{"id":60120,"date":"2017-04-21T15:05:29","date_gmt":"2017-04-21T20:05:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=60120"},"modified":"2017-09-26T19:56:48","modified_gmt":"2017-09-27T00:56:48","slug":"heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/","title":{"rendered":"Here&#8217;s how to tour a city via an experienced local\u2014for free"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When planning your next travel adventure, check out the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.globalgreeternetwork.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Global Greeter Network<\/a>. It&#8217;s a hidden gem of an organization that facilitates connections between travelers and\u00a0locals who will show you around their beloved cities\u2014for free.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/08\/top-bloggers-find-the-best-local-restaurants-in-any-city\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> Here&#8217;s how to find the best local restaurants in any city<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Despite this network of volunteer tour guides having a presence in more than 100 destinations around the world\u2014from New York to Buenos Aires to Mumbai to Tokyo\u2014not many people know about it. You can check out the full (and growing) <a href=\"http:\/\/globalgreeternetwork.com\/destinations-3\/greeter-destinations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">list of cities here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_60170\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-60170\" class=\"size-full wp-image-60170\" src=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter2.jpg\" alt=\"Chicago, skyline, city, travel, tour\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter2-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter2-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter2-400x267.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-60170\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Our kind of town | Photo by Erica Bray<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Connecting with a Greeter is easy. Just contact the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/globalgreeternetwork.com\/destinations-3\/greeter-destinations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">volunteer branch in your destination city<\/a>\u00a0ahead of time (usually at least 10 days in advance), and you\u2019ll be matched with someone who speaks your language and can design a two-hour walk, or an entire day, around\u00a0your interests.<\/p>\n<p>Another cool\u00a0bonus: unique access.\u00a0This\u00a0may not be something you typically associate with a\u00a0<em>free<\/em>\u00a0service. However, because Global Greeter guides often have deep ties to\u00a0the places and people within their respective\u00a0cities\u2014and some have pretty cool day jobs\u2014you could\u00a0enjoy exclusive\u00a0perks not offered\u00a0on group tours.<\/p>\n<p>For my family&#8217;s recent visit to Chicago, the perks included Cubs tickets, a free boat tour and a private audience with the\u00a0boat&#8217;s captain.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/titanic-diving-tours-of-wreck-site-to-begin-in-2018\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>RELATED<\/strong>: Diving tours of Titanic wreck site to begin in 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>A two-hour tour: Personalization and access<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My six-year-old niece Audrey was going to visit the Windy City, my home, during her spring break. I thought it would be fun to schedule\u00a0a Greeter tour during her\u00a0stay.<\/p>\n<p>I connected with\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/chicagogreeter.com\/\">Chicago Greeter Tour<\/a>\u00a0(the Chicago-specific\u00a0group\u00a0within\u00a0the Global Greeter Network) to find a guide\u00a0who was available\u00a0to escort\u00a0my out-of-town family including Audrey, myself and my sister and brother-in-law. Chicago has more than 200 active Greeters, ranging in age from 19 to 80 and speaking numerous languages. There&#8217;s a special filtering system to ensure that the appropriate\u00a0Greeter is matched with each visitor request.<\/p>\n<p>We were connected with Chicago Greeter guide Andrew Sargis, the 30-year-old Chief of\u00a0Operations\u00a0for the Chicago Water Taxi. While his day job is demanding, he takes his volunteer gig\u00a0just as seriously.\u00a0He leads about six tours each year and is partial to guiding families, since\u00a0his\u00a0job comes with perks that are kid-friendly.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_60169\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-60169\" class=\"size-full wp-image-60169\" src=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter4.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter4-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter4-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter4-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter4-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter4-400x267.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-60169\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">If you haven&#8217;t &#8220;Bean&#8221; to Chicago, try discovering it through the Global Greeter Network | Photo by Erica Bray<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I coordinated with Andrew via email to meet at Millennium Park near &#8220;the Bean&#8221; sculpture to begin our walking tour at 10 a.m. When we arrived, he sprang two Cubs tickets on us for a game later that afternoon. He said he regularly offers his company&#8217;s Cubs\u00a0tickets to guests when timing works out, as a way to foster a cool memory in the city he adores. Not to mention, he encourages any sports fan to visit Wrigley Field because he is also a die-hard fan. (&#8220;I do believe the Cubs are the greatest sports team in history.&#8221;)<\/p>\n<p>Andrew spent more than two hours with us. We walked\u2014slowly, to keep with Audrey&#8217;s pace\u2014through Millennium Park and up Michigan Avenue to the Chicago River. Along the way, he would stop to point out artwork, architecture, sprinkling in history he had stored in his small notebook of scribbled facts.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_60167\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-60167\" class=\"wp-image-60167 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter3.jpg\" alt=\"Global Greeter Network, Chicago\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter3.