As the world opened back up following the pandemic, so did travel. I jumped in with both feet, ending my apartment lease and booking 18 straight months on Airbnb, visiting a new place each month.

London, New York, Honolulu, Mexico City, Chicago, Savannah, Halifax, Taos, the list goes on. Working remotely and exploring these new locales on the evenings and weekends, I was surprised by how many great recommendations I received directly from friends. A co-worker who grew up in Chicago, or an old friend from childhood who has family in Halifax – they each offered a surprisingly deep knowledge that was waiting to be accessed.

As you can imagine, getting their travel tips or recommendations relies on a conversation. More often than not, I received great tips from folks the week after I left the location they had so much knowledge of. When I did receive a great set of recommendations, accessing them quickly was a challenge. Siloed Google Map lists, DMs, and notes are tough to manage when you're hangry and in an unfamiliar place.