The Roavi Blog
Stories from people who live there.
Travel tips, city guides, and local insights from the Roavi team.
974 articles
Budget · Punta Cana
Punta Cana on a Budget (2026): How to Do It Without the All-Inclusive Price Tag
Punta Cana is sold as an expensive all-inclusive destination, but the people who live there don't pay resort prices. Where the money goes, and how to spend much less of it.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Tips · Punta Cana
Getting Around Punta Cana (2026): Taxis, Uber, Local Buses and Transfers
Punta Cana is spread out and walking between areas is not an option. How taxis, Uber, the local guaguas and transfers actually work, and which to use when.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
City Guides · Punta Cana
Punta Cana for Couples (2026): Where to Stay, Quiet Beaches and Evenings Out
Honeymoon or just the two of you: which part of Punta Cana suits couples, the quieter beaches, a sunset worth planning around, and evenings outside the buffet.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Travel Tips · Tokyo
Rent a Local Friend in Tokyo (2026): How It Works, What It Costs, What It Isn't
Tokyo keeps its best parts behind a door: the counter seat, the neighbourhood bar, the menu with no English. Someone who lives there can open it. How renting a local friend works in Tokyo, and how it differs from Japan's rental-friend agencies.
Oscar Garcia··5 min read
Travel Tips · Tokyo
Renting a Friend in Japan as a Foreigner (2026): Agencies, Locals, English and the Rules
You've read about Japan's rental friends and want to try it on your trip. Can foreigners do it, will anyone speak English, what are the rules, and is an agency or a local the better fit?
Oscar Garcia··5 min read
Travel Tips · Medellín
Rent a Local Friend in Medellín (2026): How It Works, What It Costs, and How to Do It Safely
Hiring a paisa to show you Medellín for a few hours: what it actually is, what locals do with visitors here, what it costs, and the safety rules that matter more in Medellín than anywhere else.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Travel Tips · Bangkok
Rent a Local Friend in Bangkok (2026): How It Works, What It Costs, and What It Isn't
Paying someone who lives in Bangkok for a few hours of their time: what it really is (and in Bangkok, what it very much isn't), what a local can show you, and how to find someone.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Travel Tips · Santo Domingo
Rent a Local Friend in Santo Domingo (2026): See the Real City, Not the Resort
Hiring a Dominican who lives in the capital to show you Santo Domingo for a few hours: what it is, what a local can show you that a Zona Colonial tour can't, what it costs, and how to find someone.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Travel Tips · Mexico City
Rent a Local Friend in Mexico City (2026): How It Works and What a Chilango Can Show You
Paying someone who lives in Mexico City for a few hours of their time: what it is, what a chilango can show you beyond Roma and Condesa, how rates work, and how to get around safely.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Tips · Punta Cana
Rent a Local Friend in Punta Cana (2026): One Real Day Outside the Resort
Most people in Punta Cana never leave the resort. A Dominican who lives there can give you one real day of the country: what that looks like, what it costs, and how to arrange it.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Tips · Puerto Plata
Puerto Plata Cruise Port (2026): What to Do From Amber Cove and Taino Bay
Two cruise terminals, one short day in port. Which one you're at, what's close to each, what's worth the drive, and how to be back on board in time.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Tips · Puerto Plata
Dominican Republic Cruise Ports (2026): What to Do at Each One
Puerto Plata, Samaná, La Romana and Santo Domingo: where each ship actually docks, what's close, and what one port day can realistically hold.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read