It’s hard to believe that another year has passed since I first started my journey as a Google Maps Local Guide.
The past year has been a whirlwind of adventure, exploration, and, of course, photography.
As I look back on my second year as a Local Guide, I’m filled with a sense of pride.
When I first started, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It moved from as an easy way to pass time to a desire to share my experiences with others and see how far can I push.
I had no idea that it would lead to this.
In my first year, I managed to upload around 20,000 photos and received over 400 million views. I was ranked #16 in the Top 100 ranking site, which was an amazing achievement.
But I didn’t stop there. I continued to push myself, to explore new places, and to capture their beauty through my lens.
I traveled to new destinations, such as Florida, Greece (Twice), Budapest (Twice), Amsterdam, Morocco, Zurich, and Israel (Twice).
I heavily abused my mobile wherever I went, snapping photos of everything from breathtaking landscapes to quirky street art.
While I have calmed down and “only” posted 15,000 photos, the effort shows.
This year, I managed to reach the exclusive “billionaire views club” and climbed up the views rank to #7, with over 1.5 billion views. I was thrilled to receive my Google badge of honor, a little tin man that I proudly display on my profile. (I did lose it for a while, but I found it again, and it’s now safely tucked away). Still walking around with cold feet… where are them socks? 
So, what’s next? Well, I have to admit that I have less time these days to keep up the same level of effort. The Google map featuring algorithm continues to be a bit of a challenge, but I’m determined to keep going.
I’ve set my sights on reaching 2 billion photo views by next October, which would be an incredible achievement.
I’m not alone in this race, though. I’m excited to see that there are already three other Local Guides who have reached this milestone, and I’m sure there will be more by the time I get there (get your horses ready?).
I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this community, to share my passion for photography and exploration with others. I’m looking forward to seeing what the next year brings, and I’m excited to continue my journey as a Google Maps Local Guide.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way, and to Google for creating this incredible platform. Here’s to another year of adventure, photography, and sharing my love for this beautiful world we live in! 
Your journey into the “billionaire views club” is a testament to your unwavering dedication and passion for sharing the beauty of the world through your lens. Your commitment to exploring new places and capturing their essence is truly remarkable.
