“Small groups of people can have a really huge impact.”
Larry Page, co-founder of Google.
Isn’t this a valid quote for Local Guides on Google Maps?
I often think about what a world without the internet would look like today.
It would be horrible, right?
Now imagine a world without Google Maps alone…It would already be terrible.
We would not know where to find tasty smoothies, to discover unique boutiques or even how to go from a point A to a point B.
We would be lost – literally and figuratively.
Humbly, I love being a part of this amazing community, by sharing three specific aspects in my life:
-
Luckily, I had the chance to travel to a couple of countries (Peru, Guatemala, Colombia, Indonesia, Spain) over the last several years. During these trips, Google Maps was such a valuable source of information, that I really wanted to give back to the community. Therefore, I share a lot of tips and tricks when I travel, based on the places where I stay (mostly hostels), the tours that I take (mostly walking tours and hikes) and the restaurants that I choose (mostly vegetarian restaurants or fresh bakeries). My ambition is to help fellow travellers who are looking to travel in the near future, by recommending places they cannot miss, or activities that are not in the travel books.
-
In my hometown of Brussels, I enjoy visiting places that I am fond of, obviously. Whether it’s a tasty Italian restaurant, a lovely park full of old Belgian beeches, or the best spot to see the sunrise, I like to thank the places that I often visit for their consistent good work, by giving them visibility, recognition and positive online feedback. Fellow travellers can also find my humble opinion regarding the nicest places to have a walk in and around the city.
-
In my hometown of Brussels, I also particularly love spotting new places. I am a fan of discovering a place that is missing on the map, adding it and helping people finding it. If the local business has some points to improve – say, availability of the staff, prices, or accessibility – I also mention it, both orally with the owner, and written, online, to inform future travellers. This allows the business to improve, and it also helps me to understand some decisions that the owners took.
As Saint Augustine put it, “the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”
Reading the book that Saint Augustine is referring to is one of my favorite ways to spend my time and energy. But I also like to think about all the reviews, pictures and posts of the Local Guides Community as chapter of a book. We could write a book with all of that, right? What a book it would be.
