I believe the more we are involved into the Local Guides program, the more we actually feel like possessing valuable knowledge we shall share with the rest. It’s not only about places we recommend and must-sees that produced a long-lasting impression on us but also things we weren’t prepared for when going somewhere or avoiding tourist traps. Who, if not local guides, can help with that?
#1 Telling People about Places with Soul
Living in Estonia now, I’m an eternal traveller and can tell from my own experience that as much as we think we like going off the beaten track, in reality, we mostly stick with visiting recommended cities instead of exploring remote but soulful areas of a new country. Just a couple of examples:
- It wasn’t until I spent 3 years in Estonia that I found out about a silent heartfelt wooden cottage of Sambla Talu in the forests 40 km away from the capital, where its wonderful owner cooked us pancakes in the morning, topped with handmade rhubarb or onion jams… Delicious and so heartfelt! I remember discovering it as a tourist once and keep spreading the word on Google Maps and beyond. The owner wrote me she was grateful for my review. I’m sure it inspired many to explore this quiet forest pearl.
- Having seen lots of stunning places abroad, I found myself again and again in stunning Malta. But meeting more and more locals, I found out that most tourists to Maltese islands miss out on the real pearls and paradise spots. So I couldn’t wait to tell the world about its exciting hidden bays like peace-of-mind Mistra Bay or unique and secluded Fomm ir-Riħ, which absolutely blew me away. Trip Advisor does an awesome job picking out Top 10’s but we, Local Guides, are showing people more than meets the eye.
#2 Reporting Tourist Traps and Unwelcoming Places
I strongly feel that as Local Guides we have to inform our readers of the places and businesses where we didn’t feel welcome or weren’t treated well. Let’s face it, be it locals or foreigners, we often feel disappointed when places don’t meet our expectations, or services are overrated. Who, if not we, can bring it to light? And examples are numerous!
- Last year, travelling across Belarus, I and my Venezuelan friends went for a special meal to one of the fanciest restaurants in Grodno, named Barashka. Dim lights, gorgeous interior and a massive menu with mouth-watering dish pictures promised a good experience. It was, unfortunately, followed by 1,5 hours of waiting and resulting dishes absolutely not matching the menu pics. When asked why, the waiters “explained” that they gave us a 3-year-old menu version for foreigners, as they don’t have an updated one, and those dishes do not exist anymore.
- For one, let’s take cultural aspects. Having visited a “Shakespeare play” in a young theatre Subbota in St. Petersburg, I was confused and felt the future theatre-goers should know what they were in for. It was an unrhymed experimental work, only remotely reminding of Shakespeare’s original and accompanied by heavy, depressing electronic music. I’m a philologist and my feeling of poetic beauty was suffering. I would have preferred to know the event details before buying the ticket. The young theatre is allowed to experiment, of course. But Shakespeare fans have to make an informed choice, and my review is making a difference.
#3 Helping Make This World a Better Place
Whether it’s a praising review, a picture or a bit of critique, it’s essential to understand we are helping places we’ve been to get better with time.
- Taken the right way, our contributions change the world for the better. The more reviews we post, the more actions are taken. Just last year, Tallinn dance studio FreeFlow I’m a member of took it right when I and others reviewers pointed out the unsuitable and unsafe floor surface. After all, dancers’ safety is #1 priority. The studio soon moved to more suitable and equipped halls. Result? Much better conditions. New dance horizons. Thumbs up!
It’s so rewarding to see our reviews and photos introduce people to new soulful places and other awesome people and help positive change. Local Guides’ help to the community cannot be overstated. Because we believe we can change the world, we are actually doing it! ?