Help Center
1. Booking a tour
How long does a guide take to accept?
Most guides answer within a few hours. Guides with the ⚡ Quick responder badge usually reply within an hour. The time you asked for is held for you while you wait.
Can I get a tour made just for us?
Yes. Message the guide with what you have in mind. They can send you a custom tour in the conversation — it appears on your screen straight away, and it is confirmed as soon as you book it.
What are essential collections?
Fixed-price private versions of a city's classic tours. Pick a date and we match you with a free, well-reviewed local guide. Browse collections.
2. Payments and deposits
The price you see is the total for your group. Your card is authorised when the guide accepts and charged after the tour. On tours marked “Book with a deposit” you can pay part now and the rest 48 hours before.
3. Cancelling
Withdrawing a request before the guide accepts is free. After that, the tour's cancellation policy — Flexible, Moderate or Strict — decides your refund. Cancel from My trips; we show the refund before you confirm. If your guide cancels, you always get a full refund. Full cancellation policy.
4. Messages and safety
Keep conversations on GuideConnect. Phone numbers, email addresses and outside links are hidden in messages; once a booking is confirmed, contact details appear on the booking itself. You get an email (and an SMS, if you choose) for every new message, and “Read” shows when the other side has seen yours. Never pay a guide outside GuideConnect — it is not covered by our protection. Why we ask this.
5. For guides
How do I stop bookings on days I'm busy?
Open Manage your calendar in your dashboard. Block half-hour slots, a whole day (“Block me all day”), a range of dates while you are away, or a repeating time every day or week — with a note so you remember why. While you are blocked you do not appear in searches for that date.
Will I be reminded about tours?
Yes — by default one month, one day and two hours before each confirmed tour. You can change this in the calendar and export your tours to Google, Apple or Outlook calendars with the reminders included.
What are guide levels?
Starter, Bronze, Silver and Gold. Quick replies, accepting requests, great reviews and completed tours move you up. Higher levels get a “Contact me” button, more visibility in search and essential collections, and Gold guides get the Quick responder badge.
How do I build a customised tour quickly?
Use Tours → Add new customised tour, or the + menu in a conversation. Start from “Blank template” or any of your tours — published, unpublished or an earlier customised tour — adjust it and send it. It is saved as a new tour, so the one you started from never changes. Unpublished tours are a handy place to keep templates.
Can I save a tour and finish it later?
Yes. Use “Save & exit” in the tour wizard at any step. The tour waits under Tours → Unpublished until you finish and publish it.
6. Guide payouts
When a tour is completed, what you receive is added to your balance. Press Pay me now under Payments → Balance and the money reaches your bank account in about two days. Payments → History itemises every booking: what the traveller paid, the GuideConnect fee and what you received.