Frequently Asked Questions

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Email

Phone

Road Alerts

Top Questions

Imagine having a private, local guide taking you around the site, explaining what you’re seeing and why it matters. That’s pretty much how this works — except it’s an app instead of a person. 

The app is a combination of a live guide, guidebook, and interactive map. You’ll see all of the points of interest at the site. The app works by using your GPS location, so it’s hands-free.

Here’s how you can purchase the app/Tours:

Purchase from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store: Check out the free demo first. Follow the standard In-App purchase to buy the Tour. iPhone users will need an Apple ID. If you don’t know yours, reset it HERE. After the purchase goes through, download the Tour you purchased. 

You can purchase the Tour from the Action Tour Guide website or other travel websites such as Tripadvisor, Viator, Expedia, Get Your Guide, etc. If you buy from these websites, you will receive a password by email/text message. Follow the given instructions. Download the Action Tour Guide app, and enter the password to download the specific Tour.

You can start the Tour at any time you want to. It’s a self-guiding Tour — that means no restrictions. No fixed schedule to follow. You can also take as many breaks as you wish. You can stop for lunch. You can take pictures for as long as you want to. You can do half the Tour today and half later.

Start the Tour:

 

  • Go to the starting point. Find it HERE.
  • Listen to the Welcome Stop. The audio at this stop will tell you how the app works and what the Tour covers. 
  • Using the map and the Tour route, follow the route from one stop to the next. 
  • The stop’s audio will automatically pop up and start playing when you get close to a Stop by entering its geo-circle. You won’t even have to touch the phone.
  • When the story pops up, the narration begins, you’ll be able to see an image (or images), read the transcript, fast-forward/rewind, pause/play, and more.

Password not received:

Generally, you will get the password within a few minutes. However, please wait for 30 minutes after booking to receive your password. Please check your email spam folder before contacting us. You can also check your phone for a text message with the password.

You can search for “Action Tour Guide” in your inbox to help you with your search.

If you booked through Expedia for a Travel Date over 24 hours in the future, your password would arrive the next day.

If the above doesn’t apply to you, please fill a password request form here.

 

How does a password work?

If you buy a Tour from an online travel platform (TripAdvisor, Get Your Guide, Viator, Expedia) or from our website www.actionTourguide.com, you will receive a link to download the Action Tour Guide app and a Tour specific password. Once you enter the password, your Tour will be available for download.

 

No password?

Please allow 30 minutes to receive the password email. Please check your spam folder before calling. Also, please check your phone for a text message with the same information. 

 

Is the password not valid?

Check that you’re using the Action Tour Guide app to enter the password. Also, make sure you’re using the right password in the app.

The Tour begins at the first stop, labeled as the Welcome Stop on the map. Usually, the Welcome Stop is at the site’s Visitor Center or other convenient location. 

The list of all the starting points for all the tours is here.

To locate the starting point on the app, just open the app and select “Map.” Ensure that the “Preview” mode is selected. Zoom in on the first stop, the “Welcome Stop.” Head over to the Welcome Stop and then follow the Tour route along!

No, this is not an entrance ticket. It is a fee for the self-guided Tour app. You will get to hear engaging and dynamic stories for each stop: a mix of history and humor. It’s not just going to be dates and names and construction details; instead, you’ll get to hear about what happened at that location and why you should be interested in that particular place! The Tour includes a map, a list of stops on the map, audio stories of the stops, the text of the audio stories, and the route to follow.

Sites like National Parks, Museums, parks, etc., will require entrance tickets. Please do your research before visiting the sites.

Check that you have reserved a time slot before beginning the tour, as some national parks have a timed entry reservation system.

For more information on Entrance fees for various National Parks, you can visit the links below.

 

Driving Tour: You only need one per car (plug into the car, and the whole car can listen in together!). 

 

Walking Tour: We recommend booking one Tour per person. Some couples choose to split a single Tour by sharing headphones or listening on speaker. Sharing or speakers are fine as long as you are aware that street noise can be loud. If you book/buy one Tour per person in your group as recommended, we will send one password, which everyone on their phones can use. e.g., if you book for four people, you will get one password redeemed four times.

