Exploring a new city can be overwhelming, especially when the options are endless or lacking. Sure, it’s all part of the fun but I like to make sure I’m making the most of my time.
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Here are a few good reminders to start. First, make sure you’ve done your research beforehand, don’t wait until you’ve arrived at your destination to hop online. Make a list of what you’re mostly into when visiting a new place. Are you a museum kind of person? Are you a hiking nut? A big foodie maybe? Jot down the type of places you’d like to visit, things you’d like to see, this will help you narrow down your topics.
With Twitter it’s easy to find travel tips from the city itself, get feedback on locations, connect with locals and more.
Making the Best of Twitter
Twitter is a little mind-boggling but it’s quite simple once you learn a few basic tips & tricks. The following suggestions will give you the tools to make the most of it when traveling, even more when you’re about to visit a cool new city.
- To begin, work on your Twitter profile. It’s important that others see a pic of you and can read a clear bio. Make sure you throw the word “travel” in there, people will be keener to connect with you if they see that you’re a real person!
- Most cities have a dedicated Twitter account – make sure you look for this and follow. You can use Google too, it’s as simple as searching something like “Twitter visit Dubai”, that would lead you to @mytraveldubai which has a great source of info on the city plus a great website to link to.
- Hashtags are your best friend! Try searches using different combinations, for example: #londonnightlife ”¦ or maybe #london #nightlife. Any of these will give you a great list of tweets and people who are talking about this subject. Find someone interesting? Follow them to keep up with their tweets.
- Search for local travel and tourism boards of the city you plan to visit. There’s always an account named @visit____ or @____tourism that tweet about local events, what to do and what to see.
- Looking for a great place to eat in Hong Kong? Search the combo “foodporn #hongkong” for a drilldown of all the people who have probably posted a pic of their food onto Instagram or Foursquare (location included).
- Twitter lets you save searches so make sure you take full advantage of this. You can always go back in the next days to find new people, new info or new interesting links.
- Look for links in people’s bio. Most travel-related Twitter accounts link to their Facebook pages or website, these probably have extensive information on the city including maps and a calendar of events.
- Make lists. Twitter lists are incredibly helpful to organize the people you follow. If you’re into landmarks, make sure you’re following the accounts of those in the city you plan to visit and file them in a new twitter list named “Landmarks”. Repeat for “Places to eat”, “Things to see”, “Cool locals”, “Hostel options”, etc. This will make it easier for you to find the info you need once you’ve arrived in the city.
- When you find interesting peeps, talk to them! Twitter is about conversation, so be genuine in your messages and always give back. Determine if they’re active by seeing when they last “tweeted”, nothing worse than sitting around waiting for a response right?
- Don’t be afraid to ask. When talking to locals, make all the right questions ”¦ what popular spots do they recommend, what locations should you avoid, ask questions on safety, culture, traditions you should be aware of, holidays, etc.
- Last but not least, make sure you download the Twitter mobile app. Although internet access can be tricky in some cities, you’ll always have the opportunity to check your account and continue receiving tweets about the city.
How do you use Twitter to help find travel tips when visiting a new city?