Digital Traveler: Websites link travelers to tour guides

— -- There are two types of travelers: Those who like to explore on their own and those who like to hire tour guides.

If chosen wisely, tour guides can enhance a trip. But finding a knowledgeable, trustworthy and amiable guide is as difficult as finding a good date.

Now, a number of websites — LocalGuiding, PrivateGuide.com and Viator among them — would like to make it easier. Call it the Match.com for tour guides.

They all work similarly: Each guide has a profile page, list of languages spoken, customer reviews and credentials. Each offers one or more tours. Prices vary from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars. Travelers can book their trips directly online by placing a deposit. The website takes a commission and vouches for the guide.

But can you trust them? Many of the guides have scans of tour-guide licenses on their pages, but in most cases, they're in another language. Tora Borstrom, project manager of PrivateGuide.com, says the company tries to double-check the licenses with the tour-guide associations, "but, to be honest, it is not always possible. Not all associations are ready for collaboration."

For the most part, the websites rely on reviews from past clients, much like other travel review sites, such as TripAdvisor. "Tour guides depend on receiving good customer ratings for their tours; otherwise, the chances of getting further customers in the future are low," says Robert Blessing, founder of LocalGuiding, which launched this summer.

But just like TripAdvisor, it's hard to tell between fake and legitimate reviews. Looking at some of the "customer" reviews of one particular guide on LocalGuiding, it appeared that the guide had posted them himself. After being alerted to it, Blessing said, "We are going to take out these reviews and will change our system to ensure that guides can't give themselves reviews."

In other cases, many of the guides have only a handful of reviews, if any. Good thing many of the sites offer money-back guarantees. "If we ever get reports of poor service, quality or questionable behavior, we investigate and remove operators and guides who no longer meet our standards," says Viator's Kathie Gonzalez.

LocalGuiding

Overview: Gives travelers access to nearly 1,000 guides in about 100 countries. Has featured adventures such as a tasting and cooking tour in Mexico City and a pub crawl in Dublin.

Pros: Tries to be interactive. Travelers can post questions and guides can give tips. A recently launched Tour Requests section lets people list specific requirements and get personalized offers.

Cons: The community is still so small that many questions posed in the Local Advice section are unanswered. Many guides have no ratings or reviews. Entire countries are missing. You can find a guide in Myanmar but not in Colombia.

Takeaway: Could be dynamic if it attracts more users and guides. For now, it's a bit anemic.

PrivateGuide.com

Overview: Founded in 2010. Has enlisted about 1,000 guides in 98 countries.

Pros: Simple interface. You pick a destination and a guide, then book it. Lets you sort guides and tours by rating and price. Guide profile pages are laid out nicely. Tells you if the guide has a car, the make and model and whether it's air-conditioned. Top destinations such as China have their own pages with blog posts and a list of guides and tours by city.