We try to provide the best possible experience to our visitors. So the validity of the tours that we offer is not tied to the date. Once the tour is purchased, the tour is valid forever. And you can use it as many times as you want, whenever you want.

You don’t need to change the date for your purchase as it can be used from the moment you purchase.

 

Why do I need to reserve a specific date if the tour is valid forever and is self-guided?

 

We can send you download reminders, road closure updates, and other date-specific notices if we know when you intend to take the tour.

Audio doesn’t play or you are getting no audio

  1. First, simply close the app (swipe it away; do not only send it to the background). After a few seconds, tap on the app icon to re-open.
  2. Go to the Welcome stop and press the Play button to check if the audio is playing or not. 
  3. If not, open settings and turn off Bluetooth. (Your phone may be Bluetooth-connected to something else, such as your car, speaker system, or smartwatch).
  4. Check that the phone’s volume is ON and entirely UP using the side buttons. 
  5. If that doesn’t work, open another audio app (ex. Youtube or Spotify) and play something. If that works, then press the Welcome stop’s Play button again.
  6. Then turn your phone off and on again. Try the audio one more time. 
  7. Lastly, delete the app entirely and redownload it from the App/Play Store. In this scenario, please be sure to email us to refresh your unique password. 
  8. If none of the above works, please contact us by email, chat, or call.

Bluetooth control

  1. If the audio does not play on your Bluetooth device, please refer to the answer above.
  2. If the audio plays, but you cannot control the volume or fast forward/reverse from your car’s panel, then use the phone to control the volume and the app’s audio bar for fast forward/reverse.

Can I listen to audio on my car radio by connecting it to my phone?

 

Car radio with Bluetooth:

Go to Bluetooth on your smartphone and pair it with the car radio. Try Youtube etc., first. Once it all works, switch to the Action Tour Guide app.

Car radio with an AUX port:

If your car radio has an audio aux port, you’ll need a cable with two male ends, one for your phone and the other for the car-radio. Could you put the volume of the car radio and the phone on high and then adjust it?

Try Youtube etc., first. Once it all works, switch to the Action Tour Guide app.

Car radio without an AUX port:

Connect an FM transmitter to the cigarette lighter port to provide power to the transmitter and the phone audio to receive audio from the phone. Set the transmitter to transmit at an FM frequency that is not popular in your area. Turn on the FM Radio and match the frequency with your FM transmitter. Now, your radio will receive audio from the phone via the transmitter. Try Youtube, etc., first. Once it all works, switch to the Action Tour Guide app. Note: Audio quality relies on adapter quality, select frequency, and interference.

If you purchased an in-app tour from the Google Play Store and want to transfer or share it to another device, make sure you log in with the same email address that you used to purchase the tour from the Play Store.

 

If you are unable to restore your purchase on another device, please contact us, and we will assist you.

 

 

 

We try to provide the best possible experience to our customers. So, our apps are valid forever. 

 

Postpone: If you postpone your travel or tour date, you do not need to contact us. The Tour is valid forever.

 

Exchange: If your plans change or if this tour did not work for you for some reason, you can use it again anytime in the future. You can also exchange it with any of our other 65+ Tours in the USA (listed at www.ActionTourGuide.com).  

Refund: If you still need a refund, here is how you can get one. The refund process depends on where you purchased your Tour.

 

  • Apple App Store: Click here to request a refund from Apple directly.

 

  • Google Play Store: You can email us your purchase receipt from the Play store at support@actionTourguide.com. Make sure it has the order number. The order number usually starts with GPA-XXXXX.

 

  • Viator/Tripadvisor: You can initiate a refund request from your account itself. Please follow the link here for Viator Booking and here for TripAdvisor.

 

  • GetYourGuide: Follow the steps under the ‘Cancellation’ option here 

 

  • Expedia: Click here for cancelation


Action Tour Guide website and others: Pls send an email to support@ActionTourGuide.com

If either the app download or the Tour download is slow, check your WiFi or cellular internet connection by going to any other website such as Google.

 

Be sure to stay on the Tour download page to speed up the download. If you have anything else running in the background (ex. mobile game), consider closing it. 

