User Questions:
What can I do with my account?
With Gaido, you can discover recommendations on things to do, places to eat, and nightlife options curated by a network of local tour guides and experts. Users can book in-person tours and virtual trip planning consultations with the same experts. Gaido also provides trip planning tools and travel tips to make your planning process as smooth as possible.
Where do Gaido’s recommendations come from?
All of the recommendations featured on Gaido come from a network of expert local tour guides with extensive experience in the tourism industry. With Gaido, you can rest assured that we will never feature non-local, sponsored/promoted, or AI-generated recommendations. Not only do we source our recommendations from local experts, but every location is checked internally to ensure they meet our standards.
Who are Gaido’s guides?
Gaido only works with experienced local guides who are either born and raised in their city or have significant experience guiding in their region. With a team of over 30 guides spread across 3 continents, our experts have an average of 10 years of experience and speak three languages. Gaido specifically works with a small network of guides to ensure the highest quality.
What if the city I am traveling to isn’t offered?
Please request it through the app (under Settings) or on our website. Gaido is a new platform available in over 10 cities, but we aren’t available everywhere yet. We want to hear where you’d like us to go next!
Guided Tours and Virtual Itinerary Consultations
What types of tours are offered on Gaido?
Gaido allows our network guides to create unique tours based on their own specialties, experience, interests, and transportation preferences. As a result, we offer a wide variety of tour styles, unlike some platforms that restrict guides to specific topics and locations. All of our tours are private, with a maximum of 8 people.
What’s included/not included in a tour?
All inclusions and exclusions are noted in the specific tour’s description. Given the wide variety of tour offerings on Gaido, users should refer to the specific description for the tour they are interested in for information on inclusions, tickets for attractions, transportation, and more. If you have any questions about specific tour inclusions or exclusions, please include your question in the booking note or email [email protected].
How does pricing work?
The pricing shown during checkout is final and accurate. Payment includes the guide’s fee, service fees, and listed inclusions. The only additional costs are personal expenses and tips for guides. All pricing includes a 5% service charge to help cover foreign exchange and transfer fees.
I just scheduled/paid for a tour, is it confirmed?
Please allow our guides up to 48 hours to confirm their availability, transportation, and ticket availability. The guide will respond directly to the confirmation email confirming the appointment within the 48 hours window. If there are any issues, our guides will reach out promptly to reschedule. If there is any issue, customers are eligible for a full refund.
What is Gaido’s cancellation policy?
In-person tours: Users are entitled to a refund if the tour is canceled at least 7 days prior to the scheduled date. Tours canceled with less than 7 days’ notice are not eligible for a refund
Virtual itinerary consultations: Users are entitled to a refund if the consultation is canceled at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled consultation. Consultations canceled with less than 24 hours’ notice are not eligible for a refund. Please see Terms and Conditions for more detail.
What is a Virtual Itinerary Consultation?
A virtual itinerary consultation is a trip-planning video call with one of our local guides, conducted via Google Meet. During a Virtual Itinerary Consultation, users can connect with a local expert to help plan their upcoming trip based on their preferences. Users can ask our guides for recommendations on things to do, places to eat, nightlife options, where to stay, and more. Our local experts offer both 30-minute and 60-minute consultations. Guides are responsible for keeping track of time, and all calls will end once the agreed-upon time is up.
How do Consultations work?
Upon scheduling, you will receive a confirmation email containing a background and a link to the video call. Please fill out the form before the call, as this will help spend the scheduled time more efficiently. This form goes directly to the local guide, allowing them to better understand your preferences ahead of the call. On the day of the call, both you and the guide will join the video call, and the trip planning will commence!
Is a customized itinerary included with a consultation?
This is not included at the moment, but we plan to offer it as an additional add-on in the near future.
How do I get in touch with my Guide?
All guides receive customer contact information upon scheduling, and will reach out if needed. To get in touch with your guide, please respond directly to the confirmation email. Within a week of your scheduled tour, you can request your guide’s email or WhatsApp (preferred method) number to contact them with any questions. You can also ask general questions by emailing [email protected].
Prospective Guides
What is Gaido’s Mission?
Gaido’s goal is to introduce travelers to new cultures, experiences, and perspectives, and to become the world leader in responsible tourism, which is defined as ‘making better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit.
Who do we want to work with?
We aim to work with guides who are passionate about connecting travelers to their own culture in an authentic way. If you’re passionate about sharing your culture’s way of life, traditions, and perspectives, you’d be a great fit. We love collaborating with guides who are either born and raised in the area or have extensive experience working with private groups and English speakers.
Where do we want to work?
Gaido plans to expand in countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, North America, and Australia. If you’re interested in joining our guide network anywhere in the world, please register your interest.
Do I need to provide a list of recommendations to work with Gaido?
After signing our Guide Agreement, all guides are required to submit a list of recommendations categorized by Things to Do, Places to Eat, and Nightlife Options prior to profile upload. Most guides submit around 30-50 locations, though there are no specific requirements.
How do I guide for Gaido?
At Gaido, we are committed to maintaining a small, hand-picked network of local guides. As a result, we cannot accept all prospective guides. To register your interest, please use the form on our website or within the app (under Settings). Once you’ve done so, we will reach out to learn more about your experience and why you want to work with Gaido.