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Free app helps you experience a new city with local favorites

Free app helps you experience a new city with local favorites
© Subbotina | Dreamstime

When you take a trip, you know the only way to find the best places in the city is to ask a local for recommendations. But what if you run into a language barrier or you’re not sure about someone’s recommendation? This is where a travel app would come in handy.

We’ve got an app for you that helps travelers in several cities. It has proven to be a helpful guidance tool for those traveling to foreign countries looking for some of the more exciting and unique locations, without falling into the typical tourist traps. Tap or click here for 6 travel hacks you need to know for summer vacation.

Here’s what the app does, how it was developed and how it can benefit you on your next overseas getaway. You’re sure to love it!

Spotted by Locals

Spotted by Locals is a travel guide app. It began as a Dutch startup over a decade ago and has grown into a helpful, free, Android and iOS-friendly insider travel guide. The newest version allows users to add their own locations to the map, including hotels or visitor highlights not already found in the guide.

Since 2008, Spotted by Locals has served as a community of blogs & apps by volunteer locals in 79 cities. Its “Spotters” live in the cities they write about, speak the local language and write only about their current local favorite spots.

This means Spotted by Locals is a strictly non-commercial app, which separates it from other travel service guides. So the next time you’re on vacation, you know you can trust the app to tell you about mom-and-pop-type restaurants instead of the nearest local chain.

Founders Sanne & Bart van Poll have had a hands-on approach from the start, and they continue to this day by meeting all of their Spotters in person. All the blogs and recommendations you find in the app come from these Spotters who were hand-picked to help you, not a bunch of freelance writers who aren’t even local.

RELATED: Not sure where to visit next? Tap or click for 6 apps to find cool places to visit on your next trip.

The van Polls believe the root of many of the world’s problems stem from a misunderstanding of other cultures. Spotted by Locals was created in hopes of changing misconstrued perceptions by enabling travelers to see a tourist destination through the eyes of locals.

We are increasingly worried about too much tourism …We promote locally owned spots outside of the touristy center and since 2018 exclusively launched guides to cities that can actually use more tourists.”

Sanne & Bart van Poll

With the van Poll’s mission statement in mind, here are some of the key features that make this travel app unique:

  • Regular updates: newly spotted local gems.
  • 100% offline maps and tips – There’s no Internet required.
  • List spots nearby & navigate offline.
  • Save your favorite tips.
  • Search all tips by keyword.
  • Add your own finds.
  • See the newest spots written by Spotters.

When you have access to Wi-Fi, you can download updates for your current spot and read the latest discoveries in the city. If you love a hotel or restaurant you found, you can share their locations and details with other users.

You may also like: Kim’s safety guide. Tap or click here for 3 safety tricks Kim uses when she travels.

Hanging out at local hot spots is part of immersing yourself in a culture, so if Spotted by Locals sounds like the right app for your lifestyle, download it now.

Tags: community, Google, guides, hacks, local, recommendations