 

If the app just shows a blank screen, try the following:

 

  1. Close & re-open the app
  2. Restart your phone
  3. Delete & redownload the app

Contact us by email, chat, or call if none of these work.

You will need a good cell signal or WiFi to download the app and the Tour within. However, once you are taking the Tour, you won’t need a signal. GPS works without a signal.

 

No internet/cell signal: Switch to Offline Mode:

 

After downloading the app & the Tour, when you get started and if the app gives internet errors or starts freezing, turn cellular data off (settings of the phone) while keeping the WiFi on.

 

Poor GPS: Switch to manual mode:

 

Sometimes, GPS is not accurate due to weather, tunnels, or tall buildings. In that case, the blue dot that shows where you are will be off the Tour route even though you are on it. 

 

In those cases, you can use the app in Manual mode. Do not wait for the GPS-based audio trigger to kick in!  There are two ways to do it.

 

  1. Go to the “List” page and select a specific story.
  2. Go to the “Map” page, click on the stop’s circle, and then the stop’s name.

Press play to begin the audio if it does not automatically start. Hit the left/right buttons to play prev or next story manually.

National Parks

No, this is not an entrance ticket. It is a fee for the self-guided Tour app. You will get to hear engaging and dynamic stories for each stop: a mix of history and humor. It’s not just going to be dates and names and construction details; instead, you’ll get to hear about what happened at that location and why you should be interested in that particular place! The Tour includes a map, a list of stops on the map, audio stories of the stops, the text of the audio stories, and the route to follow.

Sites like National Parks, Museums, parks, etc., will require entrance tickets. Please do your research before visiting the sites.

Check that you have reserved a time slot before beginning the tour, as some national parks have a timed entry reservation system.

For more information on Entrance fees for various National Parks, you can visit the links below.


If either the app download or the Tour download is slow, check your WiFi or cellular internet connection by going to any other website such as Google.

 

Be sure to stay on the Tour download page to speed up the download. If you have anything else running in the background (ex. mobile game), consider closing it. 

 

If the app just shows a blank screen, try the following:

 

  1. Close & re-open the app
  2. Restart your phone
  3. Delete & redownload the app

Contact us by email, chat, or call if none of these work.

There may not be a strong signal or wifi on-site, making it difficult or slow to download the Action Tour Guide app and the Tour within. So if possible, download ahead of time where you have a good internet connection. 

 

If not possible, find a spot with solid wifi or a data signal, and then download the app and Tour. 

 

Stay on the app/Tour screen for a fast download while it downloads. 

 

For WiFi availability at National Parks, please visit the link here.

Driving Tour: You only need one per car (plug into the car, and the whole car can listen in together!). 

 

Walking Tour: We recommend booking one tour per person. Some couples choose to split a single Tour by sharing headphones or listening on speaker. Sharing or speakers are fine as long as you are aware that street noise can be loud. If you book/buy one Tour per person in your group as recommended, we will send one password, which everyone on their phones can use. e.g., if you book for four people, you will get one password redeemed four times.

Please check the site’s opening hours before you travel. Ensure that the site is open on your selected Travel Date. Note that our Tours are also used as “virtual vacations” from home, so you can “visit” even if the site is closed!

You will need a good cell signal or WiFi to download the app and the Tour within. However, once you are taking the Tour, you won’t need a signal. GPS works without a signal.

After downloading the app & the Tour, when you get started and if the app gives internet errors or starts freezing, turn cellular data off (settings of the phone) while keeping the WiFi on.

Sometimes, GPS is not accurate due to weather, tunnels, or tall buildings. In that case, the blue dot that shows where you are will be off the Tour route even though you are on it. 

 

In those cases, you can use the app in Manual mode. Do not wait for the GPS-based audio trigger to kick in!  There are two ways to do it.

 

  1. Go to the “List” page and select a specific story.
  2. Go to the “Map” page, click on the stop’s circle, and then the stop’s name.

Press play to begin the audio if it does not automatically start. Hit the left/right buttons to play prev or next story manually.

