HOW TO: Use Social Media for Travel Research. Whether you're traveling to another city, state, or continent, putting in a few hours to do your homework can mean the difference between a great vacation and a week full of headaches. Finding great local restaurants, comfortable sleeping accomodations, and hidden gems should be on the top of your travel list, no matter if it's a one day business trip or a permanent move to Thailand. In the past, this type of information was exclusive to travel agents and generic travel books. However, with the rise of social media and stronger interconnectivity, you can get the real story, avoid the tourist traps, and meet real locals. This guide provides an overview of tips and tools for using social media as a travel research tool.
Step 1. Utilize Wikis and Blogs for Travel Education A wealth of information and tips are available in blogs, user comments, and wiki articles. Step 2. Picking out the best restaurants is tough, so let others do the work for you. Step 3. Step 4. SETTravel Boutique. Online travel itinerary and trip planner. RWW Live: Online Travel - ReadWriteWeb. The latest episode of RWW Live, today at 3.30pm PST, will be focused on online travel applications. We have executives from 4 great travel startups on the call: TripIt, Yapta, Dopplr and PlanetEye. In the show we'll be discussing how the Web is changing the way people travel for work and fun. It promises to be a fascinating discussion, so we hope you tune in to the show LIVE at 3.30pm PST Monday (6.30pm EST) on Calliflower or Facebook.
You can also ask questions during the podcast, using the chat function. As usual, RWW Live will be hosted by Sean Ammirati, with ReadWriteWeb's Richard MacManus, Marshall Kirkpatrick and Bernard Lunn on the podcast. Gregg Brockway, President & Co-Founder, TripItMarko Ahtisaari, CEO & Co-Founder, DopplrHugh Birch, VP of Product Development, YaptaJonah Sigel, VP Business Development, PlanetEye. 50 Best Web 2.0 Travel Tools. Kid activities, family friendly hotels, travel reviews-Trekaroo. Sympvertising and secrets for business travellers: Airport Haven. Gain instant and exclusive access to over 5,000 of the most creative ideas, innovations and startups on our database and use our smart filters to take you direct to those that are most relevant to your industry and your needs.
Not interested? You can still browse articles published in the last 30 days from our homepage and receive your daily and weekly fix of entrepreneurial ideas through our free newsletters.