I am new to Local guides connect. Blissfully unaware of it’s existence till recently. First of all thank you all for making my travels much more comfortable and easy in terms of the abundance of information and images you all made available online. I have always depended on Google Maps for all my travel decisions. I can broadly divide my travel diaries into two categories one before Google Maps and other after Google Maps. Obviously second phase with Google Maps is much more easier than the first. When my friends from abroad use to tell me about GPS and how easy it is to navigate in USA, it use to sound like Sci fi movie and then Google Maps came to India.
Two decades back locating places of interest is purely based on tourist maps that we carry and instructions from local people. Locals in all their enthusiasm to help often ended up giving contradicting directions. I would like to share a hilarious incident here…when I was visiting Puducherry in India , every time I asked for directions at any junction, the two or three people present there used to point in different directions and end up fighting with each other to prove who is right. Google Maps solved so many such conflicts. When got the opportunity to contribute to Google Maps I was thrilled and started uploading my photos and sharing my views and making edits on Google Maps. My photos crossed 12 lakh views and every time my review is liked by someone it gives me immense pleasure to be of help to someone. Google maps is blessing in disguise for so many travellers like me.