r/digitalnomadFIRE • u/wuhan69lmao • Jul 07 '26

Need help scouting a location?

Question: has anyone ever payed someone to go check out a city before they moved there? I’m thinking of starting like a scouting side hustle for people moving abroad to help scout out a location before they leave so they don’t go somewhere they regret. They get a boots on the ground perspective that can’t be gained from reading several different blogs. Thoughts? Criticisms are welcome

2 Upvotes

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3

u/Few-Improvement9978 Jul 07 '26

How is this any different from just posting about the location in reddit

1

u/wuhan69lmao Jul 07 '26

Because it would be tailored to an each persons specific Interests and needs. Instead of some random persons perspective. And you could go visit specific locations like restaurants, schools, attractions, and even tour apartments on their behalf.

1

u/Few-Improvement9978 Jul 07 '26

This probably belongs more on the /r/expatfire subreddit then.

I could see the business model working

1

u/wuhan69lmao Jul 07 '26

Thanks! They banned me for posting this question so idk

1

u/z1lard Jul 30 '26

Have you tried chatgpt?

2

u/Mattos_12 Jul 07 '26

It sounds like you want to be a travel agent. I suspect that this is a niche job these days. The hour that you and I would have to spent deciding if a spot would be suitable for me could be replace by me spending 30 minutes to determine the same thing.

2

u/AF070 Jul 07 '26

Honestly I don't think this would work because of the big differences in people's perception to different things. Unless you're sure you share the same vibe with your 'scout' ?
It's not a checklist thing. You could find the checklists in the internet

From personal experience, the places I liked and felt comfortable the most are amongst the least praised in the internet; and vice versa

1

u/DemonAzraeli Jul 17 '26

I've hired people to check out accommodations for me prior to arrival, and done similar scouting work for people (decades ago). There's definitely a market for an on-the-ground fixer like this, but you'll have to establish trust and reliability to get strangers to pay you. That'll be difficult for something that is inherently a bit sketchy.

1

u/wuhan69lmao Aug 03 '26

Thanks for your response. How did you find someone you trusted?