How to Customize any Tour

Private tours are fabulous for a number of reasons: you’re spending time with a friendly local, instead of following a flag in a crowd of people; you’re going at your own pace, having real conversations and feeling like you’re exploring with a friend. Maybe most notably: you’re doing what you want to do, not what someone else’s itinerary dictates. Every tour on ToursByLocals is unique, and every one is customizable, personalised to your interests.

So how do you go about customizing a tour? Easy.

First, browse the existing tours for the destination you’re interested in. We try to include all the information you need to see whether the tour - and the guide - is a good fit for you. You can read descriptions of the experience, how many people it accommodates, what sort of transportation (if any) is involved, pricing, reviews, and you can also click through to the guide’s profile to learn more about their areas of expertise.

Once you see a tour - or a guide - that you really like, you can start a conversation by clicking on the green message button shown below, in this example.



This will prompt you to login (if you haven’t already) and then take you to the messaging platform where you can send a message directly to your chosen guide. When the guide responds to your message, you’ll get an email notifying you, and you can either respond from that email, or login to your account to continue the conversation. Once you’ve agreed upon the tour details, your guide will send you a link to book. Done!

What sort of things can guides change about a tour? Well, pretty much everything. You might see an existing tour option that is almost exactly what you want, but is a little too long, or doesn’t accommodate enough people, or stops at one place you’re not interested in. Guides are very happy to amend itineraries, or to procure a larger vehicle for slightly bigger groups. They can also change pick up and drop off points. Sometimes people want to get picked up at the airport, take a tour, then get dropped off at their hotel, or maybe a cruise ship. All options are open.

There’s also a chance that you won’t see a tour itinerary that comes close to what you want to do. Many of us have unique passions and ideas when it comes to travel, and the right guide can accommodate the unusual too! A prime example is family history tours, which are incredibly unique to the individual requesting them. You may wish to trace your roots to a small village in southern Poland where few tourists venture, for instance; not only can the right guide get you there, but they can help with genealogy research and translation that makes the experience of connecting with your ancestors (or maybe even living relatives) unforgettable.

Every customized tour starts with a simple request. So don’t be shy: send one or more guides a message. Introduce yourself, and see what’s possible.