Google maps is something that I have always used for navigation. In more recent months I have been using it for more. Having the ability to travel to new cities that I am not familiar with is something that has come into my life thanks to a change in work. Without maps I would only be another tourist walking around city centers and seeing the same things and eating the same foods. Life is so much more interesting than a tourist-trap gift shop and chain restaurants. With the help of Gmaps and Local Guides I have been able to successfully navigate several large cities that I had never so much as done an internet search on. Never eating the same thing twice and always having a beautiful museum to walk around. Being able to find a close and comfy place to stay is much easier as well. All without having to ever feel lost. It was incredibly freeing being able to feel exactly like I knew where without having to do miles of research ahead of time. I think it has just as much, if not more, to do with the awesome community of people always adding places to visit and a more open view to the slew of things on the map with reviews and photos. I may not have always been the most active person on the review side of things in the past but I will absolutely be trying my best to add as much as I can in the future.