Adventure

A Guide to Tipping Your Raft Guide

Great KODI raft guides turn an average rafting experience into an amazing rafting adventure you’ll remember always. If your KODI raft guide has given you an experience to last a lifetime, consider rewarding him or her with a tip at the end of your trip.

While all river guides can get you down the river, the great ones add excitement and fun while ensuring your safety is their number one concern.

A great whitewater river guide also treats each guest with respect and exhibits genuine enthusiasm toward introducing you to the wonders of the river.

A strong guide adds items such as local historical, area wildlife, or geological information to their conversations in the raft. Most importantly, an excellent guide is flexible and attentive to the needs and queries of rafting guests of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.

So, you want to tip your KODI raft guide. But, how much?

The amount you tip is really up to you. Raft guiding is considered a service industry and many people believe anyone in the service industry, like restaurants, hotel employees, and hairdressers, should get between 10 % to 20% of the total cost of the service. For example, if your trip was $200 and your guide made your experience a memorable one, a $20 – $40 tip would be generous and greatly appreciated!

Tips can be given directly to your guide at the end of your trip or handed off to office personnel at the appropriate KODI outpost. If you forget to tip or run out of money, ask management about using a credit card for tipping. But remember, guides prefer cash.

If you aren’t tipping at all or tipping less than the recommended amount, explain your reasoning. It may make for an awkward moment, but there’s one invaluable word any working stiff can relate to—feedback.

by amy

Colorado Rafting Packing List

For many of our rafters, a trip with KODI is their first trip on the river, and almost every one of them is bound to ask, “What should I pack anyway?”

If you’re about to take your first whitewater rafting trip, let us tell you the items you need to pack to make your day on the river as fantastic as possible.

Please know KODI Rafting supplies almost everything you’ll need for your Colorado whitewater raft trip. However, we did say almost everything. Here’s what we suggest you bring:

Comfortable, secure footwear
The best type of footwear to wear are sandals with a secure strap around the ankle. This does not mean Crocs or flip flops, but something secure like Tevas, Chacos, etc. If you don’t have sandals like this, a breathable pair of sneakers works, too. KODI also rents river booties for $5 for a full day and $3 for a half day at some of its outposts.

A bathing suit
Because of Colorado’s quickly changing temperatures and the fact that you may get wet, it’s best to bring layers of clothing on your trip. The base of these layers should be a bathing suit. If it gets hot out, you’ll be happy to be wearing one!

Workout clothing (or synthetic material)
Avoid cotton, jeans, and long pants if possible. Comfortable, quick-drying clothing is great. Any outdoor gear such as neoprene, polypropylene, wool, or fleece is best.

Sunglasses WITH a secure strap
Colorado’s sun is strong and so are many of our rapids. Combine those and you’ll want to make sure your glasses don’t get lost in the river.

Sunscreen
Our beautiful blue skies and high elevation make for crazy sunburns. Always protect yourself with sunscreen.

Water
Not only is paddling a raft a lot of physical work, most of our river trips are at high elevation where water is even more important to stay hydrated. Pack a bottle of water to keep it on hand in the boat.

A pair of clothes to change into after your trip
When you’re done with your trip, you may be wet or cold or both! You’ll be glad to have a pair of dry clothes waiting for you at the take-out.

by amy