“Are you passionate about your city, and would you like to show it to other people from a local’s perspective?
Become a Spotter!“
Who are we?
Spotted by Locals is a travel guide with an app and website that aims to showcase your city from a locals’ perspective. Away from all the tourist traps and the obvious attractions, and more towards hidden gems and true culture only locals can provide.
We’re active in 82 cities around the world. In Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. This is only possible due to our huge community of around 500 spotters who are passionate and dedicated to showcasing their city’s hidden gems and local culture.
Being a Spotter
Being a Spotter is such a rewarding thing (not our words). You can write about things you love, your hidden local secrets, those cute corners, the best restaurants, and … Actually, whatever you want, that’s up to you! The only rule we have is that you’re not allowed to write about obvious touristy stuff and commercial chains. Support your locals, that’s what we’re about.
As a Spotter you’ll become part of our Spotter Community which is vast and diverse. A group of like-minded people who share many interests. This includes a love for travel, our city, other cultures, and a community-friendly spirit that shares acceptance, devotion, and creativity.
Meet some of our Spotters
Olya Kartcheva- Amsterdam
“I love Amsterdam because of its variety of international cuisines, the ability to cycle (nearly) everywhere, all the cultural events (like music and art), and, when it’s sunny, all the beautiful canals. Here at Spotted by Locals, I would like to share with you all these little gems I usually look for when travelling myself!”
“Barcelona gets under your skin. You arrive for a short holiday, a few months maybe… and you might stay for years! That also happened to me. As a Dutch girl, I am smitten with the climate. Almost daily blue skies; summer or winter—a welcome change to the grey skies in Holland. But Barcelona has so much more to offer than the sun. It has beaches, hills, lovely food, colourful people and music are always in the air. I love the combination of a cosmopolitan and laid-back vibe; hipster design bars go hand in hand with simply hanging out on a square with skaters all around you.
It is vibrant, modern, drenched with culture and always changing. And it so happens that every day I walk through the city, I will find something that puts a smile on my face….”
“My life starts and ends in Copenhagen. I moved out of the city when I was young, but after 10-15 years, I found my way back to the same streets I grew up in. As I love to travel to other countries, it’s also important for me to travel to my own country. I never get tired of walking the streets of the very different areas of Copenhagen and visiting other cities in Denmark.
Copenhagen, for me, is a city with dark corners and bright lights. It might seem closed, but if you go to the right places, you’ll find that everything is open and everyone is welcome.”
“I was born and raised in Toronto, and by the time I was in grade 12, the one thing I knew was that I wanted to get out of Toronto. I spent ten years away from this city – I lived in Vancouver, B.C., Halifax, N.S. and travelled as much as possible. When I moved back in 2012, I fell in love with this city. Being away and experiencing other places made me realize how lucky I was to call Toronto “home”.
My favourite thing about this city is the diverse food options – I can eat Ethiopian food on Monday, Thai on Tuesday, Indian on Wednesday, Korean on Thursday….well, you get the idea.”
“Where can you find the birthplace of America, more cheesesteaks than you can shake a stick at, Rocky Steps, and some of the most candid people in the country? Considered a foodie and an incredibly manageable city, Philadelphia stands out in the US as one of the best to visit and live. Philly still has a neighbourhood feel but is home to more than 2 million.
To me, Philly is the right kind of dirty. It has everything a bigger city like New York has but is still large enough to get lost if you want. It’s hard not to turn a corner and run into a mural, as Philly has the most in the world, with over 3,600. It’s hard not to enjoy the Little Big City that can.”
“An Eritrean/Somalian creation found in Egypt who is constantly on the go, currently working as a Creative Content Developer and Strategist. Writing is not the only skill I use to deliver my message to the world: photography has been a lost talent that I recently recaptured. What I like about Cairo is how a person here can spend time on their own yet constantly feel surrounded by people.
It’s a very rich city with cultural events, uncountable food options and a wide variety of spots.”
“Passionate about writing, technology and aesthetics, currently working in 3D printing. After studying art history, media and psychology and living abroad in San Francisco, Rennes (aka beautiful Brittany) and Paris, I am back in Berlin, where my family, friends and heart are – or come and visit ever so often. An original Berliner, I am forever spoilt by my city: Cheap street food, 24h “Späti” convenience stores and a greyness that could not be greater anywhere else.
But seriously: Berlin and Berliners are often seen in the dim light of nightlife only when this historical but young city with its ambiguous aesthetics has so much more to offer.”
Are you passionate about your city, and would you like to show it to other people from a local’s perspective? Become a Spotter!
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