Guides for independent tour guides
Practical, honest advice for running a one-person tour business: licensing and startup costs, filling your calendar without losing your margin to commissions, choosing booking software (or skipping it), and the day-to-day systems that keep tours running smoothly.
Tour guide earnings calculator
What do you actually keep? Compare a marketplace commission, your own booking page and a plain payment link on your own numbers.
SeriesLicensing by country
Do you need a licence to guide in Italy, Spain, Japan and beyond? A browsable index of country-by-country rules, costs and reality.
DataTour guide industry statistics (2026)
Key statistics on the tours & activities industry: market size, OTA commissions, guide earnings and booking behaviour — with sources to check.
Featured guides
How to start a tour guide business in 2026 (step-by-step)
Start a tour guide business step by step: pick a niche, handle licensing and insurance, set prices, and get your first bookings — in any country.
Getting bookingsDirect bookings for tour guides: the complete playbook
Reduce your OTA commission bill. How independent guides win direct bookings through their own page, Google, reviews and repeat guests.
Booking softwareBooking software for independent tour guides (2026)
How solo tour guides choose booking software: pricing models, per-booking fees, calendar sync, and when a spreadsheet is still enough.
Tour guide industry statistics (2026)
Key statistics on the tours & activities industry: market size, OTA commissions, guide earnings and booking behaviour — with sources to check.
