Locals Only

It’s time to ditch the selfie stick and travel like locals do. Locals Only is your chance to show off all of the hidden gems in your hometown that only you know about. We’re asking creators to submit a story walking us through the ultimate locals only tour of their hometown.

Forget about the classic tourist spots; think beyond what’s usually listed as a must-see if you were to Google your neighborhood. Is there a hidden speakeasy that serves the best Moscow Mule? Or a drive that takes you to a dreamy outlook perfect for sunset time? Do you have a go-to diner for those late hour hangs? Don’t leave anything behind and get started with your own locals only itinerary for the perfect trip. We’re excited to uncover what makes your hometown so special.

Tips

Make it visual! Try adding images or embedding the website or social media profile of the places you’re describing. Here’s a guide with everything you can embed to make your story more dynamic. This will help give our judges a better idea of the places you’re recommending.

Once you’ve picked out the places or activities you’re going to include, organize your tour in the order that you think they should be experienced. If you know of a place that makes perfect bagels, but you also know that they’re best enjoyed by the beach around 5 PM, then make sure to include this! We want to hear all your local tips, so be sure to arrange your guide to also reflect your ideal itinerary.

Judges

Lindsey Cooney is originally from the mountains of Breckenridge, Colorado, and has always had a love for small towns and discovering new places. Growing up in a small ski town, she always had a lust for travel and eagerness to explore, which inspired her to move to California where she graduated from the University of Southern California. Now as a market manager for HotelTonight in New York City, she’s had the pleasure of traveling all over the world, from Minneapolis and Nashville to Toronto and Paris. Through these travels, she’s loved exploring and unearthing each city's unique culture, flavor and community and hopes to continue seeing the world throughout her future professional and personal travels.

How it’s judged

We’re looking for travel guides that we haven’t seen before. We want your unique personality to translate through your guide. Ultimately, your guide should make us want to pack up our bags and get on the road to your hometown. Our judges will take into account how you describe each place or activity, how unique your picks are, and overall how your story is put together. For more on their judging criteria, click here. Read the Official Rules here.

For your story to be eligible, it must be between 600 and 5,000 words, and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Stories published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until February 14th will be entered for consideration.

To be eligible to win the grand prize, second place, or third place prizes, you must be over the age of 13 and residing in a country where Stripe is available at time of entry. A complete list of countries where Stripe is available can be found here—winners will need to have a Stripe account created and connected in order to receive the prizes. For this reason, entrants located outside of any of these 32 countries will not be eligible to win.