Ease of use

Imagine having a private, local guide taking you around the site, explaining what you’re seeing and why it matters. That’s pretty much how this works — except it’s an app instead of a person. 

The app is a combination of a live guide, guidebook, and interactive map. You’ll see all of the points of interest at the site. The app works by using your GPS location, so it’s hands-free.

Here’s how you can purchase the app/Tours:

You can purchase the Tour from the Action Tour Guide website or travel websites such as Tripadvisor, Viator, Expedia, or Get Your Guide. You will receive an email and a text message with a password. Follow the given instructions. Download the Action Tour Guide app, enter the password to download the specific Tour.

You can also purchase the tour directly from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store (in-app purchase). Follow standard In-App purchase steps to buy the tour. iPhone users will need an Apple ID. If you don’t know yours, reset it HERE. After the purchase goes through, download the Tour you purchased.

Start the tour:

  • Go to the starting point. Find it HERE. 
  • Listen to the Welcome Stop. The audio at this stop will tell you how the app works and what the tour covers. 
  • Using the map and the tour route, follow the route from one stop to the next. 
  • As soon as you get close to a stop by entering into its geo-circle, the stop’s audio will automatically pop up and start playing. You won’t even have to touch the phone.
  • When the story pops up, and the narration begins, you’ll be able to see an image (or images), read the transcript, fast-forward/rewind, pause/play, and more.

Yes! Once you download the tour, you can use it as long as you do not delete it. You can listen to it in the hotel, you can use it on Tour, and you can listen to it after coming back too. If you accidentally delete it, just shoot us an email with your receipt, and we’ll restore it. 

 

If you have purchased any tours from any of our Android and iOS apps via  In-App purchase, the tour will be available forever on your app till you don’t uninstall it.

 

If you do uninstall or upgrade or replace your phone, here is what you can do

  • On the iPhones, you can select “Restore” in the app’s menu to restore your purchases. 
  • For Android, all you do is re-install the app on the phone and open the app. That’s it. You should see your purchases restored automatically.

It is straightforward. We’ve designed it to be as easy as possible, even keeping folks 60+ in mind. 

 

Just follow the Welcome Stop instructions, and you’ll be all set. What does that include? 

  1. Start at the Welcome Stop. 
  2. Using the map, and follow the Tour route from one stop to the next stop. 
  3. As soon as you get close to a stop by crossing into its circle, its audio will automatically pop up and start playing. You don’t even have to touch the phone.

If you don’t like a feature or can’t figure out how to use it, please let us know via the feedback option on the app. We’ll improve it in future updates!

Yes! We recommend downloading the app and the Tour at your home/hotel first, so you can explore it before you’re onsite. And that gives you the chance to download and load everything while in WiFi correctly. Plus, you can listen to a few stops and make sure your travel plans fit with the Tour’s approximate length. You can always take the Tour in multiple pieces or more than once.

Scheduling

We try to provide the best possible experience to our visitors. So the validity of the tours that we offer is not tied to the date. Once the tour is purchased, the tour is valid forever. And you can use it as many times as you want, whenever you want.

You don’t need to change the date for your purchase as it can be used from the moment you purchase.

You can start the Tour at any time you want to. It’s a self-guiding Tour — that means no restrictions. No fixed schedule to follow. You can also take as many breaks as you wish. You can stop for lunch. You can take pictures for as long as you want to. You can do half the Tour today and half later.

Please check the site’s opening hours before you travel. Ensure that the site is open on your selected Travel Date. Note that our Tours are also used as “virtual vacations” from home, so you can “visit” even if the site is closed!

Our Tours aren’t “entrance tickets” to a site. So please be sure to check the site’s website to make sure they’re open on the dates/times you plan to visit. They may also have new visiting hours or systems based on pandemic regulations. Our Tours have a lifetime validity, so you can use them whenever you want to.

If the app closes when you hit start, there could be a possibility that the Tour did not completely download. To fix it, please go to the download page, swipe on the Tour from right to left to reveal the delete button. Delete the Tour and redownload it again.

Note: Keep the app open in the foreground till the Tour download finishes, and you see the start button.

