Orpheo Camino: multilingual audio tours for buses, trains and boats

A city tour by bus, a ride on a tourist train or a canal cruise: guests from many countries often share the same seats. With the Orpheo Camino, every passenger hears the story in their own language, right on time. The audio starts automatically via GPS, or the driver starts it by hand. In this article you will read how this multilingual audio tour works, what you need and who it is for.

What is the Orpheo Camino?

The Orpheo Camino is a multilingual audio system for sightseeing in tourist vehicles. Think, for example, of buses, small trains and tour boats. The system comes from the French maker Orpheo. Since 1992, Orpheo has built tour solutions for visitors. Every day, millions of people use their devices.

The idea is simple. The driver has one smart device at the front. Each passenger, meanwhile, gets a small audio guide. When the bus nears a landmark, the driver's device sends a signal to all audio guides. Everyone then hears the story about that place at the same time, but in their own language.

How a sightseeing tour with the Orpheo Camino works

1. First, you build the tour in the MyOrpheo Studio software. There you add the audio for each language and set the GPS points of the route.
2. Then the driver picks the route on the device and taps start.
3. Each passenger gets an audio guide and picks a language.
4. When the vehicle comes within 50 to 100 metres of a point, the track starts by itself.
5. All audio guides then play that track, each in the language of the listener.

During the sightseeing, the driver therefore does not need to talk and can simply watch the road. Still, the driver stays in control. A track can be started by hand at any time. After that, it is just as easy to switch back to automatic mode.

Automatic via GPS, or by hand

The Camino has two ways to start the audio. In automatic mode, the device keeps track of where the vehicle is. For this it uses A-GPS and the GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou satellites. As a result, it knows exactly where you are, even in a busy city centre.

As the vehicle nears the next point, the screen shows a pop-up with the name of that place. The driver always sees what is coming and can confirm or cancel the track. In manual mode, the driver decides everything. That is handy in traffic jams, on a detour or at an extra stop. In this way, the story on the city tour always matches what guests see outside.

The driver's Camino device

The driver uses the Orpheo Camino Touch. This is an Orpheo multimedia guide, but with a built-in radio transmitter. The screen shows a map with all the numbered points of the route. At the top, the driver sees four things at a glance:

• how good the GPS signal is;
• whether the sound goes to the cable or to the device speaker;
• whether automatic mode is on;
• which language the device itself plays.

At the bottom is the player with the current track, next to the points that follow. Furthermore, you charge the 5000 mAh battery via USB-C. You can read more about the base of this device on our page about the Orpheo Touch multimedia guide.

Two ways for passengers to listen

You choose how guests hear the story. It can even differ per trip.

Through the vehicle speakers

The driver's device connects to the speakers of the bus or boat with a jack cable or via Bluetooth. As a result, all passengers hear the same story in one language. This suits a group that shares one language, such as a school trip or a company outing. Do you want a multilingual tour after all? Then choose the second option.

Through an audio guide for each passenger

For a multilingual audio tour, each passenger gets an Orpheo Mikro LX. This is a small, sturdy audio guide with a radio receiver. Moreover, all languages are stored on the device itself. So the Camino only sends a short signal: play track 4 now. No audio travels through the air, and no streaming is needed. That is why nothing stutters, not even in a tunnel or far outside town. The signal reaches up to 80 metres in open space. Find out more about these audio guides on our page about the Orpheo Mikro.

Several routes, one system

In the Camino you can set up several routes. For example, you drive past the museums in the morning and past the lit-up buildings at night. You can also fill the same city tour with different content. Think of a version for children next to one for adults. Or a short tour next to a long one, for guests with more time.

Getting off and going on foot

Many sightseeing trips stop along the way. For instance, guests get off at a cathedral, a wine estate or a viewpoint. With the Orpheo Camino, the tour simply goes on. Guests take their audio guide with them and keep listening during the walk. Then they get back on and you drive on to the next point.

Is your group mostly on foot, with a live guide? Then a whisper set is often a better fit. Read more in our article about a city walk where everyone listens.

Which vehicles suit the Orpheo Camino?

• Sightseeing buses and hop-on hop-off buses in cities.
• Tourist trains in town centres, theme parks and zoos.
• Tour boats for a boat tour on canals, rivers and lakes.
• Safari vehicles on wine estates and in nature parks.
• Coaches for day trips with a multilingual group.

No wiring is needed. As a result, the system moves easily from one vehicle to another. If a bus breaks down, you simply put the set in the spare bus.

Why choose the Orpheo Camino?

• Every guest their own language: a multilingual audio tour without a guide for each language.
• Always on time: GPS starts the story at the right place.
• Flexible: switch between automatic and manual at any time.
• Reliable: the audio is stored on the devices, so there is no streaming and there are no gaps in coverage.
• Portable: no cables, so it is quick to move to another vehicle.
• On foot too: the tour carries on during a stop.

Camino technology at a glance

• Battery: Li-ion, 5000 mAh, charging via USB-C up to 15 W.
• Radio signal: 433 MHz, range 80 metres in open space.
• Positioning: A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou.
• Sound: 3.5 mm jack, or Bluetooth to the vehicle speakers.
• Software: MyOrpheo Studio for the content and the GPS points.

Good stories for the road

A tour is only as good as its stories. Keep them short, since the vehicle keeps moving. For that reason, also read our article on the ideal length of audio stories. GuideXpresse is happy to help with the script and the translations of your multilingual audio tour. In addition, we help you find the right voice: choose a voice actor for your tour.

Buying the Orpheo Camino

The Orpheo Camino is for sale only. Hiring this system is not possible. That makes sense, because the tour belongs to your own route, your own points and your own vehicles. GuideXpresse supplies the complete system: the driver's device, the audio guides for the passengers and the software. Would you like to know what the Camino can do for your sightseeing trips by bus, train or boat? Get in touch for advice and a tailored quote.