Become a guide
Become a VELO Guide
Turn your passion for Alberta into unforgettable experiences.
Whether you’re an experienced guide or a local expert, VELO helps you reach travellers looking for authentic adventures led by someone who truly knows the area.
A community is built on trust, mutual respect, and shared values. At VELO, we are building a community where any local person can become a tour guide and share their stories, culture, and daily life with travellers from around the world.
We make this journey easier by handling the work behind the scenes (marketing your tours, managing bookings, processing payments, and supporting your customers) so you can focus on what you do best: creating and delivering safe, meaningful experiences for every traveller you meet.
Why guide with VELO
Get discovered by the right travellers
VELO helps connect your expertise with travellers looking for specific destinations, experiences, interests, and languages. Your profile, experiences, and posts help travellers discover what makes your guiding style unique.
Guide on your terms
Offer private, custom, or group experiences, set your own availability, and choose the bookings that fit your schedule and interests.
Set your own rates
You decide how to price your experiences. Keep pricing transparent, show travellers exactly what they pay, and stay in control of your business.
We simplify bookings and payments
Manage bookings, secure payments through Stripe, and communicate with travellers directly through VELO, so you can spend more time creating great experiences.
Build trust with verification
Every VELO guide goes through a verification process, helping travellers book with confidence while giving you a trusted profile that stands out.
What makes you discoverable
Travellers discover guides based on what makes each experience unique. Your profile, experiences, and content help connect you with travellers looking for:
How it works
Apply to join
Tell us about yourself, your experience, and what makes your guiding style unique.
Get verified
Complete VELO’s verification process so travellers can book with confidence.
Build your presence
Create your profile, list your experiences, add photos, share your expertise, and showcase your languages and background.
Get bookings and get paid
Receive booking requests, message travellers directly, and get paid securely for every confirmed experience.
Who can join VELO?
VELO is built for local experts who want to share their knowledge of Alberta and the Canadian Rockies with travellers from around the world.
Whether you’re a professional guide, an experienced tour operator, or someone who knows a place deeply and wants to create meaningful experiences, there’s a place for you on VELO.
You can join if you offer:
Guided outdoor adventures
Share your knowledge of hiking trails, wildlife, mountain landscapes, photography spots, and outdoor experiences across Alberta.
Private and custom experiences
Create personalized tours built around your interests, whether it’s a scenic Rockies day, a family adventure, or a hidden-gem itinerary.
Cultural and local experiences
Help travellers discover Alberta through food, history, communities, traditions, and stories that go beyond typical sightseeing.
Specialized expertise
Offer experiences based on your unique skills and passions, from photography and nature to cycling, wellness, local attractions, and more.
Multilingual guiding
Speak another language? That’s a valuable advantage. Travellers often look for guides who can share Alberta in Spanish, Mandarin, French, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and other languages.
You don’t need to be a large tour company to join VELO. What matters is your local knowledge, your passion for sharing Alberta, and your ability to create memorable experiences for travellers.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to join VELO?
Creating a VELO guide profile is free, and there are no upfront costs to list your experiences. VELO charges a low service fee only on confirmed bookings, allowing us to provide traveller discovery, secure payments, messaging tools, and platform support while you focus on guiding. We aim to keep our fees competitive and guide-friendly. Our exact commission structure is available upon request.
How do I get paid?
Payments are processed securely through Stripe for confirmed bookings.
What are the requirements to become a private or local guide on VELO?
To join VELO, you should have strong knowledge of the places you guide and a passion for creating meaningful experiences for travellers. We welcome professional guides, tour operators, and local experts who want to share their expertise.
Every guide completes VELO’s verification process, which may include identity verification, background review, and community validation. Some experiences (especially those in national parks or regulated areas) may require specific licences, permits, or certifications. We’ll help you understand what applies to your experience.
Do I need to be a licensed or certified guide?
Not every experience requires formal certification. However, certain activities, locations, or experiences (especially those in national parks or regulated areas) may require specific licences, permits, or insurance. VELO will help you understand any requirements that apply to your experience.
Will VELO send me bookings?
VELO helps travellers discover guides based on their interests, destinations, languages, and the experiences they are looking for. Your profile, experiences, and posts help travellers understand what makes you unique and increase your chances of being discovered.
Can I choose my own prices and schedule?
Yes. Guides set their own rates, availability, experience details, and the types of experiences they offer. You stay in control of how you run your guiding business.
Can I offer tours in more than one language?
Yes. Multilingual guides are highly valued by travellers looking for more personalized experiences. You can list every language you guide in on your profile so travellers can find you more easily.
What types of experiences can I offer on VELO?
VELO welcomes a wide range of local experiences across Alberta and the Canadian Rockies, including private tours, outdoor adventures, photography experiences, cultural experiences, food experiences, and custom itineraries.
What can I do to help travellers discover my profile?
Guides can improve their visibility by creating a complete profile, adding high-quality photos, sharing local knowledge through posts, and keeping their experiences updated. The more travellers understand about your expertise, interests, and guiding style, the easier it is for the right travellers to find you.