local guides for personal tours

The RS guidebooks usually list various local tour guide options for daily tours I believe. It is a place to start. But for a longer guided tour (Denmark and Sweden) of course you would have to not only pay them for their time but all their expenses too at a rate comparable to what RS pays, or that they can charge for local tours for the same number of days.

I believe many, if not most Rick Steves guides also do private tour guiding.
Here's one example:
https://norwaywithpal.com/

I believe many (most?) of the guides on Rick’s tours were private guides before they also started guiding for Rick’s groups. If they’re not already booked for a Rick Steves tour on particular dates, they’d be free to provide private guide services.

Unless Rick contracts with them and requires a non-competitive agreement, which I seriously doubt. Recommended by Rick in his Greece guidebook, we hired Nikki, one of his local guides in Greece who has also appeared in his TV programs, for the ancient Olympia site and museum, and when she finished with us, she immediately met a French private group for a museum tour. Guides keep busy with every customer they can meet, under every circumstance available. And if they’re good enough for Rick, they’re probably very good!

RS uses guides for the main tour, plus local guides at individual tour stops. Both are likely available to hire for a private tour, though I know not all of the main tour guides do private guiding. You could consult the appropriate RS guide book for the countries you're interested in and there are usually suggestions for guides. You could also call the tour office and see what they're willing to share, understanding that their first priority will be their own guided trips.

There are also former RS guides who run their own companies, such as Adventures with Sarah, Imprint Tours, and Mondumo Tours (those are just three I know of off top of my head). I know at least Sarah offers private consulting / organizing services.

I think what you propose could be done, but it would be a fairly expensive proposition if one guide travels with you and leads you on an entire tour (especially in Scandinavian countries). A cheaper option is to do what I do... line up guides to do day tours in the places where your will be. A variety of guides is nice; it let's you get multiple perspectives on a place and keeps things fresh. My fall trip to Moravia (eastern Czechia) includes 10 days on the ground. I have 5 guides lined up -- three for a single day, one for 2 days, one for 3 days; each guide will go three to eight hours depending on the day. I'll still have some time to explore on my own and in the evenings I'll check out the local music scene.

If you really want one RS guide to do the whole tour, it might be worthwhile to call the Rick Steves office in Edmonds to see if they know of one of their tour guides who is willing to do this. Then you could contact the guide to explore the cost.

And if they’re good enough for Rick, they’re probably very good!

Eh... I've had a couple of very mediocre guides that were recommended in Rick's books... so mediocre that I don't even look at the recommended guides in his books anymore.

I've had a couple of very mediocre guides that were recommended in Rick's books... so mediocre that I don't even look at the recommended guides in his books anymore.

If you were to share that with Rick Steves’ office, I’m sure they would appreciate the first-hand information! He discontinues recommending lodging that no longer meets suitable standards on a regular basis, and in the effort to help people get the best experience for their dollar on trips to Europe, knowing about guides who aren’t providing worthwhile service would help Rock and fellow travelers.