Request and confirm a tour

Booking a tour on Rainbow Tour Guides happens in two stages: you send a request, and the guide accepts it before any money changes hands. Here's the full flow from start to finish.

1. Fill in your tour details

From a guide's profile, choose:

1. The city for your tour (if the guide serves more than one).
2. Your date and how many days (most tours are a single day; some guides allow multi-day bookings — see Multi-day tours).
3. How many travelers are coming (see Group size and extra travelers).
4. Your tour duration — 4, 6, or 8 hours (see Choose a tour duration).
5. Your requested meeting time and where you'd like to meet.
6. Any special requests, like accessibility needs or must-see spots.

As you fill this in, the price panel updates live so you can see exactly what you'd pay before requesting anything.

2. Send your request

Tap Request Booking. This sends your request to the guide — you are not charged yet. Your pricing is locked in at this moment: if the guide later changes their rates, your request keeps the price you saw when you sent it.

3. The guide reviews your request

The guide can accept or decline. There's no fixed deadline for their response, and you can cancel your pending request at any time if your plans change — see Waiting for a guide to respond and When a guide declines.

4. Pay to confirm

Once the guide accepts, your booking moves to a Payment Required state and you'll get a secure payment link. Paying is what makes the booking confirmed — see Pay for a booking for the details, including the saved-card option some travelers use.

5. What confirmed unlocks

Once your booking is confirmed:

• Chat with your guide unlocks, so you can coordinate final details — see Message your guide.
• Your guide's contact details become visible on your booking page.
• Your booking appears under "Upcoming" in your bookings dashboard.

Tracking your request

You can follow every stage of your booking — Pending, Payment Required, Confirmed, Completed, or Declined — from your bookings dashboard. Each booking page shows the full breakdown of what you're paying and why.

Still need help?

If your plans change after you've sent a request, see Change a booking date or time. For pricing questions, Understand tour pricing breaks down every line item.