Discover a whole new world
I started actively participating in the Local Guides program when I went to study abroad. It is a very challenging experience to be alone in a new country, where you don’t have any local friends. Thus, I used Google Maps to discover all the places of interest in Warsaw where I stayed back at the time. I then realized, that I will never be lost again in a new city and this motivated me to travel more.
Know your surroundings
When I was in Lviv,Ukraine I saw a very particular place. It was full of old toys, mostly Soviet Union style. However, we found an american Baby Born made in 50s! I went to Google Maps and discovered that was a Museum of abandoned toys. In few minutes I was able to tell others the stories about this place as if I have known it before.
Have a real impact
Later I started contributing to the Local Guides program myself. In my opinion, one of the most useful contributions was a comment about the university where I did my Masters’ degree. I struggled with the final exams and graduation together with some of my fellows. We were not satisfied with a lot of things in our university. However, I made a very objective overview of Warsaw School of Economics on Google Maps, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses. Every higher education institution has a lot of issues that need to be resolved. I hope it motivated the authorities to bring about changes and fill in the gaps where needed. Moreover, students who choose their future university should have access to the insights from experienced graduates to make a good decision.
Keep places from books
The other great thing about Local Guides that means a lot to me is registering places from literature. I really appreciated visiting the islands from my favorite book Count Monte Cristo of Alexandre Dumas. The main fictional character was imprisoned in the Château d’If on Frioul archipelago, located near Marseille. I enjoy that I can use Google maps to see how the islands look like, which outfit can be better for this journey. Also, other Local Guides share their own experiences from these islands which I find very inspirational.
Find a perfect spot
When I travel with my friends we always seek to find great views to take photos. I usually check through the photos of Local Guides for some nice ideas. Not less important, I post my own landscapes and then wait for a notification email with the number of views on it.
Dream
Once Google Maps brought me to a magic place in Fecamp (Normandy, France). After a small bottle of wine at 9am I was looking for a place to have lunch and more wine. It was a minimalist family restaurant/hotel with nice courtyard located on the clifftop. What a calming place it was! I finished my mango soufflé and realized that I would like to get married there one day. However, Google Maps also made me discover few years later that the hotel was closed forever.
To sum up, Local Guides program gradually became an integral part of my everyday life.
If it wasn’t for Google Maps, I wouldn’t discover so many new and interesting places. I feel really comfortable wherever I go, be it alone or with other people.
Anastasiia
Kyiv, Ukraine.