Best websites for offbeat tours

Vayable.com is one of a new wave of travel websites that help visitors find knowledgeable locals who offer unique tours or other bespoke experiences, usually at affordable rates. This site lists 1,500 guides worldwide, all of them prescreened. Experiences range from a $37 walking tour of San Francisco street art to a $310 motorcycle tour of Versailles.

CanaryHop.com relies on peer reviews to vet its 2,500 guides. Recent listings include circus training in Las Vegas (at $100 for an hour) and a seven-day camping trip in the Mojave Desert with a botanist who charges a $495 fee.

Gidsy.com offers tours and activities in nine cities—including New York, Amsterdam, and Istanbul—but has plans to expand. Like the others, it charges travelers and guides small fees for playing mediator.

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Source: The New York Times