# How Do You Find  a Good "Dragoman" These Days?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-a-good-dragoman-these-days/667884>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [September 3, 2013, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-a-good-dragoman-these-days/667884 "2013-09-03T13:36:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-a-good-dragoman-these-days/667884/1 "2013-09-03T13:36:07Z")

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I was reading Mark Twain’s classic tale (“The Innocents Abroad”), about his travels in Europe and Palestine in 1876. Whilst traveling in Palestine, the tor engaged the services of a “Dragoman”-sort of a tour guide, caterer, and lodging expert. Do such people exist today? When did Drog0men go out of style?

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**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-a-good-dragoman-these-days/667884/2 "2013-09-03T14:39:45Z")

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Aren’t you talking about travel agents? Why don’t you call a travel agent specializing in Middle Eastern travel?

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**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-a-good-dragoman-these-days/667884/3 "2013-09-03T14:44:53Z")

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What do you believe is the difference between a dragoman and a tour guide?

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**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-a-good-dragoman-these-days/667884/4 "2013-09-03T14:47:36Z")

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> [@robert\_columbia](#):
>
> Aren’t you talking about travel agents? Why don’t you call a travel agent specializing in Middle Eastern travel?

There still exist more Dragoman like professionals offering their services to tourists, basically acting as guide/driver/bodyguard etc. I don’t know if they have a name but they are out there.

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**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-a-good-dragoman-these-days/667884/5 "2013-09-03T14:53:54Z")

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Well, there’s the obvious: [http://www.dragoman.com/](http://www.dragoman.com/)

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**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-a-good-dragoman-these-days/667884/6 "2013-09-03T17:47:29Z")

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when you return home, can he be retained as a factotum?

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**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-a-good-dragoman-these-days/667884/7 "2013-09-03T18:04:12Z")

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> [@Slithy\_Tove](#):
>
> when you return home, can he be retained as a factotum?

Unless he’s a teetotum.

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**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-find-a-good-dragoman-these-days/667884/8 "2013-09-04T00:03:50Z")

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Not a teetotum, but he likes Art Tatum.