 

For Samsung and Android users:

If the app won’t start and you can’t open it, do the following:

  • Install the application again.
  • Long-press the app icon, then select App Info, then Force Stop.

If that fails, try using the app on another device if you have one.

You can get in touch with our Technical Support team for help with the problem.

Audio doesn’t play or you are getting no audio

  1. First, simply close the app (swipe it away; do not only send it to the background). After a few seconds, tap on the app icon to re-open.
  2. Go to the Welcome stop and press the Play button to check if the audio is playing or not. 
  3. If not, open settings and turn off Bluetooth. (Your phone may be Bluetooth-connected to something else, such as your car, speaker system, or smartwatch).
  4. Check that the phone’s volume is ON and entirely UP using the side buttons. 
  5. If that doesn’t work, open another audio app (ex. Youtube or Spotify) and play something. If that works, then press the Welcome stop’s Play button again.
  6. Then turn your phone off and on again. Try the audio one more time. 
  7. Lastly, delete the app entirely and redownload it from the App/Play Store. In this scenario, please be sure to email us to refresh your unique password. 
  8. If none of the above works, please contact us by email, chat, or call.

Bluetooth control

  1. If the audio does not play on your Bluetooth device, please refer to the answer above.
  2. If the audio plays, but you cannot control the volume or fast forward/reverse from your car’s panel, then use the phone to control the volume and the app’s audio bar for fast forward/reverse.

Most devices are supported, but not all. 

 

iPhones: iOS 13 or above are needed.

 

Android phones: Android version 9 or above are needed.

 

iPads/Tablets: Only cellular-enabled tablets/iPad will work. Many iPads and tablets do not have a GPS chip. That makes them useless for navigation-based apps like ours. 

 

If you want to use your iPad, make sure it has GPS capability. Tip: if it’s cellular-enabled, then it has GPS too!

 

Please refer to your device specification for Android tablets to decide its GPS capabilities.

 

If you just want to read the tour text or view images, you can use an iPad or tablet.

Similar to question one, and mostly for android devices, if the tour did not download correctly,  you may see a white/blank screen when you hit ‘Start’ on your android device.

 

The solution to this problem is to go to the download page on the app and just delete and re-download the tour while keeping the app open the whole time.

You will need a good cell signal or WiFi to download the app and the Tour within. However, once you are taking the Tour, you won’t need a signal. GPS works without a signal.

 

No internet/cell signal: Switch to Offline Mode:

 

After downloading the app & the Tour, when you get started and if the app gives internet errors or starts freezing, turn cellular data off (settings of the phone) while keeping the WiFi on.

 

Poor GPS: Switch to manual mode:

 

Sometimes, GPS is not accurate due to weather, tunnels, or tall buildings. In that case, the blue dot that shows where you are will be off the Tour route even though you are on it. 

 

In those cases, you can use the app in Manual mode. Do not wait for the GPS-based audio trigger to kick in!  There are two ways to do it.

 

  1. Go to the “List” page and select a specific story.
  2. Go to the “Map” page, click on the stop’s circle, and then the stop’s name.

 

Press play to begin the audio. Hit the left/right buttons to play prev or next story manually.

The app is for your phone’s account. It will only work on your device. We do not support Family Sharing on the Apple App Store across devices of family members. If you update, upgrade or replace your phone on the iPhones, you can select “Restore” in the app’s menu to restore your purchases. 

For Android, all you do is install the app on the new phone and open the app. That’s it. You should see your purchases restored automatically.

Both iPhones and Androids work just fine! Tablets like iPads need to be GPS-enabled to work for any GPS-based Tours.

 

If your device is experiencing issues, it might be because it’s an older model that may not support certain features. Or perhaps you don’t have the latest software upgrade. These may not be significant problems – just drop us an email, and we’ll try to clarify and resolve the issue right away.

Take an extra battery pack or charger along if you have one. GPS uses a lot of power, so an additional charge helps. If you are driving, connect the phone to your car charger.

Apple requires you to remember your Apple ID to download apps. Simply visit the Apple support page and follow the instructions to recover your Apple ID.

This feature is “Coming Soon.” 

