The Roavi Blog
Stories from people who live there.
Travel tips, city guides, and local insights from the Roavi team.
1173 articles
Safety · San Juan
Is Puerto Rico Safe to Visit in 2026? Yes in the Places Visitors Go, With These Rules: Old San Juan, Condado and the Beaches, the Neighbourhoods to Skip, the Real Risks (Rip Currents, Car Break-Ins at Beach Car Parks, Power Cuts, Hurricane Season), Driving, at Night, Solo Travel, and the Water
Puerto Rico has a crime rate that looks alarming on paper and a tourist experience that, in the places visitors actually go, is calm. Both are true: most serious crime is concentrated in specific neighbourhoods and involves people who know each other. What actually goes wrong for visitors is the ocean, the rental car left with a bag on the seat, the power going out, and hurricane season. Here is the honest version.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Travel Tips · San Juan
Where to Stay in San Juan, Puerto Rico: Old San Juan (History on Foot), Condado (Hotels and the Lagoon), Ocean Park (Guesthouses and the Locals' Beach), Isla Verde (Next to the Airport), Santurce (Food and Nights), Dorado (Resorts), and Beyond the City (Rincón, Fajardo, Vieques, Culebra), Area by Area, What It Costs in 2026, and How to Choose
San Juan's areas are close together, so the choice is less about distance than about what you want outside your door: four-hundred-year-old streets, a hotel pool on the beach, a guesthouse on the locals' beach, or a short ride from the airport. Here is each area, what it costs in 2026, and when to stay somewhere else on the island instead.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Become a Local Friend
Best Side Hustles in Puerto Rico in 2026: Nine That Actually Pay in San Juan, Rincón, Fajardo and Vieques (Local Friend for Cruise and Weekend Visitors, Rideshare and Delivery in the Metro, Boat and Snorkel Crew, Surf Lessons, Bilingual Remote Work, Tutoring, Event Staffing, Airbnb Co-Hosting, Tourist Photography), What Each Really Makes, the Cruise Calendar, How Taxes Work on the Island, and Which Fit Your Hours
Puerto Rico gets millions of visitors a year who need no passport, cruise ships that put thousands of people in Old San Juan for six hours at a time, and a bilingual workforce the mainland pays for remotely. Here are nine side hustles that pay on the island in 2026, what each really makes, how the cruise calendar and the seasons change them, and the one tax rule that is different from the mainland.
Oscar Garcia··5 min read
Become a Local Friend
Best Side Hustles in Illinois in 2026: Nine That Actually Pay in Chicago and the Rest of the State (Local Friend, Rideshare at O'Hare and Midway, Delivery, Tutoring, Pet Sitting, Notary Signings, Convention and Festival Staffing, Spanish and Polish Interpreting, Task Work), What Each Really Makes After Costs, the Illinois Rules and Flat Tax, and Which Fit Your Hours
Illinois is Chicago plus everything else: one of the biggest convention cities in the country, two airports, a summer festival calendar that never stops, and winters that change which side hustles make sense. Here are nine that pay in 2026, what each really makes after costs, the state rules and flat income tax, and which fit your hours.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Become a Local Friend
Best Side Hustles in Arizona in 2026: Nine That Actually Pay in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson, Sedona and Flagstaff (Local Friend, Rideshare Against the Robotaxis, Delivery, Spring Training and Golf Event Staffing, Pool and Yard Work, Tutoring, Spanish Interpreting, Airbnb Co-Hosting, Pet Sitting), What Each Really Makes, the 2.5 Percent Flat Tax, How the Heat Changes the Calendar, and Which Fit Your Hours
Arizona's side-hustle year runs backwards: the busy months are January to April, when spring training, the golf tournaments and every snowbird in the Midwest arrive, and the slow ones are June to September, when Phoenix passes 110. Here are nine side hustles that pay in 2026, what each really makes, the low flat state tax, and which fit the hours you have.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Become a Local Friend
Best Side Hustles in New Jersey in 2026: Nine That Actually Pay in Jersey City, Hoboken, Newark, the Suburbs and the Shore (Local Friend, Rideshare at Newark Airport and MetLife, Delivery, Suburban Tutoring, Pet Sitting, Notary Signings, Stadium and Casino Event Staffing, Spanish and Portuguese Interpreting, Shore-Season Co-Hosting), What Each Really Makes, the New Jersey Taxes, and Which Fit Your Hours
New Jersey has some of the highest tutoring and pet-sitting rates in the country, Newark airport and MetLife Stadium for rideshare, a summer shore season, and New York City across the river, without the TLC licence. Here are nine side hustles that pay in 2026, what each really makes, the state taxes, and which fit the hours you have.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Become a Local Friend
