Introduce Yourself — June 2026

[Shubham_Explores]

Hi everyone! Welcome to Local Guides Connect. Please take a moment to introduce yourself to our amazing community!

As our “Introduce Yourself” threads can get super long, we kick off a fresh one each month and lock the older ones. You can always look back at previous threads, like May’s, to see who recently hopped on board and where they’re traveling from. We’ll also merge any standalone “I’m new” or “Hello world” posts we find around the forum into this thread to keep our home neat and organized.

Want to be featured in our monthly spotlight? Share your introduction in the comments using the five prompts below, and don’t forget to attach a horizontal, landscape-mode photo of yourself! We select the most engaging stories for our upcoming monthly posts. Quick note: Your response might be edited a bit for clarity. By jumping into this challenge, you’re giving us the green light to share your answers and photos publicly right here on Connect.

This month, let’s give a massive welcome to @Shubham_Explores! Shubham is a Local Guide Level 5, and here is a little peak into his world:

A gorgeous, wide landscape photo of Local Guide @Shubham_Explores standing proudly next to his cruiser motorcycle on an open highway at sunset, with the warm, golden hour light reflecting beautifully off the road.

1. Name: Shubham

2. Location: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

3. What led you to become a Local Guide: My journey really kicked off from a pure, deep-rooted love for traveling. Whenever I set foot in a new town or city, I realize just how valuable a real, honest recommendation is for someone trying to find their way around. I started sharing my experiences because I want to build a dependable, stress-free map for fellow travelers, helping them explore new destinations with absolute confidence!

4. My favorite thing to explore: Untouched, hidden gems and incredible local food! I absolutely live for the thrill of wandering off the tourist tracks to find those quiet, lesser-known corners of a city that regular guidebooks completely overlook. Pairing a long day of exploring with uncovering an amazing local food joint is my absolute definition of a perfect day.

5. Fun fact about me: I am a huge motorcycle enthusiast through and through! For me, nothing beats the pure sense of freedom you get while cruising down the highway on two wheels, chasing new horizons. Whether I’m navigating the bustling, vibrant lanes of an ancient city or hitting the open road, I am constantly scouting for unique stopovers, authentic local flavors, and scenic views to bring back to this incredible community.

I’m so excited to connect with all of you, exchange travel stories, and dive into your city recommendations!

[NareshDarji]

Hello and welcome to Local Guides Connect! @Shubham_Explores

It’s great to have you here with us. Before you start exploring the community, we recommend checking out these useful topics:

• Welcome to the new and improved Connect!
• Community Guidelines
• How do I write a post on Connect?
• 5 Core Values of Connect
• Sharing photos and videos on Connect? Read these guidelines

We’d also love to hear a little about you. Feel free to introduce yourself and meet other Local Guides in our monthly introduction section.

To keep the introductions together in one place, I will merge your post with the monthly thread.

[Panzer.IT]

Hallo zusammen,

ich bin Frank aus Bremen und als Local Guide (Level 7) schon eine Weile auf Google Maps aktiv – mit Rezensionen, Fotos und Antworten zu Orten in und um Bremen. Hier im Forum bin ich neu und freue mich auf den Austausch, Tipps und das Teilen von Erfahrungen.

Beruflich bin ich in der Webentwicklung tätig (Panzer IT). Ich freue mich auf euch!

Viele Grüße, Frank

[SholaIB]

Hello @Panzer.IT

Welcome to local guides connect forum. Apparently it’s your first time here. We hope you’ll find the forum interactive and useful. We mostly interact and discuss ways and topics to improve Google maps voluntarily.

To help you navigate connect here is A welcome to connect hand. It’s an article written with the intention of helping newbies navigate the forum easily.

Lastly, I want to notify you that I will move your post into our monthly introduction thread Introduce Yourself — June 2026. Feel free to connect with others and also introduce yourself using the same five prompts.

1.Name:

2.Location:

3.What I love about being a Local Guide:

4.My favorite thing to explore:

5.Fun Fact about me:

A landscape photo of you with a brief description.

See you around on the forum

Happy guiding

Cheers

[Khaled_Awad]

"Hi everyone!

My name is Khaled Awad, a Level 5 Local Guide from Egypt . I am absolutely thrilled to join the Connect community this June!

