From Stranger in a Strange Land to a Smart Global Traveller brimming with confidence!
The Local Guides Program was of significant help to me when I set out to plan a One Day Trip to Brussels from Amsterdam with my 2 other friends. Being an Indian in Amsterdam, I had no clue how to travel, which train to catch from Amsterdam, which places to visit in Brussels & how to take the public transport.
With no one to help me, I turned to Google Maps & Local Guides for information and started listing down places that I could see in 1 full day in Brussels & return by night to Amsterdam.
In 3 days I had the travel plan ready - place by place/hour by hour - with a list of places where we could have snack breaks.
We could use the metro in Brussels with ease and knew beforehand where to board/alight. Our trip went like this : Amsterdam Centraal->Brussels Central-> Atomium->Mini Europe->Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History->Grand Place->Manneken Pis->Brussels Central->Amsterdam Centraal.
Here’s a picture of that trip which has become a sweet memory now and it was all possible due to Google Maps & Local Guides.
Google Maps & Local Guides helped me again the next year when i was in Amsterdam with my wife and we decided to visit Paris for one day. With my previous year’s experience I was able to make an itinerary within a day & refined it in a couple of days to include all the major sights of Paris. In one single day we managed to see these places: Eiffel Tower->Notre Dame->Place De La Concorde->Arc De Triomphe->Mont Martre->Place Du Tertre->Eiffel Tower & then back to Amsterdam. Below is a picture from that trip to Paris.
After both of these trips, I realised I could also be a Local Guide & help fellow travellers by writing reviews & posting photographs. I started slow but picked up speed & roll out reviews more frequently than ever before. I became aware of the Local Guides Connect webpage recently & look forward to contributing more and more here. Through my reviews I try to present a picture of the place I saw so that fellow travellers can plan ahead & know what to expect at the place they are planning to visit. I also try to benefit small businesses such as hotels, shops by reviewing them so that more people are aware and the customer base of such businesses grows!
Thanks!
Onkar Pandhare.
to plan an itinerary.