Volunteer guide- gift or tip?

I just had email confirmation that a volunteer guide will be able to show us around her city for half a day and was wondering if I should tip her or bring her a gift from the US? If gift- would a small photo frame be nice, or would something handcrafted be better? I wrote a book a few years back- could a signed copy be given as a gift? Or would that be considered rude and self-serving?

I'm going to use volunteer guides as well in Japan. I decieded to go with tradtional pastry from my area.
Of course I don't know for sure, but I belive japanese love to try new food. Just make sure it's something local.

Bring food - something that is not going to clutter the guide's house.
Jam is easy. :)

If you really bond with your guide and some sense of his/her interests you might want to send a book once you get back. I would not recommend it in the first instance.

It is a very nice gesture to bring a gift for your guide. I used them twice in Himeji. The service they provided me was fantastic. They were the nicest people. I brought candy and other food stuffs from where I live.

Looks like food is the choice-I would like that too and we have a local farm that produces great jam. But Japanese jam is so much lighter-I wonder if they will like jam from the US?

I own a shop and all my employees are Japanese. The consensus is a gift is most appropriate. Giving money can be offensive.

If the gift travels with you from your home country, then it is even more valuable since you made the great effort to carry it with you.

If you watch some of the more mature people on bus trips, you will regularly see them giving food or little things they purchase to the guide and driver.