Finding local guides and experts through Guidehop

One of the payoffs of the vagabonding lifestyle is that the more time you spend in an area, the more genuine your experience can be. While nothing will ever replace the tried and true method — stay longer and you'll experience more — a new website aims to help short-term travelers find authentic local experiences.

Guidehop.com is an online marketplace that connects travelers with informed locals who provide personal activities or tours in their hometown. Whether you want to borrow a mountain bike in Connecticut and ride the best trails around, join a local for some backcountry snowboarding in Colorado, or get a taste of the street food in Austin while accompanied by a local food-trailer entrepreneur, the site offers a whole spectrum of activities, with new tours being posted daily.

Guidehop guides include folks like Aaron Bell, who we featured in a June 2009 post on hitchhiking. He's one of the guys behind the site, and he exemplifies the type of people you'll meet on Guidehop. Aaron is your everyday guy — he teaches at a high school in Austin — but when he's not at work, he's out exploring Austin's outdoor scene. Through Guidehop, you can meet up with Aaron and other like-minded locals to get the lowdown on activities you might otherwise miss. Contact Aaron to surf a local river, kayak at sunset while 1.5 million bats fly overhead, spelunk to a 50-year-old clay art gallery deep inside a tiny cave, or cruise his extra scooter and ride with the local moped gang.

If that sounds like fun, or if it gets you thinking of the brilliant tours you could be offering in your own hometown, you can also use the site to post the activities you believe make your city tick. As a local guide, this can also be a great way to deepen your experience of your hometown while making extra money for your next journey. For more information, check out the Guidehop website.