Frequently asked questions

A cultural-exchange service: scheduled 30-minute video conversations between you and a named, credited guide in Bhutan. You talk about daily life, family, Buddhist practice in lay life, nature, and how Bhutan thinks about wellbeing — or anything else within our content standards.

No. Guides are cultural hosts, not clinicians, and conversations are not a substitute for professional mental-health care. If a conversation ever raises a concern about someone’s wellbeing, it is escalated to a licensed clinician we retain — guides never handle crises themselves. If you are in crisis in the US, call or text 988 any time.

No. We don’t sell trips to Bhutan or anywhere else, and nothing on this site books travel. If you want to visit Bhutan someday, your guide’s stories may inspire you — but that journey would be yours to arrange, through Bhutan’s own official channels.

Adults in Bhutan who applied, completed a mandatory training curriculum, and passed a certification gate before taking their first conversation. Every guide appears under their real name with a profile in their own words. See our guides for the commitments we make to them.

$99/month for four 30-minute conversations, or a single $29 trial conversation — credited toward your first month if you subscribe within 7 days. Guides earn $8.00 per 30-minute conversation, and we publish the full breakdown on the pricing page.

Just pick a different guide for your next conversation — no awkward conversation required, and no explanation needed on either side. Guides rotate naturally so you hear more of Bhutan’s perspectives.

Conversations are one-on-one, but they are recorded and monitored for safety — that’s disclosed up front and consented to before your first call. Recordings and transcripts are never shared with other members and are deleted after the safety-retention window. See trust & safety.

Bhutan is 10–13 hours ahead of the continental US, which lines up surprisingly well: your evening is your guide’s next morning. The booking calendar always shows both time zones.

No. Gross National Happiness is Bhutan’s own national achievement, and we reference it with respect. BhutanHappy is an independent service, not affiliated with the Royal Government of Bhutan or the GNH Commission; we have asked to work with Bhutanese institutions, and any association is pending their permission.

Yes — free up to 12 hours before a conversation. Inside 12 hours the session counts as used, because your guide reserved the time and is paid for it. Subscriptions can be paused for a month (twice a year) or cancelled anytime, effective at the end of the period.

If you live in Bhutan, are 18 or older, and are comfortable in English, start with the application. Training and certification come before your first conversation — read about the training academy.