What Local Guides means to me: People, Culture, Places!
I have worked in 2 countries – India and USA and had visited few other countries. I like to travel and do a lot of research from various sources before traveling and take a lot of photographs. When I learnt about Local Guides program around 2 years ago, I felt so excited and relieved that most of the information I always looked for can be found at one place. And that I would also become a contributing member to the society as I had so much content and experience to share. Like there is a volunteer program at Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, USA. Some people did appreciate that information.
Given a choice I prefer small scale standalone restaurants over chains. Being a vegetarian, I could understand the problem people may face. Since I benefited from other’s reviews so I also started to write reviews about vegetarian options at different restaurants while covering other important aspects e.g. hygiene, parking, affordability, quality of service etc.
How the culture can vary from state to another in different countries never cease to amaze me. And to be able to share about the festivals and cultures is one great way of promoting local tourism. I have learnt and now try to emphasize on being a responsible traveler. Places which have some historical importance; are in remote and natural areas away from hustle bustle of cities are my favorites. Like a 600 years old functional iron bridge, known as Chak-Zam in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Big Basin Redwoods State Park, California, USA. I was able to add on Google maps a homestay run by a farming family in lower Himalayas in Uttarakhand, India. They have become my good friends and I manage the homestay profile on their behalf by responding to queries, thanking guests for feedback and posting pics.
The world is a beautiful place to explore and Local Guides with Google are helping in their own unique selfless ways!