Visiting a new country can be nerve wrecking when you have no help

I remember arriving in Greece for my MBA, luckily for me i had a friend already there who was willing to show me a few places. She had to leave after a few months and i had to figure out the rest on my own. Living in a country where english is not the first language can be a hassle especially if you cant decipher if thats a place you should be or not. Guess what helped me out when my friend left, Google maps and local guides contributions.

The maps may tell you how to get there but it doesn’t say for example if this is a good restaurant or that has better service or if you are looking for this type of outfit, this is definitely the store for you.

I got back to Nigeria in 2017 and decided to be a contributor mainly because I think the community in Nigeria can be greatly improved and the only way to start was to contribute myself. I share reviews and ratings mainly to give people a general idea of the location, what it offers and probably what it looks like. I think this is very helpful in deciding where and when to go. Another issue i had was the ability to recognise where i was going, getting lost in a new city is the easiest thing that can happen to you. For that reason, i thought pictures will be a great source of information and you can say to yourself/cab driver “yep i’m here, saw that photo earlier”.

With a rating, short description and photo available i think any traveler is ready to take on the world!

Finally i have read a couple of posts for Connect live 2019, and i can already see my contribution scope is limited and there are a lot of other things i can be doing. I think i will have a lot of upgrade in the coming months and its going to be very exciting.

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@dammylawal

Very nice article :+1::sunglasses:

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Thank you

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I’m tagging @EmekaUlor in all of the posts I see about Nigeria (I hope you don’t mind!). Emeka can help you become more involved with the Local Guides there :smiley:

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@brittym you know I am always glad to guide!:blush:

@dammylawal your post is inspirational and your story resonates with most Local Guides. Helping others with adequate information to make decisions is basically what Google Maps was meant for. Keep volunteering and making your community accessible.

Meanwhile, we have one of the most vibrant Local Guides community in the world, right here in Lagos.:muscle:

You can join us for meetups and regular updates via our whatsapp group. Check your private mail for the link.

You can introduce yourself formally on Connect here.

Looking forward to seeing more of your inspiring posts and gorgeous photos.

Cheers

Emeka

Accessibility Champion

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Thank you!