, currahee Hill is still there. They've got a great little museum and they've got the recreations of the barracks and a couple of guard towers and some trucks and stuff. And if you're game you can do the three miles up and three miles down. I don't know if I could walk it. My knees are shot. I'm damn sure not going to run it. But if you want to, hey, knock yourself out. But you know, I did not know it was that close to where I was at. But this way you can stretch your trip a little wider. You can find a few of the extras that you may have missed, because they have connections with the tourism bureaus in the next town over. They know where all that stuff is at and they can hook you up.
Bob Bales:Now we're on to number nine. They'll give you the history and the context, not a lecture, just a quick rundown on what made that place tick. In Wichita, Kansas I was told about their aviation history and why they are known as the aviation capital of the world. I did not know that before I got there. Why I don't know, but I didn't. I mean all the pioneers, like Beechcraft, Textron, Cessna, they all were there and they all made a huge contribution to Wichita and the aviation history, even up to World War II when Boeing plant manufactured B-29 aircraft. They have a great aviation museum in Wichita and they also have one of two fully restored and flying World War II B-29 Superfortress aircraft. A fantastic, fantastic museum and tour. You walk away understanding why you're there and you're not just snapping pics for no reason.
Bob Bales:Number 10, they know what's free. Parks with no entry fee, public concerts, walking tours that don't cost a dime.
Bob Bales:In Brenham, texas, I was told about a lot of free things to do in town and nearby. And, let's face it, you go in there with a family. You have you and your spouse and a couple of kids. It starts costing a lot of money by the time you start paying for everything. So if you can get free stuff, why not? They told me about the Antique Rose Emporium, which is an operating nursery. You can actually go there and buy stuff, but it's also eight acres of antique roses and native plants and perennials and herbs and wildflowers. I mean, we're talking about a free botanical garden that you can just wander around. They have the Brenham Fire Museum, which has all kinds of cool stuff and old fire trucks and things. They've got an antique carousel in one of the parks and nearby you have Washington on the Brazos, where Texas declared independence. The Star of Texas Museum is right there, along with Barrington Plantation, which is a living history farm that belonged to Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic of Texas.
Bob Bales:So you get to enjoy the city without opening your wallet every five minutes. There are always a lot of free things to do. If you ask the tourism bureau, they can point you in the right direction.
Bob Bales:Number 11, you get help with logistics. You need a bus schedule, you need parking tips? Well, they've got it. In Savannah they've got this hop-on, hop-off trolley that runs around town. It's great. I enjoyed the heck out of it and they told me the best stops to get off to visit the things that I wanted to see. So you save time, you don't get lost and you figure out all the practical stuff really fast. I'm telling you, if you ever get to Savannah, you got to do that hop-on, hop off trolley. It takes you to all the best places.
Bob Bales:And that brings us to number twelve. They are the go-to source if you're planning a family reunion. You have a family spread out all over the country and you're planning that once in every 10 year reunion? Well, these folks can help you out. They can tell you the best part of town to book that vacation rental home so you're close to everything. They may be able to get in touch with a restaurant owner that can accommodate your 30-member group or a caterer that's in town. Give you some ideas of places and things to do for your large group. You know it's the same for conventions. That's why they call them Convention and Visitors Bureaus. That's what their job is. But you don't have to be the largest organization to get help. Maybe you belong to some Facebook group for authors or antique collectors or some local group that you have. Heck, even a podcaster's group, and you want to have a small two-day convention and bring people in so they can all meet up and do whatever. Well, the Visitors Bureau can help you with all the logistics. That is what they are there for.
Bob Bales:Number 13, they'll update you on the weather. Is rain closing the site? Is heat shutting down a trail? They know what's happening today. They can tell you what roads to avoid during heavy rains or places that are just not good to visit because of the weather. For instance, in parts of Texas, those little lazy rivers and streams? Well, man, they turn into raging flash flood areas when we get a heavy rain and people not used to the area get stranded, or worse, at some of these low crossing areas. Well, they can hook you up and they can tell you about these places so you're prepped for whatever the sky has in store for you.
Bob Bales:Number 14. Connect with local tours or guides. Not the big bus companies, but the small outfits, the local experts. Man, I've done walking ghost tours in Savannah, a walking tour of Jack the Ripper locations in London, and had guided little known of and out-of-the-way museums when some personal collections may have turned into some kind of huge collecting passion. The small places that the tourists just don't know about. You get a deeper dive and tailored to what you're into.
Bob Bales:Reason number 15. You get to feel the city's vibe firsthand. These folks love their town and they tell you what makes it special, not just facts. You can learn about the people and events that make the area special. When I visited Brenham, Texas, there was a volunteer with the tourism bureau, gave me a walking tour around the downtown area, pointed out all the places where historic events had occurred and told me about the history of the town and the people that built the city. You connect with the place. You're not just checking off boxes.
