The Roavi Blog
Stories from people who live there.
Travel tips, city guides, and local insights from the Roavi team.
974 articles
Travel Tips · Puerto Plata
Rent a Local Friend in Puerto Plata (2026): The North Coast, Shown by Someone Who Lives There
Whether you're off a cruise ship for eight hours or at a resort in Playa Dorada for a week, a Dominican who lives in Puerto Plata can show you the north coast properly.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Tips · Samaná
Rent a Local Friend in Samaná (2026): The Peninsula, Shown by Someone Who Lives There
Samaná is small, spread out and run on boats. A local who lives there turns a confusing day of haggling into whales, waterfalls and the beach nobody told you about.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Tips
What It's Actually Like to Rent a Local Friend, From First Message to Goodbye
The first message, the awkward first five minutes, the part where it stops feeling like a transaction, and how it ends. A walkthrough of what really happens.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Tips
Who Rents a Local Friend? The 8 Kinds of Travellers Who Do It
It isn't lonely people. It's solo travellers, cruise passengers, people over 50, first-timers abroad, business travellers with a free afternoon, and more.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Tips
Is Renting a Friend Weird? Honest Answers to the Questions People Are Embarrassed to Ask
Is it weird, is it sad, is it a date, is it safe, what will people think? The questions everyone has before renting a friend, answered straight.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Tips
How Much Does It Cost to Rent a Friend? What Sets the Price, and What to Agree Up Front
There's no single price, because each person sets their own. What changes the rate, what's usually included, how platforms differ on fees, and how to avoid surprises.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Tips · Punta Cana
Santo Domingo to Punta Cana (2026): Every Way to Make the Trip, and Which to Pick
About two and a half to three and a half hours by road. The Expreso Bávaro bus, a private transfer, a rental car or a taxi: how each works, and who each suits.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Travel Tips · Santo Domingo
Getting Around the Dominican Republic (2026): Uber, Buses, Guaguas, Taxis and Motoconchos
Uber is great in Santo Domingo and patchy in Punta Cana. Intercity buses are good. Guaguas are cheap and chaotic. How each one really works, and when to use it.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Tips · Santo Domingo
Where to Stay in the Dominican Republic (2026): Punta Cana, Santo Domingo, Puerto Plata, Samaná or Bayahíbe?
The Dominican Republic is five different trips depending on where you stay. Which region suits which traveller, and how to combine them.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Tips · Punta Cana
Bayahíbe, Dominican Republic (2026): The Fishing Village Between the Capital and Punta Cana
Calm water, the country's best diving, the boats to Saona and Catalina, and a village that still feels like one. What to do, where to swim and how to get there.
Oscar Garcia··2 min read
Travel Tips · Cartagena
Rent a Local Friend in Cartagena (2026): The City Behind the Walls and Beyond Them
Cartagena has two prices and a lot of people selling. A cartagenero can show you the city past the vendors: what it is, what it costs, and how to find someone.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Tips · Bogotá
Rent a Local Friend in Bogotá (2026): The City Everyone Skips, Shown by Someone Who Lives There
Most visitors spend a night in Bogotá on the way to Medellín or Cartagena. A rolo can show you why that's a mistake: what renting a local friend means here, what it costs, and how to find someone.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read