Can we talk about the hostel guy who tried to sell me a 'secret' city map for $20

Met this dude in a Prague hostel last summer who swore his hand-drawn map would save me $50 on food and transport, but it just led me to a kebab shop his cousin owned. Anyone else had locals pitch overpriced 'insider tips' that were total scams?

2 comments

2 Comments

ninah1011d ago

I paid $15 for a "secret" map in Barcelona that was basically just a scribbled route to three overpriced bars his buddy managed. Honestly though, some of those local maps are legit - I got one in Budapest that actually pointed me to this killer ruin pub the owner's grandma used to go to. The trick is asking for a sample first, like what's one spot on it that isn't in the guidebooks.

jason95811d ago

Three blocks from my hostel in Rome, I paid this guy 10 euros for a "back alley wine tour" map that just took me in a circle past the same three trash cans and ended at his uncle's gelato stand where the gelato was somehow 5 euros more expensive than the place next door. The map even had a little star on it that said "authentic local experience" which was just a picture of his cousin smoking a cigarette outside a laundromat. Honestly though, for 20 bucks you could've just bought yourself a nice dinner and asked the waiter where he eats, probably would've gotten better intel for free. At least the kebab shop had to be edible since his cousin owns it, my guy just wanted me to buy overpriced frozen gelato that was sweating in the August heat before I even got back to the hostel.