Plans on GuruWalk: Hobby and PRO, how do they work?

Plans on GuruWalk: Hobby and PRO, how do they work?

On GuruWalk, you can offer your tour under two plans: Hobby, which is free but comes with operational limits, or PRO, a paid plan without those limits and with extra visibility and management benefits. In this article, we'll walk you through how each one works so you can choose the one that best fits the way you guide.

Hobby plan

The Hobby plan is the free way to offer your tour on GuruWalk, with no upfront cost and no time limit. It's ideal if you're just getting started or guiding occasionally. In exchange for not paying commission, the plan comes with a set of operational limits designed to keep the platform balanced.

Hobby plan limits

  1. 1 tour per account.
  2. Maximum 5 travelers per event (children under 15 don't count toward the limit).
  3. Maximum 2 non-overlapping events per day.
  4. 20 free bookings per month.

The 20 monthly bookings limit

How are the 20 bookings counted?
They're counted by the booking's creation date, not by the date the tour actually takes place.

Do cancellations and no-shows count?
Yes. All bookings count toward the monthly limit regardless of what happens afterward. Whether the traveler cancels, doesn't show up, or completes the tour, the booking counts from the moment it's received.

Is it counted per booking, per traveler, or per attendee?
The limit is calculated per booking, not per person. A booking for 5 people counts the same as a booking for 1 person.

What happens when I reach 20 bookings?
Once you reach your 20th booking of the month, our team will get in touch to walk you through your two options:
  1. Keep receiving bookings and pay for the extra ones: your tour stays open, and at the end of the month you're charged only for the bookings received beyond the 20 free ones.
  2. Don't pay and close the tour temporarily: your tour closes and reopens the following month, at no cost and with no penalty.

PRO plan

The PRO plan is designed for guides and agencies who want to take their activity to a professional level, without the limits of the Hobby plan and with extra positioning advantages.

PRO plan advantages

  1. Better positioning: PRO tours are prioritized by the algorithm and placed in the top spots for each destination, where the highest percentage of bookings is received on average.*
    *Only very specific or unique Hobby tours (sole available time slot or language) could occasionally rank above a PRO tour.
  2. No Hobby plan limits:
    1. No maximum limit on travelers per event (you set it yourself).
    2. You can create several tours, depending on supply and demand at the destination.
    3. You can create more than 2 time slots a day.
    4. No monthly booking limit.
  3. Trust: a visible PRO badge for travelers, plus the chance to qualify for the Recommended Label.


How does the PRO plan work?

The PRO plan runs on an advertising balance, displayed and managed in euros. It works like a prepaid balance account: if you use it, you spend it; if you don't, you don't.

Balance consumption

  1. Per attendee: when you run a tour, the amount corresponding to the people who attend is deducted from your balance. If you don't run a tour the next day, you don't consume any balance.
  2. Dynamic pricing: the amount per attendee varies depending on the destination, language, and demand, and is shown before it's charged.
  3. What doesn't consume balance: traveler cancellations, no-shows, and your own justified cancellations. A no-show only applies when the traveler who booked didn't show up at all; travelers who show up but don't finish the tour still count as attendees and do consume balance.
  4. Attendance confirmation (check-in):  you have 48 hours to check in and confirm attendance (or non-attendance) of travelers. After that period, the corresponding adjustments are made to your balance. You can find all the information about this process in this article.

Balance top-ups

You need to keep a valid card on file with automatic top-ups enabled. That way, when your balance drops below a certain threshold, it's topped up automatically so your tour's advertising isn't interrupted. You can also top up manually whenever you like.
  1. Non-refundable: any balance that's been topped up but not used isn't refundable, whether in cash or by any other means.
  2. Expiry: the balance expires 2 years after the last activity on your account (top-up or spend). Before it expires, you'll be notified with reasonable notice so you can use up the available balance.
  3. Use within GuruWalk: the balance can be used by different users within the same account, but it isn't transferable between different accounts, exchangeable for cash, or usable outside the platform.


Requirements to access PRO

  1. Have earned at least 15 reviews and a score of 4.80 or higher on your tour.
  2. There needs to be a balance between supply and demand at your destination, with availability for new PRO profiles.

How to apply:
Go to "My Tours" and click the "Become PRO" button.

If you meet the requirements, you'll be able to complete the application, and our team will review PRO profile availability at your destination. No application goes unreviewed, though not all of them receive a positive response.

Plan comparison

You can find more details about the PRO plan in this article.
To review the complete and current terms, visit our Terms and Conditions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens once I reach 20 bookings in a month on the Hobby plan?

Our team will get in touch to walk you through your options. You can choose to keep receiving bookings, in which case you're charged at the end of the month only for the bookings received beyond the 20 free ones; or you can choose not to pay and let your tour close until the following month, at no cost and with no penalty. Neither option is mandatory — it's up to you.

How are the 20 monthly bookings counted — by booking date or by tour date?

By creation date, meaning the moment the booking is made, not the day the tour actually takes place.

Do traveler cancellations or no-shows count toward the 20 free bookings on the Hobby plan?

Yes. All bookings count toward the limit regardless of what happens afterward: cancellation, no-show, or attendance — the booking counts from the moment it's received.

Are bookings counted per booking, per traveler, or per attendee on the Hobby plan?

They're counted per booking, not per traveler. A booking for 5 people counts the same as a booking for 1 person.

If my Hobby tour closes, what happens to bookings I already had confirmed before the closure?

Confirmed bookings stay unchanged. The closure only affects your ability to receive new bookings; events that are already booked still go ahead as planned.

Can I switch to PRO at any time, or only once I hit the Hobby booking limit?

You can request the switch to PRO at any time from "My Tours," as long as you meet the requirements (at least 15 reviews and a 4.80 rating) — there's no need to wait until you hit the booking limit.

On the PRO plan, do traveler no-shows or cancellations deduct from my balance?

No. Your balance is only consumed by actual attendees. Traveler cancellations, no-shows, and your own justified cancellations don't consume balance.

On the PRO plan, do traveler no-shows or cancellations deduct from my balance?

Yes, it expires 2 years after the last activity on your account (top-up or spend). Before it expires, you'll be notified with reasonable notice so you can use it up. In any case, it's non-refundable and non-transferable between accounts.

How do I top up my PRO plan's advertising balance?
You need a valid card on file with automatic top-ups enabled: when your balance drops below a certain threshold, it's topped up automatically so your advertising isn't interrupted. You can also top up manually whenever you like.
 

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