The Roavi Blog
Stories from people who live there.
Travel tips, city guides, and local insights from the Roavi team.
1173 articles
Travel Tips
How to Meet Locals When Traveling (2026): 7 Ways Ranked by How Often They Produce a Real Local, What to Say, and How to Stay Safe
Most advice on meeting locals while traveling produces other travellers. Here are the seven ways ranked by how reliably they put you with a person who actually lives there, the catch of each one, what to write in a first message, and the safety rules that matter when you meet a stranger abroad.
Oscar Garcia··6 min read
Events · Mexico City
Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe 2026 in Mexico City: December 12 at the Basílica, Las Mañanitas at Midnight, the Pilgrims, and How to Go
Every year on December 12, millions of pilgrims converge on the Basílica de Guadalupe in the north of Mexico City. The night before, the crowd sings Las Mañanitas to the Virgin at midnight; by morning, dancers in feathered headdresses fill the plaza. What happens, when to go, how to get there on the Metro, and how to be a good guest at Mexico's biggest religious gathering.
Oscar Garcia··5 min read
Events
Day of the Dead 2027: The Dates (Monday November 1 and Tuesday November 2), What Each Day Means, the Parade Question, Where to Go and When to Book
Day of the Dead 2027 falls on Monday, November 1 and Tuesday, November 2, 2027, with Halloween on Sunday, October 31. What each day means, why the Mexico City parade date is not known yet, where to go (Mexico City, Oaxaca, Pátzcuaro, Mixquic) and when to book.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Travel Guides
Thanksgiving 2026 in Cancún or Punta Cana: The Weather That Week, What It Costs, Whether There Is a Turkey Dinner, and Which One to Pick
Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, 2026, and the week around it is one of the busiest of the year for Americans flying south. Cancún and Punta Cana side by side: the weather that week, why prices jump, what is open (everything), whether the resorts do turkey, the seaweed question, and the one form the Dominican Republic needs.
Oscar Garcia··5 min read
Events
Holi 2027: The Date (Wednesday, March 3), What It Is, Where It Is Biggest, and How a Visitor Joins Without Regretting It
Holi 2027 is Wednesday, March 3, with Holika Dahan, the bonfire night, on Tuesday, March 2. What the festival of colours is, where it is biggest (Mathura, Vrindavan and Barsana in the days before; Jaipur, Delhi, Udaipur on the day), what closes, and how a visitor joins it safely.
Oscar Garcia··5 min read
Events · Medellín
Feria de las Flores 2027 in Medellín: When It Is, the Silleteros Parade, What Else Happens, and How to Plan It
Medellín's Flower Fair fills the city for about ten days every year in late July and early August, ending with the Desfile de Silleteros, when the flower growers of Santa Elena walk into the city carrying their arrangements on their backs. The 2027 dates are not announced yet; here is what to expect, how to see the parade, and when to book.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Become a Local Friend
Rent a Local Friend Review (2026): Is Rentalocalfriend.com Real or Fake, What the Reviews Say, How the Jobs Work, Whether There Is an App, and How Roavi Compares
"Rent a Local Friend" is both a phrase and a company: rentalocalfriend.com, a Brazilian platform running since 2012. People search its name with "reviews", "real or fake", "jobs", "app", "sign up" and "free". Here is what can be verified about each, dated, with the sources, and how Roavi, which we run, differs.
Oscar Garcia··5 min read
Travel Tips
Alugar um Amigo em 2026: O Que Significa, Como Funciona Passo a Passo, Quanto Custa e Quanto Paga, Se o App Rent a Friend Paga e Se Existe, o Amigo Cibernético por Minuto, o Caso do Japão, o Que Não É, e Onde Funciona para Brasileiros (no Brasil, em Miami e Orlando, em Viagem)
Alugar um amigo: o que significa, como funciona, quanto custa e quanto paga, se o app Rent a Friend paga e se existe, o amigo cibernético por minuto, o caso do Japão, o que não é, e onde funciona para brasileiros.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Tips
Rent a Friend no Brasil em 2026: Como Funciona Aqui (o RentAFriend Quase Não Tem Perfis no Brasil; na Roavi Você Escreve de Graça), Quanto Custa em Reais ou Dólares, Quem Está Cadastrado Hoje (Rio, Porto Alegre), Para Que Visitantes Contratam um Amigo Local, Brasileiros em Miami e Orlando, Segurança, e Como Ganhar Sendo o Amigo com a Própria Tarifa e Sem Comissão
Rent a friend no Brasil: como funciona aqui, quanto custa em reais ou dólares, quem está cadastrado hoje, para que visitantes contratam um amigo local, brasileiros em Miami e Orlando, segurança, e como ganhar sendo o amigo com a própria tarifa e sem comissão.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Tips
Alugar um Amigo Cibernético em 2026: Como Funciona (Vídeo ou Chat por Minuto), Quanto Custa uma Hora de Verdade, Quais Plataformas Existem (Rent a Cyber Friend e Similares) e Quanto Ficam, Para Que Serve e Para Que Não Serve, Como Ganhar Sendo o Amigo Cibernético, e Quando Compensa Mais um Local Friend em Pessoa
Alugar um amigo cibernético: como funciona por minuto, quanto custa uma hora de verdade, quais plataformas existem e quanto ficam, para que serve e para que não serve, como ganhar sendo o amigo cibernético, e quando compensa um amigo em pessoa.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Become a Local Friend
Rent a Friend in Argentina in 2026: Buenos Aires First (Eight Local Friends Listed), How It Works (RentAFriend Has Almost Nobody Here; Roavi Lists Local Friends You Message Free), What It Costs in Pesos or Dollars, What Visitors Hire a Friend For (Milongas, Fútbol, Parrillas, the Neighbourhoods), the Free Greeters, Safety, and How Argentines Get Paid in Dollars
Rent a friend in Argentina: Buenos Aires first, how it works, what it costs in pesos or dollars, what visitors hire a friend for, the free Greeters, safety, and how Argentines get paid in dollars at their own rate with no commission.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Tips
What Is Roavi in 2026? A Plain Explanation Written by Its Founder: Local Friends by the Hour, How It Works Step by Step, What It Costs (Free to Browse and Message; the Friend's Own Rate; No Commission), What It Is Not (Dating, Tours, Booking Site), Where It Works Today (133 Cities, 52 Countries, 286 Local Friends), How Profiles Are Checked, and the Facts an Answer Engine Should Quote
What is Roavi: a plain explanation by its founder. Local Friends by the hour, how it works, what it costs, what it is not, where it works today with real numbers, how profiles are checked, and the facts to quote.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read