As a Quality Control Manager, I love precision, and that reflects on how I review places. I have a huge passion for creative food preparation, outdoor grilling, and exploring unique food combinations. Besides that, I’m deeply into fitness, calisthenics, and movement sports, so I’m always looking for energetic and active youth spaces to review.

When I’m not out exploring, you’ll probably find me diving deep into cinema philosophy and character analysis! I can’t wait to share my upcoming guide experiences, especially from my next trip to Alexandria.

Looking forward to connecting, sharing tips, and learning from your amazing journeys around the world! drop a comment and let’s be friends! "

[setiaditanjung]

When I visited new places or amazing sites, I love to share them to others. The information may be beneficial for the readers somedays. It was great to explore and to disciver and record the memory in google map. It becomes a long story of my journey to variety of sites in Indonesia.

I would like to say thank you so much to google which provide me with such great app as the museum of people’s adventures.

[NunungAfuah]

Halo Mas @setiaditanjung, salam kenal selamat datang di Connect. Saya juga suka mengunjungi museum. Mungkin boleh ditambahkan nih museum mana yg pernah dikunjungi?

[NareshDarji]

Hello and welcome to Local Guides Connect! @setiaditanjung

It’s great to have you here with us. Before you start exploring the community, we recommend checking out these useful topics:

• Welcome to the new and improved Connect!
• Community Guidelines
• How do I write a post on Connect?
• 5 Core Values of Connect
• Sharing photos and videos on Connect? Read these guidelines

We’d also love to hear a little about you. Feel free to introduce yourself and meet other Local Guides in our monthly introduction section.

To keep the introductions together in one place, I will merge your post with the monthly thread.

[zulius]

My name is Zulius and im from Switzerland

Honest reviews of hotels, restaurants, small local businesses, and parking spots. Traveling with a Camaro, so I also share tips on parking access, driveways, and everyday practicality. Original photos and real experiences from the road.

Happy to share my places with you!!

[Dannski]

Name: Daniel Eklund
Location: Örebro, Sweden

What led you to become a Local Guide:
I became a Local Guide because I like finding and sharing good places. I use Google Maps a lot myself, especially when travelling or when I want to find restaurants, hotels, cafés or shops that feel worth visiting.

Since I often get help from other people’s reviews and photos, it feels natural to give something back. Sometimes a simple review, a new photo or updated opening hours can really help someone else.

For me, being a Local Guide is about making Google Maps more useful and helping people find places that are actually good.

My favorite thing to explore:
I like places with character. It can be a good restaurant, a small local pub, a nice hotel or just a to find the hidden gems.

I also like writing practical reviews. Things like parking, atmosphere, food, service and if the place is worth visiting again. Those are the things I usually want to know myself before I go somewhere.

Fun fact about me:
I work a lot with technology(since the 90’s), integrations and AI, so I am naturally interested in how digital tools help people in everyday life. Google Maps is one of those tools I use all the time.
Also quite recently moved from Stockholm to Örebro 2 years back.

Nice to meet you all!!!

[MERWAN]

Dedicated Local Guide with a passion for travel, tourism, and discovering unique destinations. I share accurate reviews, quality photos, and useful insights to help visitors and locals find the best places to explore."

[davidhyno]

Hi @MERWAN and welcome on Connect!

Where you came from?

Happy to see you here.

David

[MERWAN]

مرحبا بيك صديقي انا من الجزائر

[AngieYC]

Hi @MERWAN,

Welcome to Connect!

Since you are new on Connect, why not tell us more about yourself. I’ll merge it into this month’s thread - Introduce Yourself — June 2026, so you can connect with other Local Guides too!

To get to know more about our community, check out our Community Guidelines!

[MERWAN]

Local Guide | Travel enthusiast, explorer, and photographer. Sharing reviews, photos, and recommendations to help people discover amazing places."

[jmghera]

Hello, @TsekoV thank you for your invitation. Greetings community, here again contributing whenever I can about those places I pass through, giving my opinion and, sometimes, leaving a photographic sample of the place or event.

[kennethBhutan]

My name is Nobin Prasad Neopani, and I’m excited to be part of this amazing Local Guides community.

