I am in Love with the Local Guides Program
Google’s Local Guides program is a lifesaver for me! Coming from a conflict-zone, a least-developed country, Afghanistan, and traveling around the globe was very difficult for me until I found a local guide.
My local guide was Google’s local guides program. I started relying on the places, ratings, reviews, and photos by the local guides since 2016 when I traveled to India for training. I did not have anyone in India to guide me to the famous spots, restaurants, places for hangout and business meetings. Being a tech enthusiast, I decided to refer to my phone for help. I opened Google Maps on my phone and entered a simple question “famous restaurants near me” and then magic happened. I saw tens of restaurants with reviews from local guides, including Indians and tourists who might have been in a similar situation like me and then they found a place and left their review. I found the local guides very helpful. They indeed were “local guides”. I was surprised by the quality of the reviews and how they really reflected every tiny detail about the places. Since then, I am in love with Google Maps. This made me take a firm decision that I will not only benefit from the local guides program but give back. I decided to become a contributor to help others. I understood the value of a shared community with contributions from everyone. A community indeed!
Now, when I go to new places, I start looking for reviews, I start writing reviews. My friends often make fun of me saying that the reviews guy is back to business. But, because I have found local guides very helpful, I rely on it. I have encouraged dozens of my friends to become contributors, and they have started doing so.
I see value in becoming part of the Local Guides community. It is part of my life now!