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Have you worked as (or with) free guides?
Have you worked as (or with) free guides?
was posted by Kate Bettes
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Featured on Sep 2, 2026 (1 month ago).
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...and is it ethical? My name is Kate Bettes. I'm a travel journalist who is currently doing research into what it is actually like to work as a free tour guide working within the tips guide model. I would love to hear from anyone who is worked in this space: whether you're a current guide, ex-guide, run a free tour company, hate it, or love it. I'd like to hear your opinion in the comments below - and if you were interested in talking to me about it in more detail over a call!
Hi Kate,
In my experince as tour operator working with free guide/freelancer (if am correct) is superb as most guide give the best. just go on and do what you think is the best for you.
Greetings from Tanzania
Interesting, thanks Alex! So you yourself don't work as a 'free' tour guide - you recommend them to your clients?
It is hard to say yes/no but surely i can recommend them to my clients
Hi Kate,
During the pandemic, we had a chance to test the free walking tour model with some of our tours, and it worked quite well. It helped us keep guides working while generating some revenue for the company.
It’s a very different, volume-driven business model. The average tip varies by destination but is often around $20 per person, so with a group of 10–15 people, there can be enough revenue for both the guide and the company.
I also spoke with guides who had worked with free walking tour companies, and many were quite satisfied with the earnings. The revenue split varies—sometimes 50/50, sometimes another arrangement—but for many guides, the model worked well, especially for two- or three-hour tours.
Hi Kate, I’m Dee Gorra . We’ve just started designing terraXvana, so this topic is very close to what we are currently exploring.
Our approach is a little different from the typical free-tour/tips model. We work with local villagers, train them to become local hosts and guides, and help them develop the confidence and skills to share their own stories, culture and landscape with visitors.
Instead of making the experience dependent on tips given personally to the guide, terraXvana uses an agreed admission / Green Ticket contribution that goes to the participating village.
Our thinking is simple: if the experience is created from the village’s land, stories, culture and people, then the benefit should not belong only to one guide. The community should be part of the value created by tourism.
We are still developing and testing the model, and I’d actually love to hear different perspectives on whether this approach is genuinely fair and ethical.
For us, sustainable tourism isn't about having the perfect answer. It's about continuously asking better questions.
Greetings from Bali
Hi everybody! My new page is ready: www.guidinghungary.com I will be glad, if you take a look on it! Kind regards, Mike with a mic - Budapest,Hungary
Hey Kate,
I started out as a tour coordinator for a free tour company in London, then worked as a free tour guide in Edinburgh. From there, I launched my own free tour company and eventually built a booking system specifically for free tour operators. Happy to answer any questions you have :)
Regarding the ethical side of it, I think there's nothing wrong if the guides get to keep a good share of the tips (although there are companies that can have quite predatory practices) but overall the guides can make a good salary for a few hours of work.
Hi Kate, can share perspective on this topic
Yes, I’ve worked closely with local guides and tourism professionals in Tanzania. One thing I’ve learned is that local guides bring a level of destination knowledge and cultural understanding that is difficult to replace.
For me, the interesting question is how we can balance the accessibility of free guiding with fair recognition, sustainable livelihoods, and professional standards for local guides. I’d be interested to hear how others have approached this in their destinations.
From a destination-focused perspective, I think the word “free” can sometimes create the wrong expectation. The experience may have no fixed upfront price, but the guide’s knowledge, preparation and time certainly have value.
For me, the model feels fair when that value is clearly communicated to travelers and guides have a transparent, sustainable way to earn from the experience. Accessibility for travelers shouldn’t come at the expense of the people interpreting the destination for them.