For the last couple of years, I have been contributing to Google Maps as a local guide, mainly to aid the spirit of discovery amongst fellow travellers. This ‘spirit’ of discovery can be of any kind. For instance, when I was travelling with a friend to Tafraout (Morocco), we stayed at a wonderful lodging with a very hospitable host – called Abdellah – who then invited us to his home to meet his family and prepared for us a traditional Moroccan Tagine. As a way of gratitude to Abdellah, I shared my experiences, and several photographs of his lodging on Google Maps, as to create more awareness on his lodging and to give other travellers the chance to encounter a similar experience.
Most of all, however, I prefer to share undiscovered areas that harbour a unique experience for whomever visits. While this can be in more desolate environments such as the Triglav peak of the Julian Alps, this could also be a hidden Spanish gorge that offers a quiet little beach to enjoy a relaxing afternoon.
Google Maps has in this respect been a wonderful means to easily help other travellers find unique landscapes and hospitable hosts and also has aided me uncountable times in finding my way in foreign lands, for which I’m very grateful.
