It was the book, Tales of a Continental Drifter, that got me interested in travel writing. I can’t remember where, but it was a legitimate travel writing piece that made me appalled by travel writing practices. In it, the author stated how atrocious the locals in South America are. Their claims were based on local natives to the area being late for everything, from simple meetings to the bus schedules. The writing lacked objective observation and cultural context. America is one of the few places where punctuality (15 minutes early is on time) has such a significant impact on the culture. Had they bothered to learn anything about the place they visited, they could better help future travelers understand the area. This preparation can help ease culture shock and provide a better experience.
Since then, I’ve dedicated my life to anthropology. I want to provide the cultural context to to other travelers. It’s my belief that this will help expand a person’s empathy and broaden their perception. It’s my hope Local Guides will someday provide a better platform to better do that. Until that niche fills in, my current goal with Local Guides is to provide high quality photos of the places I travel. If you see my work, I hope it helps in providing a more robust perception of a place.