Dominican Rep. Travel Planning with Samuel
1-hour planning session
Zoom/Google Meet
$150 USD

Meet Samuel, your expert in the Dominican Republic!

🌍 Lives in: Santo Domingo

Regions of Expertise: Countrywide - Santo Domingo, Punta Cana, Puerto Plata, Playa Dorada, Cabarete, Samaná Peninsula, Las Terrenas, Jaragua National Park, Isla Saona and Parque Nacional de Este, Jarabacoa, Los Haitises National Park

Experience: 25 years guiding & designing trips

Languages: English, Español, Italiano, 日本語

Samuel’s Specialties:

Dining
Art & culture
Itineraries
Beaches
Family travel
 

Get to know Samuel!

A note from Samuel

"Hi there! I'm Samuel. I've been a tour guide, trip designer, and university tourism professor in the Dominican Republic for just over 25 years now. Sometimes it's scary to think that!

I'm from Santo Domingo and while guiding and teaching have been my passions for many years, I also love baseball! Like most Dominican kids, I grew up playing and love the game. But you're probably not coming to the DR for the baseball!

In addition to shorter-term visitors, I can also help travelers doing relocation scouting trips or coming here to look at property or business investments. I have a large network of connections all over the island and can help with things like drivers, private cooks, nannies, local guides, lawyers, real estate agents, good medical facilities, and lots more.

Read more

When I'm not out exploring my country with travelers I like to enjoy my city, work out, and read the local newspapers and keep up on the news from abroad. I enjoy visiting art galleries, expositions and attending conferences on history, architecture and ways of life; a custom I've had since I was a teen.

I love traveling abroad to wander cities; always taking the various forms of public transport to see the local people's interactions and experience it first-hand. I also enjoy trying traditional local food, checking out the theater, and visiting bookstores.

I sometimes am guilty of exaggerating a bit with my travel planning, so I now have a rule that I don’t buy more than seven books on a country I'll visit; this way I'm sure I'll read them all. I have had travel all around me throughout my life; my mom and my sister have a travel agency and my wife is also a college tourism professor and hotelier.

Along with our sons and daughters, family outings involve visits to historical places, seeing family and friends in the countryside, and of course the pleasant Dominican beaches and whalewatching in Samana."

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Dominican Republic Travel Consultations

Plan a better trip with some help from Samuel

Sit down with Samuel for a one-hour planning session to get his expert advice and the best local tips and recommendations.
After working as a guide, trip designer, and tourism professor for three decades, Samuel knows his country like few others can claim to. He has been everywhere, done everything, and has an extensive network of connections all over the island. He is an expert in every sense of the word.
1-hour travel planning session
Connect via Zoom/Google Meet
Get advice that's tailor-made for you
$150 USD with 100% satisfaction guarantee*
 

Why plan with Ruben

Spend 60 minutes tapping into Ruben’s hyperlocal expertise to plan a better trip.

An expert-approved itinerary
Immediate answers to all your travel questions
Hidden gems & authentic local favorites
Personalized & practical travel advice
Hours of time saved

Frequently Asked Questions

 
  • Consultations cost $150 USD.

  • Consultations are held over Google Meet. Once you’ve scheduled your call, you’ll receive a confirmation email containing the link for your video call. On the scheduled day and time, just click that link to join.

  • Each consultation is different, but here are some common things that our experts typically help with:

    • Itinerary planning

    • Transportation, driving routes, and tips for how to get around

    • Practical travel information; culture, safety, weather, language, money/tipping, etc.

    • Suggested hotels/accommodations and advice on where to base yourself

    • Local recommendations for restaurants, activities, and unique experiences

    • Advice on reputable tour guides, tour operators, and excursions

    • Pro tips on how to best visit popular sights and attractions

    • Ways to avoid overcrowded destinations and tourist traps

    • Insider ideas on off the beaten path places, authentic experiences, and ways to connect with locals

  • What you can get done in an hour depends on your goals for the consultation and how organized you are coming into it.

    In most cases, an hour is ample time to create a solid itinerary, answer your major travel questions, get practical advice on how to travel in your destination, and discuss lots of great local tips and recommendations.

    To ensure that the hour is used efficiently, when you schedule your call, our pre-consultation questionnaire will ask you what your primary goals for the consultation are. Prior to the call, your Local Expert will review your questionnaire and prepare detailed information addressing those goals.

    They’ll come into the call ready to share specific advice, recommendations, itinerary ideas/revisions, and useful links and resources for you to review together.

  • Yes! Each consultation is guided by a comprehensive pre-consultation questionnaire that you fill out immediately upon booking.

    We’ll ask you a series of 30+ detailed questions that really dig into you, your trip, your interests and travel style, and what you want to discuss with your Local Expert.

    The questionnaire will cover things like: the dynamics of your group, the things you enjoy while traveling, your budget, how early you want to start your day and how late you want to end it, whether you want to hit the highlights or roam the back streets, and even what types of restaurants you want to eat at.

    Your Local Expert will focus only on your interests and travel style.

  • Our Local Experts are seasoned travel professionals who have spent decades working in their countries/regions. While their personal interests may be different from yours, they’ve worked with thousands of travelers and have recommendations and advice for every type of individual.

    They know their destinations in-depth and can help plan a trip for every traveler and taste.

  • No. Our service is geared toward independent, do-it-yourself travelers who intend to make bookings on their own.

    Our goal is not to plan your trip for you, but rather to help you plan a better trip independently. To that end, our Local Experts will give you all of the information that you need to confidently put your trip together yourself.

    When Local Experts recommend things like restaurants, hotels, excursions/activities, tours, drivers, etc., they’ll provide you with contact details and links so that you can make the final arrangements on your own.

  • Almost every Go Ask A Local expert has at least 10 years of professional travel experience as a guide or trip planner in their country/region.

    We work with a vetted team of seasoned professionals who know their destinations inside and out.

    Unlike other companies, when you book a call, you’ll always be connected directly with your chosen Local Expert. We never pass anyone on to a junior sales associate or some anonymous back office team. With us, what you see is what you get.

 

Ready to plan with Samuel?

Here’s how to schedule your consultation:

1. Book a time on Samuel's calendar
2. Fill out our pre-consultation questionnaire
3. On your scheduled day & time, hop on Zoom and talk to Samuel!