I never realized that I was becoming what Google had called me as Local Guide. When I knew that there were many of us around doing the same thing and what we did was rewarding to other, I realized that it was worthwhile to keep doing this.
I thought that sharing my experiences in my home country could help improve services, if everybody cooperate could be better. I talked with friends to use Local Guide. I liked helping people not to waste time going to stores they were not there anymore or promoting incredible places that few people knew.
But my life took a dramatic turn when I had to leave my country for obvious reasons, so did my experience as a local guide as well. I decided to travel for a while, now it’s my time to read to local guides.
I was living for three months in Guinea Bissau, Africa. Do you think there might be some local guide? Unfortunately the locals do not have access to the Internet, nor do they have enough money to have a smartphone. But they have amazing places to discover. So, I became a local guide without to be a local. It helped to verify places, qualify and request changes in some data. I think it would be important to help tourists or promote new places. Thinking big, we can help boost tourism organically. This would be incredible!
Then I moved to Lisbon, I lived for 15 months in this beautiful city. Well, as is expected, the community of Local Guide in Lisbon is increasingly active and growing. During this time I was reading the best recommendations, both local and tourist, following the conversation and discovering every single corner in my new neighborhood. I have felt a part of the change that this incredible city is having, it seemed like a hidden treasure to turists until now. There is still much to discover and kow of Lisbon. And many places will be open. I think a new but traditional Lisbon is being born. I loved that country I felt like a really local. I helped make my neighborhood more attractive to tourists. I tried to leave a picture in each corner, a comment about every place visited to made the most every place in the city. Here I missed a lot being a local guide in my city Caracas, because it’s true that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone!
Now I am in one of the most incredible cities of the world, Barcelona! I have two months living here, I think the best way to know what I will do soon here and how I will become a local guide in a new city is connecting with others Local Guide in the Connect Live of 2019!
Wish me luck! To cross fingers.