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Comment by kyletns | Hacker News Reader

While this app obviously has a few incredibly useful-looking features, am I the only one who feels travel is best done talking with locals? Asking your hotel manager for recommendations - THAT'S how to travel well. See a slice of pizza that looks good? Go ASK the guy where he got it. Do we really believe we can Google/Yelp our way to a genuinely local experience? Or do we think that local experiences start with local people? Is this just another app that helps us stare at our phones while traveling, instead of searching for real culture through real connection?

That said, I already offline Google Maps before any trip, and this app will probably make it easier, so I'll use it. But I'll always place way more weight on a local recommendation than anything else.

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Locals are commonly a poor source of good information. I definitely wouldn't use them as an exclusive source. I make it a habit when going to the other side of town when running an errand to ask the teller where's a good place to grab lunch. More often than not they'll point to something like a Subway or KFC across the street. Their priorities are generally something quick and cheap.

It's just too easy to live some place and not seek out the unique, locally available things. Many times when visiting other countries the people working there have never done the main thing people visit that area to do. Also tastes vary greatly. These apps offer an aggregate or editorial filter for something instead of a sample size of 1.

I don't think "ask the locals" resolves to "ask one local and listen to his opinion even if it is plainly bad."

Just like your app can offer a decent list, a single local will be able to as well. Ask 5 locals and you'll often find all of them name at least 1 or 2 of the same places.

Also, asking questions in order to receive helpful answers is a skill that takes practice. Other factors can also seriously affect the response you get, such as asking the question in English versus at least attempting to ask in the native tongue.

I agree. I find that if I'm in a place where it's easy to pick out expats (Asia), you can get some really good information about the uniqueness of the place you're visiting.

> am I the only one who feels travel is best done talking with locals?

I've always found locals to be hit and miss. From my own stand point, I would not recommend the touristy things to do in my town even though every tourist should probably do them. Same with restaurants. Locals in a given area also do not know my tastes.

What I do love is talking to locals about the history of the location. I had an AirBnB experience in Hvar, Croatia where the host lived in the bottom floor apartment. He grilled out one night with some friends he had in town from Germany, and invited us over. We had an amazing conversation about the history of Croatia with some people who were very patient with us since we could not effortlessly switch between German, Croatian and English.

I think part of the idea is that in many places, local people use Google too. So the app can combine your preferences with popular local spots, effectively getting recommendations from way more people than you could ask yourself.

I have no idea if that's actually how it works though.

But also, sometimes you don't really want a genuine local experience. Maybe you're in Washington DC for 2 days and want to squeeze in as much touristy stuff as possible. Locals aren't going to tell you about the great new exhibit at the National Gallery, they're going to tell you about their favorite dive bar on U street.

>While this app obviously has a few incredibly useful-looking features, am I the only one who feels travel is best done talking with locals? Asking your hotel manager for recommendations - THAT'S how to travel well

That's kind of a pretentious statement to make.

If one extreme is arriving in a city without plans, and the other extreme is meticulously planning every detail out. Then the way most people travel lies somewhere in the middle of that spectrum.

As long you enjoy your trip, then you have found the right way to travel for you personally.

>>> Do we really believe we can Google/Yelp our way to a genuinely local experience?

Why not? I mean, the content is built by locals and tourists who visited the same places as you.

That said, there is some truth in what you're saying about talking to the locals, it's just that it's not always convenient or even accessible.

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