No need for volume.
Painted Circle doesn’t have to list everyone to survive, so it can focus on finding really good businesses run by passionate people.
Travel is joy.
We built from there.
Travel is how we share our humanity: the meals, the conversations, the moments that remind us how wonderfully varied the world is. It’s worth celebrating. Everything we do at Painted Circle is rooted in that.
Great travel, without the extraction.
Painted Circle is a free, independent travel guide. It stays free, and Supporter plans add perks for anyone who wants them. More on how that works below.
We started it because something in travel is broken. The way most booking platforms are built, a big share of what you spend never reaches the places you visit. Fixing that shouldn’t be extra work for travelers. So we built a guide that doesn’t take that cut, and you can get back to what matters: great travel.
And you decide what matters to you. Tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll show you businesses that fit. No ads, and no listings that paid for your attention.
How we’re different.
No commission. Ever.
Taking a cut of every sale is the travel industry’s standard, often 15–30%, and it drains money from local communities. It’s a radical idea, but we don’t take any.
Free to start. Free to stay.
Travelers and businesses join for free, and can stay free for as long as they like. Supporters choose to pay a little to back the mission, and get special offers in return.
A circle, not a funnel.
Booking platforms run algorithms to sell as much as possible, deciding from the top who gets seen. We’re a circle instead: a shared resource for travelers and businesses, with no gatekeeper.
Free is always here. Supporters get perks.
Painted Circle is free for as long as you like. Supporters get special offers from every business here and help keep our independent guide going. From $29 a year.
When businesses keep more, places gain more.
With no commission to pay, travel businesses keep more of what they earn, and they don’t have to raise their prices to cover a platform’s cut.
That money stays close to home. Businesses that keep more can invest more in their people, their community and the experiences they share with you.
Your impact, built in.
We’re building a guide that lets you travel your way, to the experiences that mean something to you. Because our model is different, better impact comes built in. There’s nothing extra for you to do.
Here’s what that looks like for your own travel.
$500$20,000
Booked through a commission platform
Reaches the business: $3,750Taken as commission: $1,250
Booked direct through Painted Circle
Reaches the business: $5,000Taken as commission: $0
That’s about $1,250 a year leaving the places you visit, or $12,500 over ten years of travel. Is that where you want your travel money to go?
An estimate to show the idea, not a precise figure. Booking platforms for tours and activities take 15–35% of each booking; on the largest ones 20–30% is common and 25% is typical, so we use 25%. Prices in US dollars; it works the same in any currency.
Our ethics are built in, too.
Beyond our business model, three promises shape how Painted Circle works.
We don’t track you.
We don’t watch what you do here to build a profile of you. You set your interests as they matter to you, and we help to show you travel that matches. It’s a commitment to intention and consent.
Our privacy policy →Everyone is welcome.
We believe in inclusion, civility and unique, high-quality travel. Every business on Painted Circle shares that vision and signs our Welcoming Places Pledge.
The Welcoming Places Pledge →Offers that work for both sides.
Supporters get a special offer from every business here. Each business designs its own, and we never push a business to offer anything that doesn’t work for it. A good offer is a win for the traveler and the business.
Please don’t follow us.
You won’t find Painted Circle on social media. No feed to keep up with, no likes, no endless scroll. Feeds are built to hold your attention. This guide is to help you get out and explore!
Come by when you’re ready to plan, and take the time to really get to know the people and places here.
Painted Circle isn’t something to follow. It’s a resource for charting your own path.
Small and independent is our superpower.
Free to do it differently.
We’re not here to follow industry norms. We love finding creative solutions to real world challenges.
True to itself.
Staying independent means Painted Circle can be the company it wants to be, rather than one that looks like everyone else.
Low overhead, lots of care.
With little overhead, the time, energy and resources go into making something to be proud of.
And it’s personal. Did we mention that Painted Circle is the work of one founder, trying to make a difference?
Hi, I’m Charles.
I’ve worked in travel since 2008, from small teams to multinational companies: as a tour guide and tour designer, a trainer, a business director, and someone who worked with the booking technology behind it all.
Over those years, I saw how much of a traveler’s money could end up somewhere other than the businesses that actually created their experience.
I’m also a cyclist, and many of my favorite travel experiences have happened by bike: slowly, close to the ground and close to the people I met along the way.
Painted Circle is built around the way I like to travel: with curiosity, with care, and without the hype.
Charles Odom
Founder, Painted Circle
Run a travel business? Apply to join →