https://www.kimkim.com/
Planning a short trip to Asia, I found this company that would be the type of travel/tour company that I would put together if I had the druthers. The company is based out of Palo Alto, CA but has local, destination experts all over the world. They say they can put together a custom, private tour to your specific specifications (dates, interests, style of travel, etc.) and from what I can see so far, takes about a 5% mark up? They can provide as much guidance for itineraries as your are interested in or will just be the booking agent for local activities, drivers and hotels.
I already had my flights and dates booked when I contacted them. I told them my budget and what level of luxury I preferred for hotels. They asked for what I was interested in for my visit ( beach time? active adventure? History? Culture ? Natural wonder exploring?) and they put together a more efficient itinerary than I had worked out with a weeks worth of research. Plus, they offered (what I hope) is a vetted, english speaking, qualified local driver/guide for the entire stay. One of my concerns was that there seems to be a reputation in my area of travel for unqualified and "iffy" guides to be found online.
They gave me 3 choices of itineraries but told me that was a starting point and that I could pick and choose what I liked from each as long as it worked within my time frame. When I checked their hotel choices, they were accommodations that I may very well have chosen for myself anyway. Adding it all up, it was not that much more than if I had done it myself and I felt better having the security of what I hope is a reputable company while I am in a foreign land. The reviews I see so far are good. The only negative I see so far is that they do not offer itemized pricing so I can tweak what I want based on cost.
They say they have local specialists all over the world (even remote places). I have absolutely NO vested interest in this company. I just would love to hear some reviews about it from a group of well versed travelers such as FT??