Social media has probably been one of the biggest game-changers that the internet has brought to the travel industry. There has been a complete turnaround in the normal travel procedures and these changes have been more favorable than constraining. Jovago.com, Africa’s No. 1 Hotel booking online portal has information on five simple ways the social media can aid you travels.

Getting insider knowledge

On the social media, there are a number of forums with insider knowledge on where you are going to – an event, hotel or tourist attraction. You can ask all kinds of questions and get immediate answers and additional advice from different sources, all on the same platform. The questions are answered usually by recent travelers to your destination who have had a similar experience or information on issues such as : how to get to/from the airport, language difficulties, rip-offs/scams, etc. Also, you have access to travel review handles that would give you their recommendation on your destination.

Instant Connection with airlines and other travelers

While travelling, you might have incidents that you would want to rectify as soon as possible or make complaints about. For instance if you lost your bag, you were not properly served on the plane you can tweet directly at airlines or bus lines to get answers or at the very least, information on what next to do. Most airlines are responsive via this medium, you just have to make sure you have all your details handy and are prepared to provide the specifics. Also, you can find good travel conversation and useful money-saving tips on social media platforms, all you have to do is search for hashtags with keywords related to your destination.

Finding out events

There is always a wide array of happenings in different destinations, on social media you can find out about events that would be holding in a particular location that coincide with your stay duration. Not only do you find out about these events, you also get details on the time and venue as many organizers have social media accounts and also post updates on many tourist boards and official city or destination bureaus.

Scooping up deals

Following airlines, hotel chains, booking sites, and rental-car companies on social media platforms plugs you in directly to special rates and discounts. Also, several social applications help you find special deals in the area that could range from a discount to a free item. Social media is a great way to secure special deals that aren’t available anywhere else, including last minute, out-of-season, promotional and loyalty deals.

SHARING PHOTOS AND SENDING POSTCARDS
Although keeping a physical scrapbook of all of our travels would be the best option if we had enough time to, posting them online is a lot easier. While you’re still basking on the beach with family, you could even create your own personal vacation hashtag, like #TheSuliemansInLagos, to use on Instagram or Twitter. Dropbox is particularly handy for collecting everyone’s photos in one place for the rest of the group to see and upload to social media. Also, some social apps meld the social and the physical worlds by sending custom paper postcards using photos from your Instagram, Facebook, and Dropbox accounts for an amount. You can even schedule the delivery.

Do you have more ideas on ways the social media can aid travel? Please share your ideas in the comment section.