I’ve discovered since being a Local Guide that the program seems to be the glue that holds the various parts of my life that I value most together.
Since moving to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (UK) a few years ago to study with my family, it was a new place, new experiences and lots of unknowns! Using the information given by other Local Guides has helped us explore a new city, the reviews helping me understand whether the place may have been suitable for my two young children, Mohammed (8) and Faris (9), or if it is a place to share with my wife, friends or the whole family.
Venturing out and utilising other people’s feedback we found many great places, unique experiences and things to do that perhaps we would not have considered or discovered without Local Guides. I felt that I wished to ‘give something back’ to others, we have a small Saudi community in Newcastle and by writing and sharing my own reviews, this would introduce members of my community to new places that I had discovered with my family, as well as reviews that could help other travellers (and explorers) of the city.
Photography has always been a great passion of mine and I savour the opportunity to take pictures of any location I am in. This fits perfectly with Local Guides as it enables me to not only write about my experiences, but – as the idiom goes - ‘a picture speaks a thousand words’ so I can share visually the experience with others.
Since adding photographs to my reviews, I have been contacted by some of the owners of the businesses I have written about who have thanked me for the kind words and for showcasing the experience available to customers. For example the ‘Dabbawal Indian Street Food restaurant’, who I found through Local Guides, visited often with family and friends, reviewed myself with pictures and have come to know the manager very well because of my reviews. Some local businesses have even asked if they can use my pictures for their websites and social media, such as The English School. I do not ask for a fee for this as I see it as a service to my local community. My kids also enjoy seeing one of their dad’s pictures I have taken on a company’s website, especially when it reminds them of the experience we had together as a family.
So, as you can see, shared experiences with family and friends, discovering new places, allowing me to enjoy my passion for photography and sharing this for the benefit of my local community and fellow citizens is what being a Local Guide means to me!
