The Roavi Blog
Stories from people who live there.
Travel tips, city guides, and local insights from the Roavi team.
974 articles
City Guides · Punta Cana
The Best Beaches in Punta Cana — and Which Ones You Can Actually Get Onto
Every beach in the Dominican Republic is legally public. Getting to one is a different question, and it is the part nobody explains before you arrive.
Oscar Garcia··8 min read
Travel Tips · Punta Cana
Punta Cana Excursions: Which Ones Are Worth the Money
The hotel tour desk sells the same eight trips to everyone. Some of them are excellent. Some of them are a long bus ride to a photograph.
Oscar Garcia··8 min read
Comparisons · Punta Cana
Punta Cana vs Cancún: Which One Should You Actually Book?
They look identical in a brochure and they are not the same holiday. What actually separates Punta Cana from Cancún — and which one fits the trip you want.
Oscar Garcia··6 min read
City Guides · Punta Cana
Where to Stay in Punta Cana: Bávaro, Cap Cana, Uvero Alto or El Cortecito
Punta Cana is four or five quite different places sold under one name. Which one you book decides your whole trip — here's what each area is actually like.
Oscar Garcia··6 min read
Travel Tips · Punta Cana
Sargassum in Punta Cana: When the Seaweed Comes and What to Do About It
The thing the brochures leave out. When sargassum hits the Dominican east coast, which beaches it affects, and how to find out what this week actually looks like.
Oscar Garcia··5 min read
Become a Local Friend
How to Make Money Showing Tourists Around Your US City
No license, no car, nothing to buy. What the job actually is, what it pays, and the parts that put people off.
Oscar Garcia··5 min read
Become a Local Friend · Miami
Best Side Hustles in Miami for 2026
Miami's tourist money is seasonal, concentrated in a few neighborhoods, and pays a real premium for Spanish. Here is what actually works.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read
Become a Local Friend · Los Angeles
Best Side Hustles in Los Angeles for 2026
Visitors arrive expecting a city and find a county. Someone who lives here and can drive is solving a real problem.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Become a Local Friend · Chicago
Best Side Hustles in Chicago for 2026
Chicago has two economies: a packed summer and a very cold winter. The realistic plan is one hustle for each.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Become a Local Friend · Las Vegas
Best Side Hustles in Las Vegas for 2026
Roughly forty million visitors a year, no off season, and the widest gap in America between the tourist city and the real one.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
City Guides · Phuket
Phuket Beyond Patong: What the Island Is Actually Like
Most first-time visitors see Patong and conclude Phuket is a party beach with traffic. The island is 540 square kilometres and Patong is one bay of it.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
City Guides · Marrakech
How to Meet Locals in Marrakech (Without Booking a Tour)
Almost every interaction in the medina starts as a transaction. Here is where that stops being true, and how to meet Marrakchis as people rather than as vendors.
Oscar Garcia··4 min read