Having The World At Your Fingertips
Posted on Jan 16, 2012 | 34 comments
Last week I wrote a post asking people for their suggestions on where we should travel when we head down to Mexico and Central America. Within 5 minutes of publishing the post I received suggestions on 18 destinations in 4 different countries. Within 4 hours I had received over 100 suggestions and numerous people had offered to host us, play travel guide, or just chat by phone or Skype to help us get whatever information we needed. Truly unbelievable! Big time thanks to everyone out there.
Over the past year the world as I know it has changed. It's become closer, friendlier, and more accessible. Things I only dreamed about doing before seem not only probable, but easy! As my friend Emiel says, the travel game has changed. I don't need guidebooks or TripAdvisor to tell me where to go anymore. I have the world helping me out - and you can have it too!
The more I get connected with the real world, the less I feel reliant on the reviews and opinions of mass-marketed guidebooks and sponsored websites. A guidebook doesn't know me, and I don't know who is writing these guidebooks. Who's to say our "best places" are held to the same criteria? We would surely ask for the opinion of someone we know before we ask the opinion of some stranger, right?
Having a blog has given me the opportunity to get to know so many travelers and for them to get to know me. We can share opinions on people and places and gain a much greater sense of trust than we would with any guidebook.
Now I know many of you have no interest in having a blog, but are totally buzzing over the idea of getting free and trustworthy travel advice from around the world at the click of a button. So I have some suggestions for you. I do all these things. I do them even when I'm not planning on traveling. I'm constantly building a network so I can help others and they can help me. It's a win/win - all you have to do is get connected.
5 Tips For Becoming A Connected Traveler
1) Find, Follow, and Comment On Blogs
If you find a blogger or a post you like, then you should be leaving comments. I don't know why people seem to shy away from this. The majority of people who leave comments on blogs are other bloggers, but there is no reason commenting should be limited to a network of bloggers.
It is said that 1 out of 100 visitors leave a comment. I just think that defeats the whole purpose of having a blog. Blogs are for engaging, not just providing information. Of course some blogs are better than others, but 1 out of 100?
I leave about 10-15 comments on blogs every day. I try to engage with what I like and that helps me get to know people and build a network. It's simple and it works!
Try leaving a few comments and engaging a bit more and you'll quickly start to see how your travel knowledge and network are able to grow.
2) Get On Social Media
April 1, 2011 was the first day I ever used social media in my life. That's like only 9 months ago. I just always saw social media as a bunch of gossip and noise, but I was soooo wrong. Beyond the gossip and noise is information. Fast information. Really Fast Information.
Christine Gilbert of Almost Fearless said Twitter for travelers was like:
. . . being able to shout your latest travel question out your window, only to find a crowd of your favorite travel experts, local guides, expats and fellow travelers responding from your front lawn.
My friend Tracey Pedersen is leaving for her RTW trip with her family in 4 days! I met Tracey about 6 months ago on Twitter as I was walking to my car after breakfast. She tweeted that she was thinking about going around the world and I responded. We chatted online, Tracey put together a blog called Life Changing Year, and next week she will be bouncing around SouthEast Asia. She'll also be visiting us in Boston and getting free guided tours and local passes from me! And I know she we will be meeting up with many more people as well.
Now all of this would have happened for Tracey despite her blog. Just putting herself out there and interacting with people benefited her immensely as a traveler.
If you're interested in travel on any level, get on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ today. Like the people who interest you and interact. It will come back to you.
3) Use Stumble Upon
If you aren't using Stumble Upon, the you're missing out. I'll keep this short and sweet. You know how you will often see a link to an article on Facebook and wonder: Where do people find stuff like this?
Answer: Stumble Upon. Use it. It's simple and you will find stuff in the world you had no idea existed.
4) Smile! And Get A Gravatar
You know how sometimes you see pictures of people when they leave comments? Well, the people who have pictures or logos attached to their comments have Gravatars. It's a free and simple way to make an instant connection with people online. All you have to do is go to Gravatar.com, enter your email, and pop in a photo. When you start leaving comments on a blog people will get to know you twice as fast as if there is an image to remind them of who and what you are.
Everyone should have a Gravatar.
5) Ask Questions and Offer Help
At this point, I get an email pretty much every day from someone asking me for some advice on planning to travel the world, or offering me some advice on planning to travel the world. I love these emails. That is what I hoped for all along. I started this blog writing emails to people asking for help and I am still writing them today. I wrote Nancy Sathre-Vogel of Family on Bikes an email when we first started and since she has offered many times to map us a route through Mexico and Central America, as well as offering me a guest post a few weeks ago on her blog. And just this week I wrote the Iain Mallory of Mallory on Travel and Erin McNeaney of Never Ending Voyage to help me out with some advice on travel photography and they responded immediately. And I learned very quickly that I know nothing about photography.
