FAQ

For the Explorer - Booking

How do I know if the experience I want to book is available in my language?
Experiences are usually held in English but can also be held in a different language if it is stated in the talent profile.

Is it possible to pay in a different currency than AED (local UAE currency)?
Yes, you can select the currency on the top of the homepage.

How do I pay for the booking?
We use Checkout, a trusted international finance company, to process our bookings. At check-out you will be redirected to their website to fill in your credit card details and that’s it. We only accept payments with credit/debit card - no cash or bank transfer.

How will I know where to meet up the Octoos Talent the day of the experience?
You will receive a confirmation email including meeting point or a link if it is an ONLINE session and all important information after you confirmed your booking. Please check your spam filter if you do not receive it.

I want to book a certain experience on a date which is not available. Can I ask the Octoos Talent to set up an experience for me?  
Sure, please contact the Talent of your choice and ask him/her to set up the experience at the date of your choice. For cases like this we added a contact section in the profile.

The experience I booked got cancelled. Will I get my money back?
When you book an experience, your credit card is validated but not debited. It will be charged as soon as the talent confirms the booking you asked for. If you finally decide to cancel the experience, you have 2 cases depending on the cancellation policy chosen by the talent. Flexible policy: you are reimbursed 100% minus the platform cancellation fee if you do it more than 48 hours before the beginning of the experience, 90% minus the platform cancellation fee if less than 48 hours. Strict policy: you are reimbursed 100% minus the platform cancellation fee if you do it more than 7 days before the beginning of the experience, 70% minus the platform cancellation fee if less than 7 days.

 

The Talents

Are the Octoos talents professional companies?
Some of them are professionals who use our platform to offer experiences off the beaten track and some of them are simply locals who enjoy sharing their passion or expertise with people like you. 

How can I become an Octoos talent?
It’s really easy to become an Octoos talent yourself! Just think of an exciting, cool, interesting, creative experience and register on our website. We will guide you through the registration process and help you setting up your first listing.

How does the pricing work?
When a local talent set up an experience, he sets up his price according to duration, number of participants and costs.

Why do I have to wait for approval before I can start offering experiences?
At Octoos, we are proud to offer only the most exciting, interesting, creative experiences. Therefore, we check every listing before displaying it online. If your experience does not meet our quality standards, we will be happy to help you remodeling it until it’s the perfect.

How long should last my experience?
We want people to experience something unique and memorable when attending the experiences. Talents can offer experiences of 1, 2, 3 hours ... you decide! We just believe that you need to offer enough room for talks, questions and laughter.
Experiences are unique and sometimes need a little more or less time, so if your planned experience lasts longer or shorter, tell the explorers about it in the profile description.

How do I make my experience more interesting?
An Octoos experience should be anything but ordinary but at the same time should focus on something that you are very familiar with.

Work out the details and offer your bookers an experience that they can only experience with you. The topic of your experience does not have to be spectacular - it’s your knowledge and presence that make it special.

The key to successful bookings is an inspiring profile and experience description with beautiful pictures. Make sure that you describe every detail that is important for attendees. Be authentic, passionate and honest in your description. The description should be anything but boring. Be creative!

Is there a minimum /maximum number of participants per experience?

No, we leave it up to each Octoos talent to decide on this. We believe that small groups /one to one interactions offer a better experience to the attendees. The talent can mention the number of participants in the experience description.

Are there any fees I need to know about?
The service fee is free for explorers and 15% for talents. This means you will receive the money you earned as an Octoos talent minus 15% percent service fee.

How do I receive my money?

As an Octoos talent you can earn money by sharing your passion. The money you earn will be on your bank account 10 days after the experience date.

Do I need a business license to become an Octoos talent?

There are some countries where you need to have a license to guide travelers through your city or pass on historical information. Please check out the legal situation in your city before offering your first tour as we cannot take responsibility for unauthorized tours, especially if there is transportation involved, food or alcohol.

Do I have to pay taxes for the money I earn as an Octoos Talent?

It depends on the laws of your country. Please make sure to inform yourself about the tax situation in your country before offering an experience. We do not take responsibility for tax issues.