Why You Should Always Check Your Tour Guide's Profile Before Booking?
Check Tour Guide's Profile Before Booking: 5 Recommended Tour Companies That Let You Know Your Guide in Advance
Introduction
When traveling abroad, while independent travel that allows you to explore sightseeing spots at your own pace is great, guided tours are highly recommended because they not only help you navigate popular tourist attractions without getting lost but also provide detailed explanations along the way.
In the past, it was often difficult to know about your guide beforehand, but with online booking becoming the mainstream method, more and more tour companies now allow you to check tour guide's profile before booking and make your selection.
This article will introduce tour companies that let you know about your guide in advance, along with their unique features.
By Using Tour Companies That Publish Guide Information, You Can Book with Confidence
When traveling abroad, many people choose to join tours led by guides who know the local area well, as it allows them to efficiently visit famous sightseeing spots. However, have you ever felt anxious because you couldn't find any information about your guide when booking a tour?
Nowadays, there are tour companies that publish guide information, and by entrusting your tour to such companies, you can minimize the risk of disappointment.
Conversely, if you don't know about your guide beforehand, you might not be able to fully enjoy the sightseeing spots you were looking forward to, or you might feel mentally exhausted because the guide's personality doesn't match well with your group.
Guide information includes not only guide ratings but also the number of tours conducted and customers served, making it an important indicator when choosing a tour.
Among these, Magical Trip is known for its reliability as guide photos and profile information are disclosed on their website, allowing users to check tour guide's profile before booking with peace of mind.
5 Recommended Tour Companies That Publish Guide Details
Magical Trip
Magical Trip provides guided tours for international visitors to Japan, covering not only popular tourist spots but also local hidden gems not found in guidebooks.
The company is renowned for offering an authentic local experience, with guides rooted in their communities leading tours across 13 popular tourist cities in Japan.
Magical Trip offers an impressive variety of attractive tours that only they can provide, including opportunities to taste popular Japanese cuisine and local specialties, as well as cultural experiences like watching sumo practice at a sumo stable or making matcha tea in a traditional tea room.
All tours include explanations from local guides, allowing you to enjoy sightseeing in Tokyo deeply and efficiently.
Among their many tours, some have earned the prestigious "Travelers' Choice Best of the Best" award from TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel review site, gaining significant popularity.
- Tokyo Bar Hopping Tour in Shinjuku
https://www.magical-trip.com/product/59afbefb-b0d9-4e10-9273-b6c59b81e345
- Shibuya Bar Hopping Tour
https://www.magical-trip.com/product/e97da2a4-a99c-4ec8-b2c2-e5e9ae25a8f6
- Fushimi Inari Hidden Hiking Tour
https://www.magical-trip.com/product/5375d9fa-7def-4938-b006-b97a44a4bd2e
ToursByLocals
Source:Wikipedia
ToursByLocals offers private tours where locals serve as guides, allowing you to experience destinations from a local's perspective. Tours are available in over 175 countries, with more than 5,000 guides on their roster.
A distinctive feature of ToursByLocals is that guides create original tours tailored to each traveler's interests and preferences. On these tours, you can visit only hidden gems known exclusively to locals or focus on specific spots of your choosing.
With ToursByLocals, you'll be guided from a unique local perspective, giving you the chance to discover new attractions at your destination! Join a tour customized just for you by ToursByLocals and enjoy a fulfilling tour experience.
This service is recommended for travelers who want a distinctive, in-depth sightseeing experience.
With Locals
Source:Official website
With Locals is a service that matches local guides with travelers, offering private tours for individuals or small groups. Headquartered in the Netherlands, they operate in over 55 countries.
Tours with With Locals are known for offering unique experiences that let you feel local life firsthand, such as food tours, bicycle tours, and cooking classes, through which you can learn about local culture and customs.
Additionally, tours can be customized according to travelers' interests and schedules, ensuring you get an experience perfectly suited to your needs. You'll find that your exciting tour time flies by in no time.
Why not fully experience local charm through With Locals' tours that value interaction with locals?
Japan Guide Agency
Source:Official website
Japan Guide Agency is a guide matching service for international visitors to Japan, offering private tours with over 450 programs available throughout Japan, as well as a wide range of attendant services including airport transfers, shopping assistance, and reception services.
Japan Guide Agency has over 600 Licensed Guide Interpreters (professionals with advanced language skills and tourism knowledge certified by the Japanese government), with an average of over 2,000 monthly matching achievements.
The service has excellent reviews from users and has even received the "Best of the Best Things to Do" award, given to the top 1% of outstanding businesses, at the "TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2025," a globally renowned travel platform.
Services are available from as little as one hour, so feel free to give it a try.
GoWithGuide
Source:Official website
GoWithGuide is a service that matches travelers worldwide with guides, based on the concept of "travel with an interpreter guide."
Users can select a guide that suits them on the website, communicate directly with them, and customize their travel schedule. Originally a Japan-focused service, it has now expanded to be used in over 88 countries.
With GoWithGuide, you can consult with your guide beforehand, which is an attractive feature as they can incorporate detailed requests into your tour. Additionally, support services are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so you can contact them at any time before or during your tour, providing peace of mind.
Instead of a pre-determined tour, why not create memorable experiences with a tour crafted together with your guide?