Most blogs have a contact form or an email - and you should use it. Don't hesitate to ask. Travel bloggers go nuts over the world and what they find in it. They want to share. They want to make travel easier. They want you to discover all the secret far off places the world has to offer.
It's all at your fingertips. All you have to do is reach out a bit and grab it.
We are happy to help and be helped when it comes to travel. Feel free to contact us at any time.
We would love if you would follow our journey on FACEBOOK and TWITTER.
And please feel free to SIGN UP HERE and get all our posts and articles delivered via email.
Photo by Wilmack
Ok you got me! I have been reading your blog and not sure I have left any comments. Great tips. I need to check out Stumble Upon.
It worked!
No seriously, it is the best way to get connected to people in the traveling community. You get such great advice and ideas - and it's free. Stumble Upon is awesome. Especially if you have specific interests.
Thanks for getting connected!
I loved this! Thanks so much. As a relative newbie in the travel blogging world it was very helpful. I had no idea about Gravatar at all! I also just started using Stumbleupon and agree it is wonderful. I really enjoy sharing other posts that I find helpful too. When we helps other in this field we are helping ourselves at the same time! Next time I comment there will be a picture;)
Mary recently posted..10 Random Observations After Two Months of Family Travel
You got it Mary! I'm glad it was helpful.
And you're so right. The more you interact, the more it will come back to you. The most successful of bloggers and travelers know this. Help and be helped.
Stumble upon is great. If you start using it for your blog make sure you follow and share with people, that helps.
Hmm, I guess I need to do a StumbleUpon tutorial! Know any??:)
Mary recently posted..10 Random Observations After Two Months of Family Travel
I'll send it to you on Stumble upon.
Woo Hoo Justin!! That's me!!! So very excitd to be jetting off in just 3 more sleeps! My husband had his last day at work today and came home a crazy person! Sending me funny texts and practically skipping to the car!! So interesting to see what a weight it is off his shoulders knowing he doesn't have to work for a whole year!! This is a really helpful and interesting post you have written. Really obvious to us who realise you CAN comment on a blog buy maybe not obvious to everyone else!! Every time I read your site I think I should try harder! I can't wait to see you guys later in the year - so excited to have the inside info on Boston life!!!
Tracey recently posted..One Word That Does Not Describe Our Family? NORMAL!!
Well, we're just excited to meet up with you guys. And why try harder, you did it! 3 more sleeps! I'm just busting my butt now so I don't have to later.
I think everyone knows they can comment, but I think they over think it and feel like they need permission to the club sometimes. It often seems like everyone knows each other throughout comments, but those relationships started via comments as well.
All best Tracey. Really happy for you guys!
Just wanted to jump in here and congratulate Tracey on her final 3 days!! What an adventure, enjoy it to the fullest!
Emiel recently posted..What advertising can teach us about our way of traveling
Hi Justin !
I have always been a very social person and have no problem approaching a complete stranger. But the computer /tech/digital realm is Greek to me ! So for me to reach out and meet the world this way, I need a tutor to get started. Thanks to you ( and the other traveling families ) I finally started the blog that I had been intending for many years. Now I stumble ( thanks for that tip too! ) along with "how to write a blog, add media, attach a link ( still messing up on that), understand the lingo ( pingback? RRS or is it RSS ? )"
I will figure it out and hope to fine tune things so that I can apply all of your above advice.
Thanks, Susan
Susan Verbeeck recently posted..Five Favorite Places to Visit with Kids in Washington D.C. USA
Susan,
You have the perfect personality for a blogger. You were one of the first to leave a comment here and I have always seen you in travel circles even before you had a blog. You already have a big travel network. Stick with it, you'll get it. All those things you mention above we have all learned the hard way. It's a learning experience.
Any help you need, feel free to ask. Just email.
Justin
I am with you - just started learning about how to effectively use social media earlier this year. As someone who NEVER wanted to join Twitter, I was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed it once I got started. It seemed like Facebook without any room for drama, and I've already met other travelers and bloggers I've met through there! Not only did it drive more traffic to our blog... it gave me so many more ideas, inspirations and interactions (that's a lot of 'i's). Thanks for all the great tips, most of them I have found to be very true.