 

In the meantime, connect your phone to car speakers using Bluetooth, USB cable, or Aux audio cable. 

 

If that does not work, use phone speakers and increase the volume.

Purchase questions

Driving Tour: You only need one per car (plug into the car, and the whole car can listen in together!). 

 

Walking Tour: We recommend booking one Tour per person. Some couples choose to split a single tour by sharing headphones or listening on speaker. Sharing or speakers are fine as long as you are aware that street noise can be loud. If you book/buy one tour per person in your group as recommended, we will send one password, which everyone on their phones can use. e.g., if you book for four people, you will get one password to redeem four times.

On the app store, each app has a free “Demo” Tour. It gives you a few stop’s stories, an entire route, an idea of how it works, narration quality, and map quality. Overall, it gives you comfort to make a decision. If you like the Demo, you can buy the Paid Tour using the in-app purchase.

 

On the website, each Tour has a few “preview” stops. If you like the previews, you can buy the Tour.

Driving Tour: You only need one per car (plug into the car, and the whole car can listen in together!). 

 

Walking Tour: We recommend booking one tour per person. Some couples choose to split a single Tour by sharing headphones or listening on speaker. Sharing or speakers are fine as long as you are aware that street noise can be loud. If you book/buy one Tour per person in your group as recommended, we will send one password, which everyone on their phones can use. e.g., if you book for four people, you will get one password redeemed four times.

We offer group discounts if you are a group of 10 people or more. Please contact us by email/chat/call. 

 

We also offer gift cards for those who would love to give this Tour to a friend. We email the e-gift card to you, and you can forward it to your friend.

If you have purchased the tour from one of our apps as an in-app purchase, and if it does not download, one of the following instructions should work.

 

Make sure the phone is correctly set up with an Apple or Google account with a working payment mechanism like Apple Pay or a Credit card for the purchase to work.

 

  • Check the DEMO tour. If it asks you to purchase, the purchase has not gone through yet. In that case, open the app and the menu and tap on the ‘Restore.’ Once you tap here, the price icon should change to the download icon for your purchased tour. And then, you can download the tour by tapping on the download button.
  • When you hit download, the progress bar will appear. But if it does not seem to move, it could be because your internet connection is slow. Switch to either Wi-Fi or cellular data, whichever is faster.
  • If nothing works, please contact us using the ‘Call,’ ‘Email’, and ‘Chat’ options below.

We try to provide the best possible experience to our customers. So, our apps are valid forever. 

Postpone: If you postpone your travel or tour date, you do not need to contact us. The Tour is valid forever.

Exchange: If your plans change or if this tour did not work for you for some reason, you can use it again anytime in the future. You can also exchange it with any of our other 65+ Tours in the USA (listed at www.ActionTourGuide.com).  

Refund: If you still need a refund, here is how you can get one. The refund process depends on where you purchased your Tour.

  • Apple App Store: Click here to request a refund from Apple directly.
  • Google Play Store: You can email us your purchase receipt from the Play store at support@actionTourguide.com. Make sure it has the order number. The order number usually starts with GPA-XXXXX.
  • Viator/Tripadvisor: You can initiate a refund request from your account itself. Please follow the link here for Viator Booking and here for TripAdvisor.
  • GetYourGuide: Follow the steps under the ‘Cancellation’ option here 
  • Expedia: Click here for cancelation
  • Action Tour Guide website and others: Pls send an email to support@ActionTourGuide.com

We usually run a lot of offers and discounts on our website and the App Store/Play Stores. Customers who purchase during the offer period get a lower than usual price for the same tour. So keep our apps installed for offers.

When you tap on the Download button, and you see that the price’ on the purchase screen is higher than what was advertised on the app, it could be because a recent offer on tour has expired, and the prices have not been updated yet across all channels.  The update usually takes around a couple of hours. 

The price on the purchase screen (from the App Store or the Play Store) is the final price.

Password questions

If you buy a Tour from an online travel platform (TripAdvisor, Get Your Guide, Viator, Expedia) or from our website, you will receive a link to download the Action Tour Guide app and a unique password to enter the app. Once you enter the password, your Tour will be available for download.

