How to use social media to plan your ultimate vacation #socialmedia #travel
It’s no secret that planning the ultimate vacation requires a bit (or a lot) of planning. Years ago that might have looked like notepads, magazines and lots of sticky notes. Now, the options are endless. You can start planning the ultimate vacation months or days in advance using social media. I’m going to show you how.
If you haven’t already used Pinterest to plan your ultimate vacation, you don’t know what you’ve been missing. Depending on your comfort with social media, when you think of Pinterest you may think pretty cupcakes and DIY solutions. While you’ll certainly find a lot of that, you’ll also find incredible articles and tips on just about anything you’re looking for. Think Google with pictures and full text.
Simply enter your search term at the top of the page. Then browse through articles, tips and pictures that interest you. The next tip is my favourite. When you find what you’re looking for, pin it for later using a secret board. Never heard of this before? Secret pinterest boards are your own private bulletin board. It’s private, meaning no one else can see it unless you want them to.
Last year, I planned the ultimate Orlando vacation, and I did it largely with the help of my secret Pinterest board (not secret anymore, so feel free to check it out). It’s no different than cutting out magazine clippings, articles and brochures only this way you can keep them all in one place while saving trees. The added bonus is, if you’re planning your vacation with a friend or family member you can add them to your Pinterest board, or simply email them the best articles, straight from Pinterest.
The information highway
It is easier than ever to search for everything you need for your ultimate vacation, online. One thing I take very seriously when planning my vacation is travel insurance. It’s something you do not want to mess with. I’ve heard enough horror stories about people planning out the most amazing trip, but thinking they could do without travel insurance. It’s easier than ever to get cheap travel insurance. It’s simply not a risk worth taking. Travel insurance is especially important if you’re travelling to a tropical location. We have all seen those commercials, you don’t want tummy troubles or worse ruining your special trip.
Don’t hesitate to tweet your hotel or resort before heading there. You might also want to browse through their timeline to get an idea of any recent customer troubles, renovations or service issues they have may have been experiencing.
Try to look up your hotel/resort on Instagram. You can try searching either under user or hashtag. See if anything pops up. It will give you a glimpse into what others may have experienced, or some fun new things you’ll want to try out once you arrive.
This one might seem the most obvious. Check out your hotel/resort on Facebook. See what they’re posting, see what others are posting. Drop them a line telling them you’re looking forward to your visit.
Social media gives you instant access to a wealth of information. Try out these tips for yourself in order to use social media to plan the ultimate vacation. Let me know what you think below. How do you use social media when planning your ultimate vacation?
Great post! We always go onto websites and social network pages of the places we are planning to go to. I like checking out their Twitter, FB, Instagram and websites before we make decisions.
Thanks Christine!
Pinterest is a great place to collect vacation ideas and then go through them as you are starting to plan. I also like asking friends for advice or reviews of places on facebook. Now I want to go on a vacation!
So much good information here. It’s definitely easier to plan a vacation these days because of social media.
I always do my research before I travel. I ask friends on Social Media sites for feedback, too.
on the budget my family is on social media planning is as far as I can get to a nice vacation. We simply can not afford to take all of us on a vacation we make ends meet but there is not much left afterwords. Pinterest dream vacations it is for now for me. I am on Pinterest too look me up.
Honestly, other than Facebook for a hotel I never really thought much about using social media to plan a trip. Using Pinterest never entered my mind…what a great option. I guess when I thought Pinterest, I always was thinking food, special occasions, crafts and that type of thing…never thought vacation planning. Thanks for the great post and tips Fariha! I have always wanted to visit several European countries and I am off to create a secret board for that purpose!
such a great idea, I love me some pinterest! I bet lots of people just think of it as pretty cupcakes pics like you said, but it’s so much more than that thanks to the awesome search filter.
I need to be sure to check social media more for my travel plans. Thanks for the insight.
Yes! I am always checking reviews and social media before I go anywhere. To stay, to eat and shop!
Those are great tips. We usually look up online and social media before we travel. We read reviews
We’re going to a resort in the Dominican Republic this year. I need to look it up on Instagram and twitter!
That is all great information. What a great idea looking through Twitter timelines of the hotels you are planning on staying at for possible issues. Love that tip!
Good points and using social media to establishes peoples feelings about a place is great idea.
I always find such great ideas on social media. pinterest is really helpful!
This is great info. I use Pinterest often more than a regular search engine when looking for certain types of information like this! That’s a good idea too to check social media for any issues places you are considering may be having.
I use pinterest, but usually I use yelp, Google, trip adviser, and well mainly travel blogs because I trust my bloggers!
Excellent suggestions!
Great ideas. Sometimes tweeting a company may also give you a discount, you never know.
I always scour blogs and look for personal reviews and opinions about places before I spend our hard earned money on a holiday. I also use all the other sites too. It pays to know what to expect.