The trip was a down to earth tour because these African tourists from France were interested in participating in the daily experiences of commutters in Nigeria and Benin Republic. Public transports were boarded on both sides of the border except at Ganvie which is a village on water (on Lake Nokoue) near Cotonou. It was only in Ganvie that we chartered a private tourist boat. Ganvie is probably the largest Village on water in Africa. The experience was a showcase of one public transport experience that was governed by rules, where levies are paid by the commercial transport Operators at the office and not on the road which provides a smooth journey and the difference between it and a chartered transport was not far apart except for time and schedules. The experiences on the other side; Nigeria, is different and it's advisable for the tourist to charter transport during tours. The Lagos-Badagry road had nearly been completed and the journey was so thorough because of the good road...

During a discussion with a colleague, I emphasized that the role of tour drivers in ensuring a smooth tour is not just to drive. It includes other skills. She responded by saying "what matters is for the driver to drive us safely to our destination". I replied that I agree with her, but a tourism driver requires other skills which will compliment the tour either positively or negatively. In the tourism industry, the duty of the tourism driver is beyond driving of vehicle. The position of tourism drivers are usually undermined. The undermining may affect the impression the tour company have worked hard to create on the minds of the clients. Who is a tourism driver? A tourism or tour driver understands support and customer services by been respectful, render assistance and develop mutual association with the visitors and are concerned about transporting visitors safely to their destination. The way the tour driver dresses matters. He must be smartly dressed. The smile on the fa...