Meet Simone, your Sardinia expert!
🌍 Lives in: Cagliari
Regions of expertise: Everywhere in Sardinia
Experience: 20 years guiding and designing trips
Languages: English, Italiano, Español, Français, Sardo
Simone’s specialties:
Get to know Simone!
A note from Simone
"Buongiorno, io sono Simone, The Sardinian Guy! I live in lively Cagliari, Sardinia’s capital and a quintessential Mediterranean town, with my wife Giorgina and our two kids Vittoria and Federico Costantino. They are very young and yes, I’m always late :) We love our home here in Sardinia and often have guests and friends dining in our terrace.
I've been guiding and designing trips in Sardinia and all around Italy for almost two decades, but my journey in tourism started straight out of university many years ago.
After a BA degree I did a master in tourism, then spent six months in South Africa, learning the potential of my island in outdoor and wine tourism before coming home to manage the excursion center of Forte Village Resort, a major luxury resort in Pula on the southern coast.
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Currently, I’m involved in many tourism related fields, and often consult for local communities to promote our Island as a destination for active and experiential tourism. In 2023, I’ve been curating a series of outdoor guide books published by Lonely Planet. So, I think it's fair to say that I do a bit of everything!
I’ve had a lot of wonderful guests over the decades, many of whom have become friends. One thing I've found to hold true is that my guests are (almost always) as magical as my beautiful island!"
Sardinia Travel Consultations
Sit down with Simone for a one-hour planning session to get his expert advice and the best local tips and recommendations.
Our travel consultations are the perfect solution for do-it-yourself travelers who want to plan on their own, but could use some expert local advice. Each consultation is personalized, and Simone is available to help in whatever way you need.
From working on your itinerary and advising on routes and transportation, to ideas for off the beaten path destinations and truly authentic experiences, he's got you covered.
For the best local advice, go ask a local!
Why plan with Simone
Spend 60 minutes tapping into Simone’s hyperlocal expertise to plan a better trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Consultations cost $150 USD.
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Consultations are held over Google Meet. Once you’ve scheduled your call, you’ll receive a confirmation email containing the link for your video call. On the scheduled day and time, just click that link to join.
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Each consultation is different, but here are some common things that our experts typically help with:
Itinerary planning
Transportation, driving routes, and tips for how to get around
Practical travel information; culture, safety, weather, language, money/tipping, etc.
Suggested hotels/accommodations and advice on where to base yourself
Local recommendations for restaurants, activities, and unique experiences
Advice on reputable tour guides, tour operators, and excursions
Pro tips on how to best visit popular sights and attractions
Ways to avoid overcrowded destinations and tourist traps
Insider ideas on off the beaten path places, authentic experiences, and ways to connect with locals
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What you can get done in an hour depends on your goals for the consultation and how organized you are coming into it.
In most cases, an hour is ample time to create a solid itinerary, answer your major travel questions, get practical advice on how to travel in your destination, and discuss lots of great local tips and recommendations.
To ensure that the hour is used efficiently, when you schedule your call, our pre-consultation questionnaire will ask you what your primary goals for the consultation are. Prior to the call, your Local Expert will review your questionnaire and prepare detailed information addressing those goals.
They’ll come into the call ready to share specific advice, recommendations, itinerary ideas/revisions, and useful links and resources for you to review together.
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Yes! Each consultation is guided by a comprehensive pre-consultation questionnaire that you fill out immediately upon booking.
We’ll ask you a series of 30+ detailed questions that really dig into you, your trip, your interests and travel style, and what you want to discuss with your Local Expert.
The questionnaire will cover things like: the dynamics of your group, the things you enjoy while traveling, your budget, how early you want to start your day and how late you want to end it, whether you want to hit the highlights or roam the back streets, and even what types of restaurants you want to eat at.
Your Local Expert will focus only on your interests and travel style.
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Our Local Experts are seasoned travel professionals who have spent decades working in their countries/regions. While their personal interests may be different from yours, they’ve worked with thousands of travelers and have recommendations and advice for every type of individual.
They know their destinations in-depth and can help plan a trip for every traveler and taste.
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No. Our service is geared toward independent, do-it-yourself travelers who intend to make bookings on their own.
Our goal is not to plan your trip for you, but rather to help you plan a better trip independently. To that end, our Local Experts will give you all of the information that you need to confidently put your trip together yourself.
When Local Experts recommend things like restaurants, hotels, excursions/activities, tours, drivers, etc., they’ll provide you with contact details and links so that you can make the final arrangements on your own.
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Almost every Go Ask A Local expert has at least 10 years of professional travel experience as a guide or trip planner in their country/region.
We work with a vetted team of seasoned professionals who know their destinations inside and out.
Unlike other companies, when you book a call, you’ll always be connected directly with your chosen Local Expert. We never pass anyone on to a junior sales associate or some anonymous back office team. With us, what you see is what you get.
Ready to plan with Simone?
Here’s how to schedule your consultation:
Private Guided Tours of Sardinia
In addition to our Sardinia Travel Consultations, Simone is also a local guide. He offers tours, day trips, and multi-day excursions all over Sardinia.
All of Simone’s tours can be fully customized. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, send him a message to discuss what you could cook up together.
Please note: the tour links below will take you to our sister platform, Guides of Italia. It’s the same Simone, just on a different website!