Please allow 30 minutes to receive the password email. Please check your spam folder before calling. Also, please check your phone for a text message with the same information. 

If you log out and your password is no longer working, please email us for a refreshed code. Include as many details about your purchase as possible to help us restore it quickly. 

 

As long as you don’t log out from the app, your tour is valid and available forever.

You only need to use the password once to get access to the Tour for a lifetime. However, if you end up in a situation where you need it again, let us know by email to refresh it. Include as many booking details as possible so we can work quickly.
If you booked the tour for more than one person, you can download the same app and use the same password on each device.

If you purchased additional Tours and received different passwords, you can add these Tours into your existing app:


Open the app, select the menu (top left), select “Add Tour,” and enter the password.

Route questions

The Tour begins at the first stop, labeled as the Welcome Stop on the map. Usually, the Welcome Stop is at the site’s Visitor Center or other convenient location. 

The list of all the starting points for all the tours is here.

To locate the starting point on the app, just open the app and select “Map.” Ensure that the “Preview” mode is selected. Zoom in on the first stop, the “Welcome Stop.” Head over to the Welcome Stop and then follow the Tour route along!

Starting location: Start from Stop 1 (or Alt Stop 1) and follow the route (Stops 2, 3, 4 ) in the Tour because:

 

The stories build on each other. The ones on the later stops might reference something or someone from earlier.

 

The stop’s audio will automatically pop up and start playing. The audio for many Stops begins   BEFORE you arrive — so that you know what to look for once you get close. If you follow the route out of order, these audios may end up playing AFTER you’ve passed the point of interest.

 

Different gates/starting locations: Many of our Tours start from various gates/starting locations (Alternate starting stops). If you purchase one Tour, you will automatically get multiple Tours with other gates/starting locations. Download the Tour that you need and start from its starting spot.

 

Start from the middle of the Tour: You can start from anywhere but follow the direction specified in the Tour. Drive to that point and enter the route. The app will pick up your location and play the audio when the next stop comes. E.g., If you start from Stop 7, go to 8, 9, 10. 

 

If you have to go reverse, see below.

 

Reverse Tour: Play the Tour manually if you decide to travel in the reverse direction (because a reverse tour is not available). Do not wait for the GPS-based audio trigger to kick in!  There are two ways to do it.

 

  1. Go to the “List” page and select a specific story.
  2. Go to the “Map” page, click on the stop’s circle, and then the stop’s name.

Press play to begin the audio. Hit the left/right buttons to play prev or next story manually.

If you get lost, you can just come back on the route, and the Tour stories will start again.

You need to go to the first stop on your own using Google or Apple maps. After that, all Tours offer narrated navigation that will tell you to turn left/right or stop.

Yes, though we don’t necessarily recommend it. Here’s why:

 

  1. We have built the tour in sequence from the first stop to the last. So, that sequence will be the best experience. 
  2. The stories often build on each other as you drive. So later audio may reference an earlier one. If you go out of order, you may miss these references. 
  3. The first few stops typically help you get used to the self-guided experience by giving lots of detailed instructions. If you start later in the sequence, you’ll be jumping in at the deep end. 
  4. We have built the audio to begin slightly before the site appears. This way, you can be on the lookout for it before it’s too late. If you drive out of order, you may not hear the story at the right time. 

 

Sometimes it’s OK to start halfway through the tour — especially if it’s a loop and your hotel is at halfway. In that case, feel free to join the route at the point closest to you. Be sure to follow it in incremental steps after that. By the time you complete the loop and end up back at your hotel, you’ll still have captured all of the stories!

 

Do not plan to take the tour in the opposite or random order. It won’t work correctly. If a “reverse” tour is available, we will list it as a separate tour option during the download at no extra cost. Simply download and play the version you want. 

 

Here’s how to start:

 

  • Open the app and listen to the Welcome audio.
  • Open the app’s map and explore the route. Determine if you’re able to start from the Starting Point or if you’d like to start elsewhere. 
  • If you plan to start from the Starting Point, plug the address into your GPS/Google Maps and drive there. You can re-launch the tour when you arrive. 
  • Suppose you plan to start at another location: If you are on the Map screen, double-tap on the pin at that spot. If you are on the Tour screen, tap the circular GO TO button. It launches Google Maps for turn-by-turn directions. You can re-launch the tour when you arrive.