3 Benefits of Using a Tour Company That Publishes Guide Information – Check Tour Guide's Profile Before Booking
You Can Choose a Tour with the Knowledge and Atmosphere That Suits You
If guide information is disclosed in advance, you can learn about the guide's areas of expertise, background, and qualifications, allowing you to choose a tour with the knowledge and atmosphere that suits you.
Tours are offered with various concepts such as sightseeing, food, experiences, and learning, so check what types of tours each guide specializes in and what aspects of the tour highly-rated reviewers were satisfied with.
As you compare multiple guides, you'll find one with many things in common with you, and naturally be able to select your ideal tour.
You Have a Higher Chance of Enjoying a Deeper, More Authentic Experience
If you are guided by someone who specializes in areas that interest you, you can enjoy a deeper, more authentic experience.
A highly specialized guide can share history, cultural background, and stories that aren't written in guidebooks or pamphlets—things only a guide would know.
By thoroughly exploring tourist spots while receiving explanations from your guide, you're guaranteed to have a special tour experience unlike any other.
If something catches your curiosity, don't hesitate to ask your guide questions. A knowledgeable guide will be happy to share the details with you.
You No Longer Have to Wait Anxiously, Wondering If the Right Tour Guide Will Show Up
Have you ever felt anxious about the personality of the guide who would be leading your tour before participating? I always head to the meeting point feeling nervous when I don't know the guide information. However, if you can get a sense of the guide's personality from their photo and profile information beforehand, you can head to the meeting place with less anxiety!
This is especially reassuring when participating in a tour with children or elderly companions, as extra care is needed. It helps to confirm whether the guide has experience accommodating children or seniors. Check the guide's profile before booking and look forward to the day of your tour.
3 Risks of Booking with a Tour Company That Doesn't Publish Guide Information
An Inexperienced Guide May Be Assigned
When guide information is not disclosed, there is a possibility that an inexperienced guide may be assigned.
An inexperienced guide may lack knowledge about tourist destinations, provide insufficient explanations, be unable to respond flexibly to situations, or have inadequate understanding of cross-cultural interactions. Since you're paying to participate in a tour, you want to be guided by an experienced veteran who can provide smooth assistance.
At magical trip, you can check tour guide's profile before booking. When guide information is available, you can review the guide's years of experience and reviews in advance, eliminating any gap between your expectations and reality on the day, allowing you to enjoy a highly satisfying tour.
A Guide with a Poor Reputation May Be Assigned
With some tour companies, there is a possibility that a guide with a poor reputation may be assigned.
Guides with many negative factors—such as not sincerely answering participants' questions, displaying inappropriate behavior in public places, or failing to make reservations at tourist spots or restaurants—may cause various troubles during the tour.
A tour that doesn't run smoothly betrays users' expectations and results in dissatisfaction.
magical trip publishes guide reviews on its website, so you can check not only positive feedback but also negative opinions. (In reality, there are hardly any negative reviews.)
By selecting your guide based on the voices of customers who have actually participated in tours, you can more easily achieve a fulfilling sightseeing experience.
A Guide May Be Assigned to a Tour Outside Their Area of Expertise
It's also possible that a guide may be assigned to a tour in a genre different from their specialty.
If a different guide than usual leads the tour for some reason, not only might participants miss out on knowledge about tourist attractions they want to learn about, but the guide may also overlook location-specific precautions, be unable to respond flexibly to troubles, and fail to fully enjoy the tour's highlights. This would be no different from traveling independently.
With magical trip, you can learn about guide information in advance, making it easy to imagine how well-versed the guide is in the tourist destination and how exciting your tour experience will be.
Magical Trip Takes Various Measures to Prevent Mismatches with Tours and Tour Guides
Magical Trip has implemented various features such as allowing you to check tour details and guide reviews on their website, as well as adjusting tours according to your requests. By viewing guide information and communicating with guides in advance, you can prevent mismatches with both the tour itself and the guide. Check Tour Guide's Profile Before Booking to ensure the best possible experience.
You Can Check Individual Tour Guide Ratings and Participant Reviews in Advance
On the official Magical Trip website, guide ratings and participant reviews are listed, so be sure to check them.
From the voices of people who have actually participated in tours, you can learn what type of person each tour is suited for, the guide's personality, and the highlights.
By referring to these valuable participant reviews, you can prevent mismatches with guides and enjoy a wonderful time that exceeds your expectations.
Thorough Pre-Tour Consultation Allows You to Create an Itinerary That Truly Matches You
With tours that have pre-determined itineraries, there may be places where you want to spend more time or places you don't need to visit.
With Magical Trip, you can contact your guide in advance and communicate the places you want to go and your interests, so the guide can propose an itinerary that truly matches you. Conduct thorough consultation with your guide beforehand and enjoy your private guided tour to the fullest.
Fine Adjustments Can Be Made According to Traveler Attributes and Requests
With Magical Trip, itineraries and options can be adjusted according to each traveler's attributes, such as families with children, elderly travelers, vegan, halal, or vegetarian dietary requirements, and whether this is your first, second, or subsequent visit to Japan, allowing you to select the optimal tour for yourself.
Since guides flexibly accommodate traveler attributes and requests, you can fully enjoy a tour exactly as you envisioned.
