The Local Guides program gives me a sense of empowerment. Imagine being able to review and share your views of places, small businesses, almost everything under the sun and be heard.
Here’s an example: There’s a café I visit regularly. While I love the place, I noticed there was a dip in their quality and consistency of items served. I wrote a review about this café and to my surprise, on my next visit the owner actually came and met me personally. She said my feedback was well received and she would be working with her staff and provide additional training to ensure they improve their quality. She also thanked me for my review and said it helped her understand what the customers feel and gave her a chance to better customer experience. To know that my feedback/review was well received and valued made me feel really good.
Also, knowing that when I review a particular place it could help someone make an informed decision makes me realise the importance and responsibility of an honest review. I make sure that my reviews about a place are as honest and transparent as possible. I have over 1 Million photo views and over 60k views of my reviews. The reach through this program is unbelievable and yet another reminder for me to review honestly and responsibly!
This program has also helped me find my lifelong friend from Japan. When I travelled solo to Australia in 2016, I met Mariko who, just like me, had travelled solo on a working visa. She wasn’t very fluent with English which affected her communication. So, she totally relied on Google Maps to find her way around the city. She had no friends there but that did not stop her from exploring the place. I was really inspired by how she was able to navigate through and explore the city independently. She was the one who taught me how to use Google Maps, how to pin places or add favourites on maps and navigate through Melbourne. We became such great friends that we continued to stay in touch even after we came back to our respective countries. So much so that 2 years later she actually travelled to India from Japan to attend my wedding. I’m so grateful to this platform for introducing me to my best friend. Ever since, I’ve tried my best to contribute on Google Maps in the hope that it can help someone who is in a similar situation as I was in 2016.
Here’s another great example of how Local Guides has helped me. On my third solo travel to Australia I had a 9-hour layover in Singapore. A local guide shared all the details about the Changi airport and the various things I could do while I was there. He told me about the butterfly garden and also suggested I get on the free Singapore bus tour at the airport. He shared all the details with me and thanks to this information I was able to utilise my time better. Not just that, now I can add Singapore to my list of countries visited and I also have an immigration stamp on my passport to prove it ? If I hadn’t known of this, I would have wasted 9 hours at the airport doing absolutely nothing. Sharing some pictures of the colorful streets of Singapore.
Here’s a link to the Free Singapore Tour for your reference:
https://www.changiairport.com/en/airport-guide/facilities-and-services/free-singapore-tour.html
And one other link about all the things you can do while at the airport:
So you see, the Local Guides Program has definitely impacted my life in more ways than one and I’m very grateful for this wonderful platform that gives me an opportunity to connect with people globally! It helps me learn about new cultures and virtually travel the world through the lens of my fellow local guides.