Using Social Media to Plan Your Next Trip

Planning a trip can be a cumbersome activity if you’re hoping to do the research and booking yourself rather than through a travel agency or tour company. You may find yourself buried in guidebooks, magazines, brochures and articles from blogs and travel sites.

It can be tough to cut through the noise of all this material. One of the best ways to do so is to turn to social media for help with the planning process. Perhaps your Facebook friends have personal recommendations. Or you can follow tour companies and tourism bureaus on various channels to learn more about points of interest and collect tips and inspiration.

On Twitter, fellow travelers as well as tourism bureaus are helpful places to seek out information. You can simply tweet out for advice with carefully targeted hashtags, or connect directly with knowledgeable sources to get help with specific questions. This can jumpstart a conversation that could lead to a unique perspective and help from an expert or someone with personal experience.

And you never know: You may just connect with a local who you can meet when you get to your destination — and make a new friend in the process.