The most interesting thing about being a local guide is that I can be frank about the shops and tourist attractions I had visited. I spent about 7 days on scooter last month as I toured around the island of Taiwan, throughout the trip I visited many attractions and restaurants.
One restaurant owner saw me as I took photos of my food and wrote a review about it on google. The owner approached me and asked me about the experience I had in the restaurant and whether there’s room for improvement. I shared my review with honesty, he took it wholeheartedly and promised to improve on the service with which he also took the time to treat me with a side dish free-of-charge. During one of my stays, I also met an interesting owner of a hostel, he was new to the booking website, so what was a $50 a night room, I was able to book it for $15. Yet he still welcomed me with enthusiasm; after learning about me as a local guide, he hoped I could write a review for them and told me that whatever the review he had received in the past, he took it to heart and improved on any mistake he read.
The job as a local guide is joyous and knowing that my reviews can bring improvements to the tourism industry and elevated experience to tourists is extremely fulfilling.