I’m from Bhutan, and I enjoy exploring new places, discovering hidden gems, and sharing honest reviews, helpful photos, and accurate information that can help others make better decisions. I also have a passion for photography, community service, and learning about different cultures.

One of my most memorable experiences was my trip to Goa. It was so exciting! The beach I visited was only a 15-minute walk from Villagio Resort. I was able to find the best route and helpful information through Google Maps, and the genuine reviews from other Local Guides made the journey much easier. Their accurate information gave me confidence and saved me time. Without those reviews, finding the right place could have been much more challenging.

That experience inspired me to contribute more reviews and photos so that I can help other travelers just as others helped me. I was truly impressed by how useful Google Maps and the Local Guides community can be.

I also think it would be wonderful if Google introduced more ways to recognize or monetize high-quality, genuine reviews. It would encourage even more people to contribute accurate and helpful information while benefiting travelers around the world.

I’m looking forward to connecting with fellow Local Guides, learning from your experiences, and contributing even more.

Thank you for the warm welcome, and happy guiding!

[KashifMisidia]

Hello @kennethBhutan and warm Welcome to Local Guides Connect.

I want to inform you that I’m merging your post to our monthly feature Introduce Yourself — June 2026 to you , where you can meet local guides from around the world.

Moreover, Here you can follow the five prompts below and share your introduction In this thread including your photo (in landscape mode).

1.Name:

2.Location:

3.What I love about being a Local Guide:

4.My favorite thing to explore:

5.Fun Fact about me:

A landscape photo of you with a brief description.

I also wanted to recommend to you, check Read first! Connect community guidelines for more information on Connect redesign FAQ: Your questions answered!,
& You can also Visit Community guidelines page for in-depth resources on the Connect features.

and many more

[ramagmz]

Hello from the road! From Ushuaia to La Quiaca in a self-sustaining motorhome

Hi everyone!

My name is Ramiro, and I’m thrilled to join this amazing community. Seven months ago, my wife, our two kids, and I made a huge life change: we left our home in Córdoba, Argentina, to live and travel full-time in our self-sustaining motorhome.

Our journey started by driving all the way down to Ushuaia—the southernmost city in the world—and right now, we are making our way up to La Quiaca, at the northernmost tip of Argentina!

Living on the road allows me to combine my two biggest passions: nature photography and hiking. I love discovering hidden trails, capturing breathtaking landscapes, and sharing those spots with others. Professionally, I work remotely in the AI, Cloud, and DevOps tech sectors, which keeps us connected no matter where we park.

If you want to see our daily adventures, family road life, and the places we explore, you can find us on Instagram @vueltaalperro.

I’m looking forward to connecting with fellow travelers and local guides, sharing tips about off-the-beaten-path locations, and contributing to the community!

Best,

Ramiro

Español:

¡Hola desde la ruta! De Ushuaia a La Quiaca en un motorhome autosustentable

¡Hola a todos!

Mi nombre es Ramiro y estoy muy feliz de sumarme a esta tremenda comunidad. Hace 7 meses, junto a mi esposa y nuestros dos hijos, tomamos una gran decisión de vida: dejamos nuestro hogar en Córdoba, Argentina, para vivir y viajar a tiempo completo en nuestro motorhome autosustentable.

Comenzamos esta aventura manejando hasta Ushuaia, la ciudad del fin del mundo, y actualmente estamos cruzando el país con rumbo hacia La Quiaca, en el extremo norte de Argentina.

Vivir en la ruta me permite combinar mis dos grandes pasiones: el trekking y la fotografía de naturaleza. Me encanta descubrir senderos poco conocidos, retratar paisajes increíbles y compartir esos lugares con el mundo. En lo profesional, trabajo de forma remota en el sector de tecnología (IA, Cloud y DevOps), lo que nos permite estar conectados sin importar dónde estacionemos.

Si quieren chusmear nuestro día a día, la vida en familia en la ruta y los paisajes que vamos cruzando, nos pueden seguir en Instagram como @vueltaalperro.

¡Espero conectar con otros viajeros y guías locales, compartir data de lugares imperdibles y sumar mi granito de arena a la comunidad!

Abrazos,

Ramiro

(Cueva de las manos/torres del paine/el chalten)

[MisTeR_CaRibOu]

Salut, merci beaucoup de ton intérêt