The Roavi Blog
Stories from people who live there.
Travel tips, city guides, and local insights from the Roavi team.
453 articles
Become a Local Friend · San Diego
Getting Paid to Hang Out in San Diego (2026)
A city where a large share of the population is on a three-year posting. They arrive knowing nobody and everybody knows it.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Become a Local Friend · Washington, DC
Getting Paid to Hang Out in Washington, DC (2026)
The most transient big city in America. People arrive for a job with an end date, and a lot of them never build anything because they know they are leaving.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Become a Local Friend · Chicago
Getting Paid to Hang Out in Chicago (2026)
Five months of winter in a city organised entirely around going out. That gap is where this works.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Become a Local Friend · Los Angeles
Getting Paid to Hang Out in Los Angeles (2026)
Four million people, almost all of them from somewhere else, in a city where nobody is within twenty minutes of anybody.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Become a Local Friend · New York
Getting Paid to Hang Out in New York City (2026)
Eight and a half million people and it is the loneliest city in America to arrive in. Density is not company, and everybody here learns that in their first winter.
Oscar Garcia··5 min read
Become a Local Friend
RentAFriend Alternatives in 2026: An Honest List
RentAFriend made this category and still owns the search results. It is not the only option and it is the only one that charges you before anyone books you.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Travel Tips · Punta Cana
The Dominican Republic E-Ticket: What It Is, and How to Not Get Caught Out
Every traveller entering or leaving the Dominican Republic has to complete a free government form online. Most people find out about it at the airport.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Travel Tips · Santo Domingo
Tipping in the Dominican Republic: The 10% Already on Your Bill, and What to Add
Restaurant bills already include a legally required 10% service charge plus 18% tax. Knowing that changes what you should add — and stops you tipping twice.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Travel Tips · Punta Cana
Money in the Dominican Republic: How Much Cash, Pesos or Dollars, and Where Cards Fail
Dollars are accepted in tourist areas at a rate that quietly costs you money. Here's when to use pesos, how much cash to carry, and the places a card simply won't work.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Travel Guides · Santo Domingo
Dominican Food: The Fourteen Things Worth Eating, and Where to Find Them
Resort buffets serve an international menu with a Dominican corner. The actual food of the country is in comedores, colmados and roadside stands — and it's better.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Travel Tips · Santo Domingo
Dominican Spanish: The Slang You'll Hear in the First Hour
Dominican Spanish is the fastest in the Americas and drops half its consonants. Twenty phrases will take you from lost to keeping up.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Travel Tips · Punta Cana
Driving in the Dominican Republic: When to Rent a Car, and When Absolutely Not
The highways are genuinely good. The driving culture is not what you're used to. Here's where a car transforms the trip and where it ruins it.
Oscar Garcia··5 min read