I am not sure when exactly I became part of the Local Guides community, but I very well remember the moment I began being obsessed with taking photos of dishes and drinks in almost every bar and restaurant I visited since.
It all started after I decided to upload a photo of the amazing table that we were enjoying during a vacation with friends on a sunny afternoon in a tiny tapas bar near the Sagrada Familia, instead of visiting Picasso’s museum. As we lightheartedly concluded later, we were enjoying what could have possibly been Picasso’s inspiration and for us, that was as good as any art exhibition. I pretty much forgot about the photo after we left, but some time after I received an e-mail, notifying me that in a matter of days this one photo had received a couple of thousand views.
I am pretty sure that’s how it all started. And it was not that much about the views themselves (4,024,082 as of today) as it was about knowing that those photos might have helped someone decide to visit a place I truly enjoyed and experience the same positive emotions with people close to them.
Soon after I also started writing reviews of places I either loved or totally disliked – rarely something in between. But then my motivation grew stronger and I was eager to be as objective as possible, providing enough information in a concise manner to anyone who decided to read any of those reviews, so that people were prepared, especially if it was not the best place we were taking about.
And since I love travelling and visiting new places, the first thing I usually do is look up restaurants and bars on Google Maps, checking out the reviews and photos of the places and decide where to go based on the impression I get. I truly hope that my contributions have helped other people as much as I have been helped to avoid disappointing places and to find truly remarkable spots for grabbing a drink or a bite anywhere around the globe!