In 1873, fascinated by the new tech innovations that were “shortening’ the World, the French novelist Jules Verne wrote, “Around the World in Eighty Days.” Almost a century and a half later, a circumnavigation trip is no more a big deal, but what would Vernes say about traveling around the World in two hours? Yes, this was the time taken by a group of 17 Local Guides from five continents to explore different parts of the globe without leaving their homes. Just to you have an idea: we flew in balloons in Cappadocia (Turkey), we swam in the beautiful Cenotes (Mexico), and we had even to running away from crocodiles in the Gambia (can you imagine it?).
In the “Trips & Tips” virtual meetup (April 11th), we shared the most memorable trips we had. We also talked about our favorite places in our cities and planned our next vacations while meeting friends again and making new ones.
The virtual meetup was organized in “rounds” of questions and answers. By alphabetical order, every attendee talked about their most memorable trips and also about their favorite places. They also answered questions from the host and the other attendees. In the final, everyone was “provoked” to choose the best place shared by the others. Of course, we couldn’t choose only one, and we increased a lot our bucket list with incredible destinations.
I invite you to travel with us throughout the answers of each attendee (summarized below) and also throughout the photos we shared on Google Photos.
(I’ll not be able to tag everyone in the main post, so I’ll be doing it on the first two comments).
Alejandra, Mexico
Favorite Place: Cancún, Mexico. She likes it because that weather is always nice, the water is clear, and in fact, it is one of the beautiful places in the world.
Memorable trip: Paris, France. It was a special trip because it was her first time in Europe by herself and a dream that came true after a longing planning.
Place (s) chosen to the bucket list: She wasn’t able to choose just one place, but she’d like to visit Argentina, Brazil, and India.
(She has been writing a lot of posts on Connect, and you can check her stories about Cancun here and Paris here). She also wrote a recap about this meetup.
Alpha, originally from the Gambia, living in Cyprus
Favorite Place: Bakau, his hometown in The Gambia, which is a tourist destination with attractions like the Kachikally Crocodile Pool. A fun fact was that one day, he was walking close by, and there was a crocodile out. “It was so scaring, and I run to my house.”
Memorable trip: Singapore. He joined Local Guides in 2016, and during this trip, he noticed that sharing his experiences was an excellent way to contribute to Google Maps.
Place (s) chosen to the bucket list: His bucket list became bigger after the meetup, and one of the areas that he is adding is Cameroon. He also wanted to visit California and Argentina.
Caro Guinazu, from Argentina
Favorite Place: The National Flag Memorial in Rosario, Argentina, where the National Flag was created. She shared with as also beautiful photos from her hometown that showed a high contrast between old and historical places.
Most memorable trip: Lima, Peru. She loves the city because of its architecture, historical sites and also because of the Peruvian gastronomy.
Place (s) chosen to the bucket list: Colonia de Sacramento, in Uruguay, but she wishes To be a millionaire to visit every destination. “Now, we know that if we are lucky enough to travel, we have friends all around the world.” (Totally agree my friend)
Ceci, from Buenos Aires, Argentina
Favorite Place: Puerto Madero, in Buenos Aires. It was the oldest port in Argentina. It is a beautiful district close to the main tourist attractions in Buenos Aires.
Memorable trip: She shared with us about two special trips. One was to Cancun, not only because of the fantastic beaches but also due to historical places in the Yucatan Peninsula, like he Maya Ruins. The other one was her trip to Disney World, that was a childhood dream that she was able to realize recently with her husband and son.
Place (s) chosen to the bucket list: Cenotes, Brasil, Rio Janeiro (And I hope that it happens soon)
Jane, from Ukraine
Favorite place: Mykolaiv, her city in Ukraine. She said that it is not a tourist place, but I loved her winter pictures. The Fairytale, which is a lovely park and playground for children, is impressive.
Most memorable trip: Brussels, Belgium. She was there to first European Meetup, hosted by Jan Van Haver, in 2018. She was able to explore places like the Atomium, a landmark building, and the Mini Europe Park, which has reproductions of European Union monuments.
Place (s) chosen to the bucket list: She wishes could visit every country: Argentina, Brazil, just to name a few.
Jesi, from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Favorite place: El Caminito in Buenos Aires. Initially an Italian immigrant neighborhood, the area became famous due to its colorful building, painted by a painter called Quinera.
Most memorable trip: In addition to her journey do Connect Live 2019, which was a memorable trip, she chose New York to share with us. She visited it twice—the first time with her family to celebrate her 15th birthday and, more recently, with friends.
Place (s) chosen to the bucket list: Rio de Janeiro (She also owes me a visit to Rio ;))
Keshav, New Delhi,
Favorite Place: Lodhi Art District, New Delhi. It is a place that people like to go to take some pictures and selfies, or just to enjoy the views. He had a meetup there, and you can check his post by clicking here.
Most Memorable Trip: In his first Eurotrip, hi visited a lot of places for 25 days, but his favorite one was the Island of Hvar in Croatia. “There is an ecovillage there; locals make everything.” He learned about this place through a friend, and he strongly recommends a visit.
Lily, Cameroon:
Favorite Place: The Golden Jubilee Monumental, which is a beautiful and historical place. There are a lot of colorful arts that represent the diversity of Cameroon. “It is a significant place for me because it reminds me how diverse we are,” she said.
Most memorable trip: She has traveled so far only domestic, but as she noted, Cameroon is at the same time a diverse and unique country. “It is like Africa in miniature, and you find here everything that you find in other African Countries.”