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter3-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter3-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter3-400x267.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-60167\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hanging out with Mrs. O&#8217;Leary&#8217;s cow can be a moooving experience | Photo by Erica Bray<\/p><\/div>\n<p>We visited\u00a0Mrs. O&#8217;Leary&#8217;s cow, the animal infamously blamed for starting the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 by allegedly kicking over a lantern. We learned about the founder of Chicago, Jean Baptiste Point DuSable. And we visited Abraham Lincoln\u2014our nation&#8217;s 16th president, a longtime Illinois resident, and currently\u00a0part of a gigantic art installation near the Chicago River.<\/p>\n<p>Then we\u00a0all enjoyed a free 30-minute voyage up and down the Chicago River on a Chicago Water Taxi\u2014a unique perk given Andrew&#8217;s job. As the boat sliced through the heart of the city, Andrew pointed out the city&#8217;s architectural marvels and sprinkled in a few ghost stories, too.<\/p>\n<p>We essentially got\u00a0a free and private architectural boat tour by someone who&#8217;s navigated these waters for more than a decade, as other &#8220;formal&#8221; boat tours (which typically charge $25 per person) passed us by.<\/p>\n<p>For Audrey, the boat ride included an additional\u00a0perk: a visit with the boat&#8217;s captain in the pilot house, where the giant steering wheel and all sorts of buttons and levers were on display.<\/p>\n<p>As Andrew explains, &#8220;With a Greeter tour you are seeing that city through the lens of a local resident as opposed to a scripted tour; you get personal anecdotes, stories and unique perspectives that a rehearsed tour will not give.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The opportunity is a timely one, perfectly plugging into the growing demand for\u00a0meaningful travel, the kind where intimate experiences that tap the expertise of locals are valued over cookie-cutter bus or walking tour itineraries where you&#8217;re simply part of a tourist herd.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/orbitz.com\/rewards\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>ALSO<\/strong>: Want more insider status? Sign up for Orbitz Rewards and earn toward free stuff that only comes with membership.<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_60168\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-60168\" class=\"size-full wp-image-60168\" src=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter1.jpg\" alt=\"Chicago Water Taxi, Global Greeter Network, Chicago\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter1-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter1-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GlobalGreeter1-400x267.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-60168\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mugging for the camera aboard a Chicago Water Taxi | Photo by Erica Bray<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Before parting ways with Andrew following\u00a0our boat tour, he mentioned that\u00a0he typically offers his cell phone number to guests, in the event they need advice or help with anything during their stay. This sort of generosity was pretty awesome. He clearly takes his\u00a0&#8220;ambassador&#8221;\u00a0role for the city of Chicago seriously, to the point where he&#8217;s available as an on-call concierge even after his\u00a0free tour ends.<\/p>\n<p>I asked him if people ever took him up on that generosity. He said yes, that he and his wife even met up with a guest for the Lollapalooza music festival the day after\u00a0she went on a Greeter tour with him. She was visiting Chicago by herself, so Andrew became a trusted friend during a very busy time in the city.<\/p>\n<p>For the Greeters, the benefit of connection and learning works both ways, it seems. &#8220;I have discovered immense value in being a Greeter,&#8221; Andrew said. &#8220;I have made new friends and even discovered new ways to view our city.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But he does it for his hometown, too. &#8220;Becoming a Chicago Greeter is one of many things I got involved with to do my part to improve our city\u2019s image,&#8221; Andrew\u00a0said, noting that he considers himself an ambassador who shines a light on\u00a0the positive and exciting qualities of the city, even as its reputation takes a beating in the media.<\/p>\n<p>The two hours we spent with Andrew certainly put a few new spins on how I view my hometown of Chicago, and has inspired me to sign up for Greeter tours in future cities I visit. It takes a special person to volunteer their time to show total strangers around their city\u2014and the perks ain&#8217;t bad, either.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/app\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-47693 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/OrbitzApp.jpeg\" alt=\"Orbitz, app, iPhone, travel, deals\" width=\"600\" height=\"100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/OrbitzApp.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/OrbitzApp-300x50.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/OrbitzApp-400x67.jpeg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>They say the best things in life are free. The Global Greeter Network proves that&#8217;s true.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":180,"featured_media":60192,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2747],"tags":[2220],"class_list":["post-60120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chicago","tag-travel-tips"],"acf":{"api_active":null,"api_title":null,"api_excerpt":null,"api_featured_image":null,"api_lob":null},"posts_api_cpm_point":[{"name":"","description":"","thumbnail":"","address":"Chicago, IL, USA","latitude":"41.8781136","longitude":"-87.62979819999998","icon":"\/images\/icons\/marker.png"}],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Here&#039;s how to tour a city via an experienced local\u2014for free | Orbitz<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Here&#039;s how to tour a city via an experienced local\u2014for free | Orbitz\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"They say the best things in life are free. The Global Greeter Network proves that&#039;s true.