What: WithLocals allows you to get paid to set up tours, meals, cooking and craft classes for travelers in England, Europe, Asia, and the United Arab Emirates
Expected pay: set by you
Husl$core: $$$$
Commissions & fees: 20% for tours you organize and plan; 30% when WithLocals designs the program
Where: Belgium, Cambodia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, the Netherlands
Requirements: Have a meal or activity that you want to list for sale in the relevant geographies; good communication/language skills; Availability at least 3 days per week
Review:
WithLocals is an online platform that connects tourists looking for unique experiences with local guides, who can provide them. The site allows you to set the agenda for your tour; price it; state the dates and times it’s available. The site then books travelers to fit your tours. Tours can be for one person or a group. You set the rules.
If a tourist books through WithLocals, the site will pay you within three days of completing the tour. The site’s fee is 20% for the tours you set and arrange. If you choose to be a guide for a pre-existing itinerary set by WithLocals, you pay a 30% commission on the booking.
You are not financially penalized if you need to cancel a reservation, but it will drop you in the site’s heirarchy, making it more difficult to book future tours. If a client cancels a tour within 72-hours of the scheduled tour departure, the host is paid for the tour in full. If they cancel with less than 6 days notice, you get a 50% payment. Earlier cancellations are completely refunded.
While we found no host reviews, the site’s terms are very reasonable. Moreover, there are literally thousands of reviews from happy tourists, so it appears that WithLocals is effective at bringing in bookings. The one shortcoming: The site has a limited geographic reach and does not operate in the U.S. That said, it appears to be a great opportunity for expatriates, who want to earn money showing their former countrymen around and/or hosting dinner parties.
If you want to do the same job within the U.S., check out Tours by Locals, Viator and Vayable.