With our guest advisor concept, Friends.guide, we want to bring people together—connecting guides and travelers as equals. A journey is always tied to emotion. Checking off sights and staying in high-end comfort rarely create lasting memories; authentic activities and meaningful encounters with locals do.
While many platforms help travelers find locals online, our approach is different. A guide should be a friend. That means personal experiences designed for individuals or small families, spanning at least a full day. Guest advisors can design their own unique offers, and we also invite tour operators to share their guides on our platform. Instead of traditional reviews, we publish stories about these journeys to inspire future travelers.
Guides and travelers meet as equals. Travelers may often have more financial resources, but money isn’t everything when it comes to true human connection. We are deeply aware of global income inequality. A standard salary in Switzerland is high, while many people in India struggle to earn enough to survive. While Swiss travelers can easily afford a guide in India, how accessible is Switzerland for tourists coming from India?
Through our platform, we aim to promote genuine cultural exchange.
We also hope to support another initiative of ours—Interdoma—which remains a dream for now due to current political conditions. In the former Soviet Union, people spent summers at their dachas, growing vegetables and enjoying warm, friendly connections with their neighbors. Interdoma builds on this spirit of community and cross-cultural sharing.
Ultimately, we remain active on Couchsurfing and look forward to a brighter future for global travel.