Travel Consultations with in-destination Local Experts
In-depth local insight
Personalized advice
Stress-free planning
If you’ve ever planned a trip and found yourself saying “I wish I could ask a local what they recommend”, we get you.
And at Go Ask A Local, that’s exactly what we let you do! We connect travelers with locally-based travel professionals to get help planning a better trip.
Our travel consultations are just what they sound like - the chance for you to spend an hour planning your trip with input from a local who actually lives there.
During a call, you’ll get to ask all your unanswered questions, get local tips and advice, learn about things you’ve never heard of (and won’t find in your guidebook), and perfect your itinerary with a legitimate expert.
At the end of the day, what we do is simple. But the results are extraordinary.
What is a Travel Consultation?
Our travel consultations are one-hour video calls, held over Zoom or Google Meet, during which you’ll get to connect with a local travel expert who is based in your destination.
You’ll spend the hour discussing your trip, getting answers to your questions, and creating or perfecting your itinerary.
Your local expert will share lots of local tips and recommendations as well as hyper personalized advice so that you’re planning a trip that’s just right for you.
Why plan with a local?
Plan independently, but with expert advice
We know that most people don’t want to hire a travel agent to plan their whole trip. But trip planning is stressful and blogs and forums can only get you so far. Sometimes you could use some help!
By planning with a Go Ask A Local expert, you get the best of both worlds; complete control over your trip and the freedom to make your own arrangements, but with the in-depth knowledge of a professional who specializes in the place you’re traveling to.
Bonafide destination experts
The vast majority of Local Experts on our site are licensed local guides with a minimum of 10 years of professional travel experience in their country/region.
We exclusively work with travel professionals who have made exploring their region - and helping others do the same - their life’s work. They know their destinations inside and out and are practically living guidebooks.
Recommendations perfectly tailored to you
Your one-hour call is guided by a detailed pre-consultation questionnaire that really digs into your interests, travel style, budget, goals for the consultation, and lots more.
Your Local Expert will review all this info before the meeting, ensuring that they use the time efficiently and come into the call already prepared with recommendations and advice that are perfectly tailored to you.
Save time. Plan smarter. Have a better trip
Planning an international trip takes dozens of hours and often leaves you with more questions than answers. When spending thousands of dollars and with limited vacation time on the line, you don’t want to leave things to chance.
In just an hour with one of our Local Experts, you’ll vastly cut down on your planning time, walk away with all your questions answered, and know that you’re making the right choices.
How to schedule a consultation
Step 1 - Find a local expert you like
First, head over to our destinations page and find the country that you’re traveling to. Once you navigate there, you’ll see a list of all the available Local Experts for that country.
For most countries, Local Experts are able to advise on the entire country. However, for some, like Italy and Spain, we have local experts who cover the entire country as well as other who specialize in specific regions.
You can look through the Local Experts’ profile pages and find the person who’s the best fit for your trip.
Step 2 - Schedule your call
Once you’re ready to schedule, you’ll just want to click any of the green “book a consultation” buttons on your chosen Local Expert’s page. This will open up their calendar and let you select an available day and time for your call.
3 - Fill out our pre-consultation questionnaire
After you’ve scheduled, you’ll be automatically re-directed to our pre-consultation questionnaire. The questionnaire is a series of about 30 questions that really digs into your interests, your travel style, the trip you’re trying to plan, and what you want to talk about with your Local Expert.
The Zoom link for your consultation will be sent to you in an email confirmation as soon as you schedule.
4. Join your Zoom meeting
On the day and time of your call, you’ll just need to find that confirmation email (we send out reminder emails too) and click the link. When you do, your Local Expert will let you into the meeting room and you’ll be able to start planning!
What to expect from a consultation
One-hour video call with a local expert
Jump on a one-hour video call with one of our local experts and talk to someone who has helped thousands of travelers discover their city, region, and country.
Here’s some of what you’ll get during a consultation:
Answers to all your travel questions
An “expert-approved” itinerary
The best local tips & advice
Recommendations on restaurants, hotels, activities, tours, etc.
Help navigating transportation
Recommendations & advice personalized to you
Every consultation is unique and is customized entirely to you and your trip.
Prior to your consultation you’ll fill out a detailed questionnaire that asks you 30 questions about you and your travel partners, your trip, your interests, and your goals for the consultation. Your expert will use your responses to prepare personalized recommendations and advice in advance.
When you get on your call, your expert will be ready with ideas perfectly tailored to your interests and travel style.
All the resources you need to finalize your plan
Your expert will send you written notes, links, and other helpful resources directly via the chat box during the consultation so that you can enjoy the conversation and don’t have to spend the hour frantically taking notes.
When they recommend things like hotels, activities, and local guides, they’ll share links and direct contact information so that you have everything you need to make arrangements on your own.
No commissions and no sales pitches. Ever.
Your expert will never try to sell you something.
They’ll provide lots of recommendations and advice, but will give you all the information that you need to make arrangements and reservations on your own should you decide to book something.
We don’t sell any 3rd party services and will never make a commission on something that our experts recommend. That means that you can rest assured that you’re getting honest info with no ulterior motives.
Cost
Consultations cost $150 USD.
This includes the hour that you’ll spend on Zoom/GMeet together as well as the time that your Local Expert dedicates to preparing for the call.