Except for walking tours, all driving tours offered by us have a certain speed limit. You will be able to see the speed on the stop’s image at the bottom corner.

 

It is recommended that you drive at the speed limit mentioned on the app. 

If the recommended speed is not followed, there is a possibility that the next stop‘s audio will interrupt the current stop’s audio.

The app will alert you if you are driving too fast.

 

The speed limit that we recommend is optimized for a safe drive and pleasant touring experience.

You can switch to manual play mode to play the stories. There are two ways to do it.

 

  1. Go to the “List” page and select a specific story.
  2. Go to the “Map” page, click on the stop’s circle, and then the stop’s name.

 

Press play to begin the audio. Hit the left/right buttons to play prev or next story manually.

See the answer to question two above.

Sometimes, your location (blue dot) will not represent your actual location. Perhaps the GPS is not accurate due to weather, tunnels, or tall buildings. (Lack of cellular signal will not affect GPS).

 

To check your GPS accuracy, you can try checking your location on Apple Maps or Google Maps. If your blue dot is accurate, close the Action Tour Guide app entirely and re-open it. If this doesn’t work, restart your phone. 

 

If this still does not work, or if Google/Apple maps show a wrong location, switch to using the Tour in manual mode. There are two ways to do it.

  1. Go to the “List” page and select a specific story.
  2. Go to the “Map” page, click on the stop’s circle, and then the stop’s name.

Press play to begin the audio. Hit the left/right buttons to play prev or next story manually.

Before starting a tour

No this is not an entrance ticket. This is a fee for the tour. You will get to hear engaging and dynamic stories for each stop: a mix of history and humor. It’s not just going to be dates and names and construction details; instead, you’ll get to hear about what happened at that location and why you should be interested in that particular place!

Sites like National Parks, Museums, parks, etc will require entrance tickets. Please do your research before visiting the sites.

Check that you have reserved a time slot before beginning the tour, as some national parks have a timed entry reservation system.

For more information on Entrance fees for various National Parks, you can visit the links below:

There may not be a strong signal or wifi on-site, making it difficult or slow to download the Action Tour Guide app and the tour within. So if possible, download ahead of time where you have a good internet connection. 

 

If not possible, find a spot with solid wifi or a data signal, and then download the app and tour. 

 

Stay on the app/tour screen for a fast download while it downloads. 

 

For WiFi availability at National Parks, please visit the link here.

Please ensure to pack the following with you:

 

Walking tours:

  • Water
  • Good shoes
  • Battery pack if you have one

Driving tours:

  • Water
  • Car phone holder
  • Car adapter and charger
  • Bluetooth connection or wire to connect to car speakers

If either the app download or the Tour download is slow, check your WiFi or cellular internet connection by going to any other website such as Google.

 

Be sure to stay on the Tour download page to speed up the download. If you have anything else running in the background (ex. mobile game), consider closing it. 

 

If the app just shows a blank screen, try the following:

 

  1. Close & re-open the app
  2. Restart your phone
  3. Delete & redownload the app

Contact us by email, chat, or call if none of these work.

Every tour we offer is either a walking or a driving self-guided tour.

So you can decide if you want to take your pets out with you. 

You should also confirm the pet policy at the visitor center where you are visiting.

Accessibility

Based on the popularity, we support different languages. The app’s description will list the supported languages. If your desired language is not there, be sure to let us know! We will be more than happy to add it based on the demand.

No. We have written the stories with a lot of care to be family-friendly. Plus, the design is age-friendly too: the GPS-triggered tours (driving and walking tours) have no buttons to press once you start it. The non-GPS (museum) tours show you a route line and stop numbers that you can follow. In short, anyone can use our tours, whether they’re a schoolchild or a grandparent!

The Tours have full audio narration for those who want to listen and script text for those who want to read. Plus, each stop has high-quality photos. You can enlarge them for a closer look.

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