When I first started as a local guide 6 years ago, I would visit my local stores and parks that I would typically have gone to anyways. Then, after I ran out of places near to me, I would drive out of my way to plazas and parks farther out. I would also even venture to other nearby cities- in Arizona- you could drive half an hour to about an hour and be in another city. However, now times are different with one of the biggest factors being the gas prices that are still inching up.
Fellow guides, I am wondering:
- Have rising gas prices affected you?
- Has it decreased your frequency of going out?
In my case, I would say yes it has decreased my frequency of going out. Also, the COVID lockdowns trained me to be more of a hermit that thrives indoors in her free time. However, I have found some solutions to help me explore more cost-efficiently and still continue to contribute to Google Guides.
1.) Make it a longer one-time round trip
It used to be on a weekend, I might have made several trips out and back from home to different places, but now I just limit it to a singular trip. I make sure to pack snacks and water, and also I sometimes even pack a change of clothes because of Arizona heat and sweating (and then I can shower at the gym after exploring and then go to another plaza on the way home).
2.) Map it out beforehand
I will check on Google Maps the best order to go to the places I want to visit. This way, I visit them in order. For example, I don’t want to go 10 miles east to a playground and then drive 5 miles west to another playground; instead I would switch the order so I am driving and approaching them nearest to farthest without having to double back.
Also, I try to find something I can explore on the way back too- even if it’s just a stop to a new gas station that I can review and take photos.
3.) Find areas with multiple places in one
If I drive out, I will try to find a plaza or downtown area where there are multiple places all close to one another. This means that I can just simply park my car and then walk around and get many photos of different places.
Those are just somethings that I’ve thought of. How about you? Any creative ways you have come up with to explore cost-efficiently? 
