Twitter for Travel
Let’s speak to everyone out there who doesn’t have an active Twitter account. Those of you with enough techno-skills to own a smartphone, but just use it for emails are the ones we are targeting. Perhaps your morning routine includes reading a set of blogs, checking Facebook and replying to emails but that whole Twitter thing seems far too narcissistic. In the world of five years ago, yes that would be understandable. In 2011, that attitude is as silly as drinking yesterday’s coffee.
Everyone is on Twitter, and by everyone we mean not just people but entire businesses and media entities. Travel updates are tweeted by many visitors’ bureaus in popular tourist destinations, worldwide. World class attractions like Disney and Universal Studios tweet news about their activities, as do popular golf courses, resorts, museums, cruise lines and so on. Businesses in the tourism industry have seen the potential to communicate in real-time with their clients, giving them the opportunity to respond to questions before their competitors can (hopefully).
Imagine being on the Las Vegas strip surrounded by the glitz and noise of the city. In your pocket are two tickets to the latest Cirque de Soleil show, but there are a couple of hours to kill before the curtain goes up. Tired of gambling, you and your partner are looking for something fun to do without spending a lot of money. Searching for a visitor center would just waste time and asking a passerby can gather unreliable information. This is the part where Twitter comes in. When planning for your trip, you made sure to begin following several of the major resort twitter feeds and the one for the tourist bureau. Now you can just pull out your phone and see what events and venues are being tweeted about. Then head off for a night of fun without wasting time looking for pamphlets or taking ambiguous directions from a stranger.
Twitter is great for on location use, but it can also be a great tool for keeping a look out for travel deals too. For example, the annual family vacation time is coming up and everyone wants to go to far off places like Jamaica and Mexico. For a family of four or five, that can really add up! Before jumping the gun and saying ‘no we can’t afford it’, spend a couple days watching the Twitterfeeds from discount travel sites. There are always deals to be had, so be patient and use Twitter to help save a few bucks!
Twitter began as a way for us regular people to watch celebrities, even communicate with them. Now that big business has jumped on board, it has become a way to stay informed on almost every level imaginable. Try Twitter. You will be pleasantly surprised.
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