The Roavi Blog
Stories from people who live there.
Travel tips, city guides, and local insights from the Roavi team.
1173 articles
Travel Tips · Buenos Aires
Things to Do in Buenos Aires: San Telmo, Recoleta, a Real Milonga, the Asado, La Boca, Free, at Night, With Kids, in the Rain, and How to Split It Over 2, 3 or 4 Days (2026)
Buenos Aires eats at ten, dances at two and argues about football all week. Here is what you cannot miss, what you can skip, what it costs in 2026 and how to split it by the days you have, with the porteño hours no guidebook warns you about.
Oscar Garcia··9 min read
Travel Tips · Bogotá
Things to Do in Bogotá: In One Day, in 2 or 3 Days, With Kids, on a Sunday, Free and at Night, According to People Who Live There (2026)
Bogotá has a bad reputation among travellers: cold, dangerous, just the stopover on the way to Medellín. All three are exaggerations. What to do in the capital according to people who live there: La Candelaria and the Gold Museum, Monserrate, Chapinero, Usaquén on a Sunday, Paloquemao, ajiaco and hot chocolate with cheese, in one day, in two or three, with kids, free and at night. With the Bogotanos listed on Roavi.
Oscar Garcia··5 min read
Travel Tips · Mexico City
Mexico City Nightlife: Where to Go Out Neighbourhood by Neighbourhood, Cantinas, Mezcalerías, Clubs, Dance Halls, Garibaldi and Lucha Libre (2026)
Mexico City doesn't have one nightlife, it has five or six: the afternoon cantina with free snacks, the mezcalería in Roma, the bar streets of Juárez and the Zona Rosa, the bottle-service clubs of Polanco, the dance hall where people have danced danzón for eighty years, mariachi in Garibaldi at 2am and Friday-night lucha libre. Where to go out by what you want, when, how to get home, and the Mexico City locals listed on Roavi who will take you.
Oscar Garcia··6 min read
Travel Tips · Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires Nightlife: Where to Go Out by Neighbourhood, Porteño Hours, Bars, Clubs and Milongas (2026)
In Buenos Aires dinner is at ten, bars fill after midnight and the club is empty until three. Where to go out by what you want: Palermo for bars and clubs, San Telmo for live music and history, Almagro and Villa Crespo for the night porteños actually have, the Costanera for the big clubs, and the milongas for real tango. Plus the porteños listed on Roavi who will take you.
Oscar Garcia··5 min read
Travel Tips · New York
Things to Do in NYC Like a Local: What New Yorkers Actually Do on a Free Day, Borough by Borough (2026)
Not the list with the Empire State Building on it. What New Yorkers do with a Saturday: the bodega breakfast, the park they use, the ferry they take instead of the Statue of Liberty boat, the neighbourhood they eat in, the free thing on a Friday night, borough by borough, and the New Yorkers listed on Roavi who will take you.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Travel Guides
Japan Tour Guide: Licensed Guide-Interpreters, Private Guides, What They Cost, Tipping, and When a Local Friend Is the Better Answer (2026)
'Japan tour guide' means a licensed guide-interpreter, a private guide with a car for Fuji or Nikko, a free walking tour, or a Tokyoite who shows you their city for an evening. What each costs, why Japan's guides are expensive, the 2018 licence change, tipping, and where Roavi has people today (Tokyo; Osaka and Kyoto not yet).
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Travel Guides
Thailand Tour Guide: Licensed Guides, Private Guides with a Car, What They Cost, Tipping, and When a Local Friend Is the Better Answer (2026)
'Thailand tour guide' means a licensed Thai guide via an operator, a private guide with a car for Ayutthaya or the floating markets, or a Bangkokian who shows you their city for an evening. What each costs, why guiding is licensed in Thailand, tipping, and where Roavi has people today (Bangkok; the islands and Chiang Mai not yet).
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Travel Guides
How to Hire a Local Guide in 2026: Private Guides, Local Friends, What It Costs, the Apps, and Where It Works City by City
'Hire a local guide' means a licensed guide with a route, a private guide with a car, or a resident who shows you their city for a few hours at a rate they set. What each costs, how to find one directly without a tour company, which apps exist, and the cities where Roavi has real people listed today.
Oscar Garcia··5 min read
Travel Guides
Dominican Republic Tour Guide: Private Guides in Santo Domingo, Punta Cana, Puerto Plata and Santiago, What They Cost, and When a Local Friend Is the Better Answer (2026)
The Dominican Republic has resort excursions, licensed guides in the Zona Colonial, private guides with a car, and the country where Roavi has the most Local Friends of anywhere. What each costs, which cities have real people listed, and how to see the country beyond the resort.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Guides
Colombia Tour Guide: Private Guides in Medellín, Bogotá, Cali and Cartagena, What They Cost, Tipping, and When a Local Friend Is the Better Answer (2026)
Colombia's walking tours are among the best in the world and run on tips; private guides with a car make Guatapé, Zipaquirá and the coffee region; and in Medellín, Bogotá and Cali, Roavi has real Local Friends listed. What each costs, how much to tip, and which city has the people.
Oscar Garcia··2 min read
Travel Guides
Mexico Tour Guide: Private Guides in Mexico City, Cancún, Oaxaca and Guadalajara, What They Cost, Tipping, and When a Local Friend Is the Better Answer (2026)
Mexico has licensed guides at the ruins, free walking tours in the cities, food tours worth every peso, private guides with a car, and, in Mexico City above all, Local Friends listed on Roavi. What each costs, how much to tip, and which cities have real people today.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Guides · Los Angeles
Los Angeles Tour Guide: Private Guides, Studio and Celebrity Tours, What They Cost, and When a Local Friend Is the Better Answer (2026)
'Los Angeles tour guide' means a Hollywood or studio tour, a private guide with a car (the only way LA works), or an Angeleno who shows you their part of the city for an afternoon. What each costs, how to book, and which fits your trip, with the real people listed in LA.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read