The world is smaller than it’s ever been and social networking is making it all the more easy to connect with those back home while you’re on the go. Whether you want to humble-brag about your excessive country-hopping or you just want to update your friends and family about where you’ve been, social media and traveling is a match made in heaven.
Here are a few of the easiest apps and sites to use if your goal is to share the most authentic moments of your travels with those who’d love to live vicariously…
Facebook
It may seem obvious, but Facebook is a terrific way to document your travels. Not only can you use the site’s mapping function to pinpoint exactly where you’ve been, the new “Shared Album” feature on Facebook allows as many as 50 people to contribute to one shared album. Collecting everyone’s photos from a group vacation has never been simpler.
Tumblr
Tumblr is a photo-sharing and blogging website that makes it simple to upload and tag your vacation photos. Not only can you give friends and family access to specific albums your photos can be viewed by strangers who can then ask for your permission to reprint for commercial purposes.
Airbnb
Airbnb is a website and an app that can be a spontaneous traveler’s best friend. Residents of the city you’re visiting offer up their homes for a night or a week at discounted rates, and true to the bed and breakfast philosophy, many users find the homeowners provide excellent advice on everything from movie theaters to restaurants in the area.
GogoBot
Gogobot is a standout in a world flush with options for travel recommendation sites. It’s different in that the travel engine pulls information from Twitter, Facebook, and many other databases to best answer a traveler’s posed question. The app features a search bar where travelers can ask a specific question (i.e. “Where is the best place to shop in Beijing?”) and other like-minded travelers can give a fast, honest answer.
Tripping.com
Tripping is different from typical travel social media sites in that it offers quite a few checks and balances to offer more safety for travelers. Recommendations, references, and even a 24-hour emergency hotline are all part of the deal here, which makes this a terrific option for young or inexperienced travelers to meet up with strangers around the world.
Instagram
Instagram is fast becoming one of the top social sites in the world and it’s amazing at one thing: taking great photos. With dozens of filters and cool styling tools to choose from, Insta is a jet-setter’s favorite tool to date. Users can hashtag their travels, specifically share with other users, and generally just develop a repertoire of impressive vacation snapshots.
Twitter
Twitter is simply one of the best, most effective tools for sharing travel experiences online today. You can post photos (and now videos with partner site Vine), ask questions, and even resolve travel issues in real time by Tweeting at companies directly. Twitter is the best place to go if you want to share your destination or your experience, but you don’t want to spent too much time doing it.
Half the fun of being able to wander around the world is sharing the experiences with other people. What are your favorite apps or social sites for travel?
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