Bob Bales:All right, that's 15 tips for the US travelers. Not bad 15 tips in 15 minutes. We're just smoking right along here. It works anywhere from Maine to Montana. But some of you are heading overseas, and I've been there too.
Bob Bales:Visitors' bureaus exist abroad, often called tourist offices, and they're just as useful, especially for Americans. So here's five extra tips for when you're traveling outside the US.
Bob Bales:Number one. First, they help with the language barriers. You're in Prague and your Czech language skills are zero, which mine were when I was there. Well, the tourist office staff usually speak English and they can help explain train tickets and schedules and point you to an ATM. They can help you understand how to get around and tell you the best way to navigate those tourist sites. You get past all the confusion and you keep moving without fumbling through everything.
Bob Bales:Second, they'll clue you in on local customs. They'll tell you what's polite, what's rude, so you don't stick out like a sore thumb, become that ugly tourist or, worse, offend somebody. In certain churches and temples you can't wear shorts, or women must have their hair covered with a scarf. There's all kinds of rules and customs that the average tourist just may not be aware of. For instance, in Bali and this just came out like a couple of weeks ago they recently made new rules for tourists regarding respecting the local religious and cultural sites. Well, the tourist offices, they can tell you what to do and what not to do so you don't get in trouble and get fined or, worse, wind up in jail somewhere.
Bob Bales:Number three you get reliable currency advice. They've got the currency advice that you can trust. When I was in Uzbekistan, the bureau warned me about shady exchange booths. Saved me from getting ripped off, I tell you. They'll tell you where to swap the dollars, where you can get your money exchanged or if cards work better. You don't want to run afoul of the local police exchanging money at an unauthorized place or, worse, just getting ripped off. You keep your money safe and you spend it smartly.
Bob Bales:Number four they know the visa and entry rules. You're in Prague and someone says, well, you need a stamp to go here. Well, is that true or not?
Bob Bales:When I was in the Philippines, I found out how to have my stay extended and where to get it done in the least amount of time. In fact, I went to the office they told me to go to. It took me an hour and a half. Other people were saying, oh man, this is like a three-day process. Well, you didn't talk to the right people. In Thailand there are things called visa runs. I did one of those too, and they can give you companies that do this visa run. The company basically picks you up in a van at your hotel, drives you to Cambodia, where you walk across the border for 15 minutes, grab a Coke to drink maybe, look at the trinkets they're trying to sell. Then you walk back over into Thailand, get a brand new visa and they drive you back to your hotel in the same van that took you there. So they know all of the tricks and they can point you in the right direction. Make sure you don't run afoul of overstaying your entry or something like that. Number
Bob Bales:five they can point you to the emergency resources if you need them.
Bob Bales:You lose your passport in Rome? Well, they'll tell you where the US Embassy is. It happens People lose passports when they travel. You need a doctor? Well, they've got numbers. Some of these places? Well, I'll tell you. In Manila, for example, Manila has a hospital that mainly caters to foreigners, so foreigners feel a little bit more comfortable going to this one, which has more of a Western feel to it, than some of the local hospitals. Not to say the local hospitals are bad, they're just a little different, maybe. So they can point you to the right direction. They can point you to the hospitals that may speak your language. They can help you get the help you need and get in touch with your country's representatives if you need to, and you're covered if things go sideways. They've got all the resources that you need to get the help you need. So there you go 15 reasons for US trips and five more tips.
Bob Bales:If you're traveling overseas, visitors bureaus are your first stop Free, local and packed with info. Check out their website before you go, or call them and get info before your trip, especially if you have questions and you're traveling abroad. Take a few minutes to stop in and have a chat with them when you hit town, doesn't matter if you're in Omaha or Oslo. They'll set you up with maps, tips, deals and you get a feel for the place. I've used them everywhere and they've never let me down. It beats scrolling through a phone in a parking lot somewhere trying to find information.
Bob Bales:And here's something you can do for them. If you had a good experience at a restaurant or a store or an attraction, tell them about it. If you visited somewhere that's not on their website but you had a great experience, let them know so they can tell other people. They may want to add it to their website and that way everybody knows about it. If you take photos or make posts on social media about places, tag them as well as the business. That way they know people were there and enjoyed it. On the flip side, if you found info on their website that is out of date or incorrect, let them know that as well so they can fix it.
Bob Bales:Some of these bureaus run on limited budgets and staff and don't always have a full-time tech person making sure that everything is perfect. For instance, they might be listing a business that is closed or some information that is out of date. Well, let them know. They'll appreciate knowing it so they can get it fixed.
Bob Bales:So that's it. If you've got a story about a tourism bureau you've visited, hit me up at the Traveling Fool. All you got to do is send me an email at editor@ thetravellingfoolcom, or go on the Facebook page Traveling Fool and send me a message. I might include it in a future episode. So that was quick, running about 22, 23 minutes there.
Bob Bales:So until travels. time, safe travels..
