What: Tours by Locals allows you to play tour guide in your own city, creating an itinerary, pricing it and determining the schedule. 

Expected pay: $15+ per hour (set by you)

Husl $core: $$$$

Commissions & fees: 20% (25% starting in February)

Where: National and international

Requirements:

  • 18 or older and be able to enter into a legally binding contract;
  • pass a phone interview;
  • reference checks;
  • submission of documents establishing your tour guiding credentials (if any);
  • pass a criminal background check;
  • and provide a tour experience that is likely to be in demand and not repetitive of other adventures that Tours by Locals offers in the same town

Review:

Like Viator, Tours by Locals allows you — the guide — to set the itinerary and price it, based on the amount of time it’s likely to take, your expenses and profit margin. You also determine how many people can participate in each tour.

The site takes 20% off the top — the same as Viator. However, Tours by Locals recently updated its terms to add that the site’s commission is subject to change. Harbinger of what’s to come? Yes. A company agent said the site plans to charge a 25% commission starting in February, 2021.

That makes Viator a somewhat better choice from a cost perspective. (Saddly, our favorite site for local tour guides, Vayable, folded in late 2019.) However, the site does have one advantage over Viator. It rejects new tour guide applicants if they are offering tours that would compete with tours offered by existing guides. Thus, if you design a tour that’s unique, it’s likely to remain unique here.

In their words: “We are committed to the success of our Tour Guides. Therefore, we may not accept additional Tour Guides in a particular area if we feel that the demand is satisfied by existing Tour Guides.” 

Although we were unable to find complaints or plaudits from tour guides, this is an employee-friendly structure, which explains the high Husl$core. If this opportunity appeals to you, also check Viator. If you are already in Europe, Asia or the United Arab Emirates, you may also want to sigh up at WithLocals.

What their tour guides say:

We found countless reviews from travelers but none from tour guides. If you have provided tour guide services for Tours By Locals, please hit “contact us” and tell us about the experience.

*Updated 12/21/2020