What It's Actually Like to Rent a Local Friend, From First Message to Goodbye

Most people who search for "rent a local friend" aren't asking what it is. They're asking what it feels like, because the idea of paying a stranger to hang out sounds either brilliant or deeply strange, and nothing in between.

Here is what actually happens, step by step.

Before: browsing and the first message

You start by browsing Local Friends in the city you're visiting. A profile shows a photo, languages, what they like doing, their hourly rate and, if they've completed it, a verification badge.

The first message is the hardest part, and it's easier than it looks. The ones that work say three things:

• When you're there
• What kind of day you'd like ("I love food and hate museums", "first time abroad, a bit nervous", "want to see where people actually go out")
• Anything practical: you don't speak Spanish, you're off a cruise ship until 5pm, you're travelling with your mum

Message two or three people. Someone will reply first, and the reply tells you a lot.

The chat: agreeing the plan

This is where it stops being abstract. The Local Friend suggests what they'd do with you, you adjust it, and you agree:

• the plan, roughly
• how long
• the rate, and what it includes (transport, food, entry fees)
• where to meet: somewhere public and easy to find

Keep this on the platform until you've met. It's safer, and it means everything you agreed is written down.

The first ten minutes

You'll recognise them from their photo. There's a handshake or a wave, a slightly formal "so, how was your flight", and a moment where you both wonder how this is going to go.

Then you start walking, and it's fine. There's something to do, which is what makes it easier than a date or a networking event: you're both looking at the same street, and they know things about it you don't.

The middle: where it stops being a transaction

Somewhere around the first coffee or the first meal, it changes. You're asking real questions ("what do people here actually earn?", "where do you go on a Sunday?") and getting real answers. They're asking about where you're from.

This is the thing a tour can't sell you. A guide has a script and a group. A Local Friend has an afternoon and one person, and the day bends around what you turn out to be interested in.

The end

You pay what you agreed. You say thanks. Plenty of people swap Instagram handles, get a list of places for the rest of the trip, or book a second afternoon later in the week.

Then you leave a review, which is how the next traveller knows who to message.

What makes it go well

• Be specific in the first message. "Show me around" gets a generic day. "I want the food my taxi driver eats" gets a great one.
• Say what you don't want. No clubs, no churches, no hiking. It saves everyone time.
• Agree money up front, including who pays for food and transport.
• Meet in public and tell someone your plans. Standard, and it makes everyone relaxed.

Try it

Start with the city you're going to: Medellín, Mexico City, Santo Domingo, Punta Cana, Cartagena, Bangkok, or browse every Local Friend.

Still unsure? Is renting a friend weird? The honest answers.