Printed travel guides are going the way of the dodo. Increasingly, people are turning to social media when making travel plans, and there are a lot of really good reasons to do that. Guidebooks served their purpose, but you can get faster, more accurate information from Twitter, Facebook, and other sites than you ever could from a book published months or even years ago.
If you’re going somewhere that people you know have already visited, start by asking them about their experience. But the real value of social media, especially a platform like Twitter, is how easily it lets to connect to and interact with people you don’t already know. Pinterest has lots of travel-oriented pins; use them to find beautiful sites or travel tips. You might be able to find Facebook groups to join, but that’s not always easy. On a service like Twitter, with some careful searching or use of hashtags, you should be able to get in touch with people who can tell you all about dining in Hong Kong, for example.
If you want to discover the best airlines or hotels to use, checking their Twitter accounts is a good idea. This is where a lot of their customer service takes place these days. Calling a company out on their poor service via Twitter might seem rude, but it’s guaranteed to get a response—something that can’t always be expected via email or a phone call. At the same time, they’re going to like and retweet when people talk about how much they enjoyed their stay or the service they received.
Purpose-built phone apps and networks are another good choice. For example, if you’re planning a trip to wine country, try finding apps that focus on wine tours or wine ratings. If you want adventure travel, you can find apps with guides and ratings for those trips, too.
Planning a trip requires effort. The old days of guidebooks may have made things easy by putting all the information in one place, even if it was outdated. Using social media may take a bit more finesse, but the rewards can be significantly higher.