When was the last time you heard the term social media? If you’re like me, it was probably a number of times already today. I hear this term everyday, all throughout the day. And no wonder, since I’m a Social Media Specialist. Yeah…fancy term, huh. Actually, I realize you probably hear that often now-a-days. It’s the latest craze and I am proud to say I have full-on jumped on board the band wagon. There are several reasons for this, but the most important ones are that I’m fascinated by the humanistic, communications and psychological aspects of it and it enables me to live the lifestyle that I love: the traveling lifestyle!
So travel and social media…I’m curious how you have found social media to be helpful for you when you travel? This may seem like a really obvious question that has already been over-answered like crazy…yet I think there may be some surprising things we can learn from each other still.
There’s the typical aspects of sharing with social media when we travel. It’s the latest-greatest for us to share our photos and current location with friends and family on our social networks. Another great use is how it contributes to us finding new places in new areas we’re experiencing and gives the chance to connect in a lasting way with our new-found friends that we encounter on our travels.
But have you ever used social media for communicating with your work associates while traveling? For eight months last year, I traveled Italy, Spain, Portugal, and visited Geneva, all during which I still worked and a lot of my correspondence with clients and fellow-workers alike, took place through Facebook. Even the director of the LA magazine I wrote for, primarily messaged me and exchanged files through my personal Facebook profile. Has this use of social media occurred for you?
When you consider how popular Instagram and Pinterest have become, it’s no surprise and hardly a question anymore that social media and traveling go hand in hand. It doesn’t have to be done if your preference for traveling is solitude and isolation from technology, but it sure is helpful and a ton of fun if you’re looking to share the experience real-time and to save it for your own enjoyment later on. Here are some great ways to use social media traveling that I learned first-hand and have written blog posts about: Traveling with Instagram and Dropbox and Unlock Your iPhone for Traveling through Europe.
So what are ways that you enjoy using social media for when you travel? Even if it’s ways that you consider typical and known, doesn’t matter. There may be someone out there that hasn’t heard of it yet or just needs to be reminded that it can work for them too.
Hope you’re out there traveling or at least dreaming about your travel passions. Either way, traveling and our passions are great things to share with others. Is social media your tool for doing that?