Bucket list: Disney World, as the first place, then Argentina and Bay Area to see Tessa (<3)
Marco, Lima (Peru)
Favorite Place. Barranco, one of the most popular places in Lima, with a lot of cultural sites and astonishing cuisine. There is even a famous place called Puente de Los Suspiros (Sigh Bridge), where locals and tourists use to go to make wishes. Read more about Barranco in Marco’s post.
Most Memorable Trip: Orlando, Florida. He had visited Orlando when he was a kid, but as an adult, he worked in Disney as part of a College program, making a lot of friends.
Bucket list: California, in the USA, but after the meetup, he chose Buenos Aires.
(He also wrote a recap by this meetup, and you can check it here).
Kashif, Karachi, Pakistan
Favorite Place: Kashif told us about beautiful sites in his country, especially Mahodand Lake, his favorite place, which is located in the North of Pakistan.
Memorable trip: He had a family trip to Thailand last November. It was kind of “Nature Trip,” and he enjoyed waterfalls, beaches, once the temperature was pleasant.
Place (s) chosen to the bucket list: Kashif wasn’t able to choose one and named a few: Ukraine, Argentina, Brazil, San Francisco e everywhere. He loved all places.
Manasi, Bangalore, India
Favorite Place: The Blossom Bookstore, in Bangalore, is a place where, according to her, you can get lost. You can find new books and second hands ones. She shared with us also photos from Bhoga Nandeeshwara temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, a Hindu God, that it is a beautiful place with unique architecture.
Memorable trip: She shared with us photos of his trip to Turkey, and we felt like we were flying in the balloons in Cappadocia. Another fun fact about her trip to Turkey is that you can get your fortune told from the leftover coffee in your cup.
Place (s) chosen to the bucket list: Cenotes, in Mexico
Saiyen, from Bangladesh
Favorite Place: Saiyen started telling us that Bangladesh is one of the greatest countries in the world, and his city, Chattogram, is his favorite place because it has many beaches, waterfalls, etc.
Memorable trip: Saiyen is a lucky man because he had traveled a lot (and for free), once most of his trips were for business. One of his Memorable trips was to Sajek Valley, an emerging tourist destination in Bangladesh. If you love nature, you should visit there.
Ricardo, from Mexico City
Favorite Place: Cenotes, in Mexico. Probably everyone has heard about Cancun, but he shared with as about a specific tour to the Cenotes (which are a kind of a beautiful sinkhole). This kind of caves is widespread in the Yucatan Peninsula, and there are a lot of Cenotes there, but do you want a Local Guide Tip? Choose a small agency formed by locals that you get you into the most beautiful and unknown Cenotes. Learn more on Google Maps.
Memorable trip: Toronto and San Francisco were his favorite. They visit both cities to run marathons and enjoy the diversity of them.
Place (s) chosen to the bucket list: He does not doubt to say that was Capadoccia, and I can understand why.
Silvys, Buenos Aires
Favorite Place: She told us about a Tigre, a city in the Province of Buenos Aires, close to the capital. It is a place to relax, and it’s possible to have a day trip from Buenos Aires City. If you have more time, it’s also perfect for vacation. The good idea is to take a tour in a catamaran to enjoy the beautiful view of Rio de La Plata (River Plate).
Memorable trip: Los Angeles, California. It is her memorable trip because it was her first time abroad and her first time flying. She loves series and movies, and on each LA corner, you find a movie set.
Place (s) chosen to the bucket list: Cenotes in Mexico and Disney.
Tessa, originally from Antigua and Barbuda, living in San Francisco Bay Area
Favorite Place: Bay Area, especially Golden Gate Bridge. Her tip is cross the bridge biking until Sausalito (luck my, in 2019, I was able to do it with Tessa, as you can see in this photo).
Memorable trip: Coyote Buttes, in Arizona (I didn’t know about this place and searched after the meetup, and I have fallen in love). It is a kind of a wave formed by the flooding. And Yosemite National Park. Check her photos in our shared álbum.
Bucket list: She can’t name just one and would like to visit Pakistan, Brasil, Argentina, Banglore, etc.
Valeria, from Argentina
Favorite Place: Red Frog Beer House, located in the Province of Buenos Aires, in Argentina. She likes it because of the atmosphere and the style and the beers, of course. Luck her; they are doing delivery in times of quarantine.
Memorable trip: Valeria attended Connect Live in 2018 and 2019 and chose San Francisco because it brought her amazing memories and allowed her to connect with a lot of people. She liked the Bay Area because it is diverse, there are beautiful views
Bucket List. What catches her attention were the photos shared for Kashev about New Delhi Art District.
I let my suggestion for the final:
Alexandre, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Favorite Place: “Serra da Beleza” (Beauty Mountain), in the State of Rio de Janeiro. It is a place that I like to go to enjoy the view and the Sunset.
Memorable trip: My trip to Argentina and Uruguay, where I was able to meet Jesi, Ceci, and Valeria again and make new friends like Silvys. And I loved to talk to them virtually again.
Place (s) chosen to the bucket list: Cenotes is in my bucket list now. Mexico was already the top one country in my bucket list, but I was planning to go only to Mexico City. Taking Ricardo, Alejandra, and Ceci’s advice, I’ll extend my trip for sure.
Thank you very much, everyone, who attended this meetup, and I’d like to continue this big list. If you had reached the final of this text, why don’t you also share your with us your favorite place in your city/area, your Memorable trip, and a place that you will be adding in your bucket list after reading this text?
and one more time thanks. The meet up was great you’re an excellent host.
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