Being a parent in the age of Google Maps rocks!

[jani_zik]

I have always loved planning ahead. When traveling to foreign countries, when visiting friends and family in their hometowns and even when suprised by a hunger in the not-so-familiar area of my own city. Do not get me wrong - I do NOT hate surprises or spontaneity. I just enjoy things more when I know there is a high probability they will be just right for me.

So yeah, living in the times of Google Maps with its Local Guides, Lists, Details, Photos and especially Reviews is like fairy tale-y time for me. I love how easy and quick it is to find the right information about places. Even the very specific information and that’s great! I am sure I would love it and contribute to it even if I don’t have three small kids. But gues what - I DO have three small kids now.

As cute as they are, they are also very demanding. I know many parents experience the pain of plannig with kids, especially if they are very active, like to go out a lot and visit places. Unfortunatelly, In Central Europe it is still not very common to include kid-friendly features in places and venues, yet alone inform about them even if they do include them! And that’s where Local Guides come to the rescue.

Cribs, high chairs, changing tables, accesibility features? Play rooms, play grounds, kid’s menu? Age limits or family discounts? These are the things I care the most about and these are the things I really love to share on Google Maps. Information about these features are crutial for any parent’s plannig - and the more kids you have, the more it is important.

However, there is even more. Is the place appealing for kids? For which ages? Will we as a family feel welcome there? It is not just about the facts, it is more about “a feeling” to me. And that is why contributing to Google Maps is so important to me as a parent.

Sharing is caring, contributing is caring. Without the grass-roots contributions there will be no Google Maps. Without Google Maps I would enjoy my current life significantly less. I hope that with my little pieces of the puzzle, I will encourage other parents to feel less isolated, to go out more, to travel.

Because being a parent in the age of Google Maps rocks!

[ErmesT]

Hi @jani_zik , I have just released your post from quarantine, as explained in other reply to you.

My friend @KarenVChin will love this post for sure.

But please, try to avoid children’s photos on the community. Privacy is important for everyone, and more for minors

[TorM]

Hello @jani_zik

Yes, children gave a different view on the world.

Sounds maybe crazy, but winter (2017/2018) I was in Brno only for photos on GoogleMaps. Nice town and of course good bear

[KarenVChin]

@jani_zik - this is a great post. I totally agree once you become a parent you see the world in a whole new perspective in terms of how to get around and what to do publicly. We do live in a fantastic period of time to be able to make a difference in our communities using Google Maps.

Good luck with your Connect Live 2019 application. I agree with @ErmesT . Please try not to use clear photos of your very young beautiful children’s faces. Back of head, side profiles, or face sorta of covered up, like what you did in your last two photos here.

I don’t want to scare you. I have children around the same age as yours. The internet is a scary place. Being on Connect is like being on the Internet, it is public and you don’t have control over who sees their photos. Your post can be easily searched on a Google Search.

Cheers,

Karen

[jani_zik]

Thanks @ErmesT and @KarenVChin @@@ Will try and pick different ones, you are right. How come I didn’t realize it in the first place?