Best Side Hustles in Georgia in 2026: Nine That Actually Pay in Atlanta, Savannah and Beyond (Local Friend, Background Extra Work on Film and TV Sets, Rideshare at the World's Busiest Airport, Delivery, Convention and Stadium Staffing, Tutoring, Pet Sitting, Spanish and Korean Interpreting, Airbnb Co-Hosting), What Each Really Makes, the Flat State Tax, and Which Fit Your Hours
Georgia has the busiest airport in the world, one of the biggest film and TV production industries in the country, a convention and stadium calendar that fills downtown Atlanta most weekends, and Savannah's year-round visitors. Here are nine side hustles that pay in 2026, including the one most people outside Georgia have never heard of: background extra work.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Become a Local Friend
Best Side Hustles in California in 2026: Ten That Actually Pay (Local Friend, Rideshare Under Prop 22, Delivery, Tutoring, Pet Sitting, Notary Signings, Event Staffing, Interpreting, Airbnb Co-Hosting, Weekend Tours), What Each Really Makes After Costs, the California Rules, and Which Fit the Hours You Have
California has the highest cost of living in the country and the most ways to earn on the side, from Los Angeles to San Diego to the Bay. Here are ten side hustles that pay in 2026, with what each really makes after gas, fees and taxes, the state rules that change the math (Prop 22, the minimum wage, 1099 taxes), and which ones fit evenings, weekends or a few hours between things.
Oscar Garcia··6 min read
Become a Local Friend
Best Side Hustles in Texas in 2026: Ten That Actually Pay in Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio (Local Friend, Rideshare, Delivery, Tutoring, Pet Sitting, Notary Signings, Event Staffing, Spanish Interpreting, Airbnb Co-Hosting, Handyman Work), What Each Really Makes After Costs, the No-State-Income-Tax Advantage, and Which Fit the Hours You Have
Texas has four of the eleven biggest cities in the country, no state income tax, and a cost of living that still lets a side hustle move the needle. Here are ten that pay in 2026 in Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, with what each really makes after gas and fees, why the tax math is better here, and which fit evenings, weekends or a few hours between things.
Oscar Garcia··5 min read
Become a Local Friend
Best Side Hustles in Florida in 2026: Ten That Actually Pay in Miami, Orlando and Tampa (Local Friend, Rideshare at the Airports and Ports, Delivery, Boat and Watersports Crew, Tutoring, Pet Sitting, Notary Signings, Event and Theme-Park Season Work, Spanish and Portuguese Interpreting, Airbnb Co-Hosting), What Each Really Makes, the Seasons, No State Income Tax, and Which Fit Your Hours
Florida receives more than a hundred million visitors a year, has no state income tax, and runs on seasons: the winter months when the state fills and the summer when it empties. Here are ten side hustles that pay in 2026 in Miami, Orlando and Tampa, with what each really makes after costs, how the seasons change them, and which fit evenings, weekends or a few hours between things.
Oscar Garcia··5 min read
Become a Local Friend
Best Side Hustles in New York in 2026: Ten That Actually Pay in New York City and Upstate (Local Friend, App Delivery at the City Minimum, Tutoring, Pet Sitting, Notary Signings, Event Staffing, Interpreting, Airbnb Co-Hosting Where It's Legal, Task Work, Rideshare and Its TLC Licence), What Each Really Makes After Costs, the New York Rules, the Taxes, and Which Fit the Hours You Have
New York has the highest rates in the country for almost everything on this list and the highest taxes to match, and rules that change the usual gig math: rideshare needs a TLC licence, app delivery has a city minimum wage, and short-term rentals are mostly banned in the city. Here are ten side hustles that pay in 2026, in the city and upstate, with what each really makes after costs and which fit the hours you have.
Oscar Garcia··6 min read
Travel Tips
How to Hire a Plus-One for a Wedding: What a Paid Platonic Date Costs ($150 to $500 for the Day), Where to Find One (RentAFriend, Roavi, and What to Avoid), What You Tell the Couple and the Table, How to Brief Your Plus-One So It Goes Well, and the Boundaries That Keep It Simple (2026)
The invitation says 'and guest', the wedding is in six weeks, and you would rather not spend the evening explaining why you came alone. Hiring a platonic plus-one is a real, common, legal thing to do. Here is what it costs for a wedding day, where to find someone, what you say to the couple and the table, how to brief your date, and the boundaries that keep the whole thing simple.
Oscar Garcia··5 min read