The Local Guides program has become an integral part of my life. To me it is a shining star that will always provide me with a right direction no matter where I am.
My first meeting with the Local Guides happened 5 years ago, when my friend and I decided to go to Cyprus together. At that time, being students (without money, but with a desperate desire to travel!) we made an absolutely reckless decision: going to a new country without any connection to the Internet. We made a list of some places we wanted to visit, but did not even think about how we would reach them. Right now it sounds absolutely crazy, but back then, we were the most excited people in the whole world who did not want to notice anything but for the cool perspectives of exploring new country.
The awareness of this not really favourable situation came to us only in the airport. Luckily, one man (probably from Jordan, I cannot remember for sure) heard what we were talking about and advised us to download Google Maps while we still had Wi-Fi. As a result, we had the best map where we indicated all the places we wanted to visit and that let us find everything we planned. After the first day of such happiness, while catching some Wi-Fi spot near the local McDonald’s, I have discovered that every place also had numerous reviews. I think I examined a lot of them which resulted into the removal of some not really interesting things, adding some others (more stunning!), and a huge desire to start writing my own reviews and posting my own pictures.
Since that time I started taking pictures of every new place I saw. Sometimes my friends considered it to be funny, but seeing thousands of new views with every new day, always let me know that I am working not in vain. I also started to write reviews mentioning some details I have not seen being written by the others.
Now I feel like the Local Guides Program is one of my most favourite hobbies that brings joy and happiness to me, and I hope some benefits to other people. It brought me thousands of nice picture, revealed to me hundreds of beautiful places, and made me feel proud of being able to help other people, just like they helped me 5 years ago.