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Orbitz\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Orbitz\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-04-21T20:05:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-09-27T00:56:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/orbitz-media\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/15211306\/global-greeter-network-1000x470.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"470\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Erica Bray\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@orbitz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@orbitz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Erica Bray\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Erica Bray\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/baaf986977e79d2062af613fbd2fc4bf\"},\"headline\":\"Here&#8217;s how to tour a city via an experienced local\u2014for free\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-04-21T20:05:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-09-27T00:56:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/\"},\"wordCount\":1219,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/global-greeter-network.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Travel Tips\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Chicago\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/\",\"name\":\"Here's how to tour a city via an experienced local\u2014for free | Orbitz\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/global-greeter-network.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-04-21T20:05:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-09-27T00:56:48+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/baaf986977e79d2062af613fbd2fc4bf\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/global-greeter-network.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/global-greeter-network.jpg\",\"width\":\"1000\",\"height\":\"667\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Here&#8217;s how to tour a city via an experienced local\u2014for free\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Orbitz\",\"description\":\"Travel Blog\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/baaf986977e79d2062af613fbd2fc4bf\",\"name\":\"Erica Bray\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/EricaBrayBioPic-150x150.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/EricaBrayBioPic-150x150.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Erica Bray\"},\"description\":\"Erica is a practical free spirit who loves travel, yoga and ice cream. A Northwestern University-trained journalist with more than 15 years of experience straddling digital and broadcast media, Erica can be found doing handstands everywhere she travels -- even risking arrest in some cases. Learn about her at www.erica.media.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/author\/ericabray\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Here's how to tour a city via an experienced local\u2014for free | Orbitz","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Here's how to tour a city via an experienced local\u2014for free | Orbitz","og_description":"They say the best things in life are free. The Global Greeter Network proves that's true.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/","og_site_name":"Orbitz","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Orbitz\/","article_published_time":"2017-04-21T20:05:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-09-27T00:56:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":470,"url":"https:\/\/s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/orbitz-media\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/15211306\/global-greeter-network-1000x470.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Erica Bray","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@orbitz","twitter_site":"@orbitz","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Erica Bray","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/"},"author":{"name":"Erica Bray","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/baaf986977e79d2062af613fbd2fc4bf"},"headline":"Here&#8217;s how to tour a city via an experienced local\u2014for free","datePublished":"2017-04-21T20:05:29+00:00","dateModified":"2017-09-27T00:56:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/"},"wordCount":1219,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/global-greeter-network.jpg","keywords":["Travel Tips"],"articleSection":["Chicago"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/","url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/","name":"Here's how to tour a city via an experienced local\u2014for free | Orbitz","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/global-greeter-network.jpg","datePublished":"2017-04-21T20:05:29+00:00","dateModified":"2017-09-27T00:56:48+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/baaf986977e79d2062af613fbd2fc4bf"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/global-greeter-network.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/global-greeter-network.jpg","width":"1000","height":"667"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/heres-tour-city-via-experienced-local-free\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Here&#8217;s how to tour a city via an experienced local\u2014for free"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/","name":"Orbitz","description":"Travel Blog","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/baaf986977e79d2062af613fbd2fc4bf","name":"Erica Bray","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/EricaBrayBioPic-150x150.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/EricaBrayBioPic-150x150.jpg","caption":"Erica Bray"},"description":"Erica is a practical free spirit who loves travel, yoga and ice cream. A Northwestern University-trained journalist with more than 15 years of experience straddling digital and broadcast media, Erica can be found doing handstands everywhere she travels -- even risking arrest in some cases. Learn about her at www.erica.media.","url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/author\/ericabray\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/global-greeter-network.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/180"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}