Nobody was born to be a brave adventurer or an experienced globetrotter. Sometimes, we need some triggers to boost our courage to explore the world. To me, *Wahaha (a level 7 Guide from Hong Kong),*the Local Guides Program is that trigger. Thanks to the experience of sharing with useful advice, videos and photos from many generous local guides, I am free from the fear of travel uncertainties. Local guides get me well prepared, especially in planning the itinerary in non-English speaking countries.
Free from Fear and Radiate the Power of Sharing:
One year ago, I had an urge to visit Iran out of deep curiosity about this Middle East country. But, I was hesitant and worried as rumours and media reports were always casting a rather dark picture of Iran. The Local Guides Program eased my doubts as it gave me the most updated firsthand information. It also offered timely and ready advice to map out the best itinerary for travellers like me.
Let me share my personal experience with Local Guides during my trip in Iran . My friends and I wanted to find a cafe in Tehran but we got lost as the cafe had no signages and all reviews on Google Map were in Farsi. After wandering in the maze of exotic streets for an hour, it suddenly dawned on us that we could use the pictures shown on the Local Guides’ reviews to do the search. We could also show the photos to nearby Iranians to ask for direction.
Luckily, a friendly Iranian led us to the café with the help of the Persian reviews. The cafe was located inside a labyrinth-like shopping mall after rounds of search. Our “search team” were well rewarded with Middle eastern coffee and good food.
Impressed by the generous reviews from Local Guides, I decided to join them and make my own contributions. I created a list and gave the exact direction to that secret cafe: Ivan Cafe in English. Surprisingly, my picture of that cafe garnered the 2nd highest number of views among my photos.
Want to know its exact location and other cafes? Check out the list: Tea against Fear: Cafes in Iran
https://www.google.com/maps/placelists/list/R7XnSfgB-ZXtZZAZIOLu02z7o_J-Vg
Learn from Failure
After my first hand experience in the Iran trip, I knew that the Local Guides Program could help turn failure or unpleasant experiences into useful lessons, alerting other travellers not to follow some ‘wrong’ steps. Last year, my friend got injured in a Marathon in Japan. We felt depressed as there were no English speaking staff in clinics and we got rejected by the clinic staff again and again. Eventually, we succeeded in finding a hospital with English speaking doctors. At that time, I could not wait to share my experiences via the program.
The result surprised me as the number of views reached over 200,000 within a short period of time. It meant that a lot of visitors had found my information useful. This “small” achievement also grooms me to stay calm in case of travel accidents. There is always useful information from Local Guides.
Every ‘silly’ step or even unpleasant experiences have earned their special value via the Local Guides Program.
Unique Nexus between all Local Guides
The touching affection brought by the Local Guides Program is so unique to me.
Now, I am more than happy to share my wonderful experiences and feelings during my trips such as climbing Mt Fuji or riding at Seto Naikai National Park. The growing number of views reminds me that the efforts I have made will be helpful to others on the road. My information may improve their plans and give them a push to see the world.
More love is needed in this time of coronavirus when most of us need to stay at home. With the Local Guides program, we could still enjoy the eye-opening trips at home through other Guides’ reviews and photos.
My next plan is to make a new list for the popular mountains in the Mainland or attractive restaurants in Iran. I hope this would radiate the power of sharing.
Let me know the information you would like to know more by dropping me a message in the comment section. I hope we can exchange our views with one another when we meet up at this year’s Connect Live. Stay healthy and see you all soon. #LocalGuides #ConnectLive2020