Dayna recently posted..Reflections on Romania
It takes a while Dayna, but we all get it. Social media is what you make of it. At it's best, it's an awesome tool.
Have you checked out Pinterest? It's like a bookmarking community site. I love it. You pin pictures to your board for any blog post or article you want to go back to later. The pin is shared with your friends (you can connect it to your facebook page). They are also posted to the community as a whole. They are seperated into catagories. There is one for travel and some of the pictures are amazing. It's a very visually appealing community site.
Jenn
Love this post Justin! It's already creating an active discussion and you convinced Jen to start leaving comments!
Your post made me smile because your enthusiasm jumps right of the screen. And I fully share your enthusiasm, as you already know. 1,5 years on the internet provided me with lots of great insights, new friends and unlimited opportunities to ask (trustworthy and authentic) information. As a blogger, it has been a journey of personal development at the same time.
I still meet many people who have doubts about social networks and sharing information. Well, I now know which link I have to send them...yours!
Emiel recently posted..What advertising can teach us about our way of traveling
The connections are huge. That is what I was trying to show people. Forget about blogging - you can make the connections without it. Just start chatting.
Thanks Emiel!
Boston? That's where my daughter is planing to go in March for her 20th birthday. Do you have any ideas for 3 days for youngsters?
Great tips! I have to agree with you, ever since I have been blogging the world has really opened up more and more. I read other peoples blogs every day it adds more places to my list of places to go and inspires me to keep on going. The internet is such a powerful thing. Cheers
Dean recently posted..James Bond Island (Ko Khao Phing Kan), Thailand
It's crazy right? The world changes as you get to meet people. You read a guidebook and nothing happens, but you develop a friendship with a traveler and it all starts to evolve. Thanks Dean! Glad to get to know you! Road To Anywhere - Love that!
Yeah! My favourite thing since starting a blog has been the connections I have made through it and through social media! There are just so many totally amazing and inspiring people out there! It makes all of the work I put into my blog so incredibly worth it. I have formed friendships that I am sure will stand the test of time with people I have not even met yet!
Amy recently posted..Don’t Rush Me, I’m Learning!
Absolutely! It's been great. Your world has changed right? It's an amazing thing. I suppose it would work for everyone in any field if they put themselves out there. You and me started around the same time and look how things have changed for us. You have the inside scoop on SEA forever now!
Yes, the way we travel has changed. Can't imagine there being a place anywhere in the world that I would not have access to real human beings who could help me navigate my travel plans. The world is flat.
Clark Vandeventer recently posted..The World is Our Classroom-Long Term Travel and Education
Thanks for all the tips! I'm planning a one year RTW trip for my family of 4 that will start in July 2013, so it will be great to hear about your planning and learn from your experiences in the upcoming months.
That's great! Any ideas where you're going? Got a budget in mind? Happy to help!
We'll probably start in Europe (England, Germany, Greece, Turkey), then SE Asia (not sure where yet), New Zealand, then finish up in South America. Haven't pinpointed my budget yet; probably in the medium range ($150-$200 per day?). Will vary wildly depending upon where we are, I think. Your latest posting on your fear of flying is hilarious, by the way. Reminds me of the scene in "Bridesmaids," though it appears you were able to avoid getting kicked off the plane half way to your destination!
I think who ever wrote Bridesmaids was on that plane with me that day! Only difference - I was really scared. Ridiculous.
Your budget sounds good for those areas. What a great trip!
Just dipping our toes in the water, and like what you're saying. Make that 2 out of 100.
Thanks for stopping by guys!
Gotta get that Gravatar done!! Thanks for all the cool info!
Excellent advice, I second all of it
Sophie recently posted..A to Z of Sophie’s World
Thanks for these tips - really helpfull and so true! I also use Social Media to connect and share my Travelstories - came to this article via Twitter
Steve recently posted..7 Great Travel Documentary Films
Thanks for this info. I'm 16 and am writing a blog about my world travel year, http://www.dearlunchtable.com. I have to admit I'm somewhat ashamed of myself for not knowing Gravatar or Stumbleupon (aren't teenagers supposed to be the ones living and breathing technology?), but, oh well, better late then never. Also, I would love to guest post if you're interested. Thank you for these tips.
Your site is awesome KJ! Looks like you're doing pretty much everything right. Kind of pisses me off that you're so good at this at only 16.
Guest Post in the future for certain! All the best!
Such an enjoyable, helpful article to read! Even though I'm a web designer in one part of my life, I totally put off doing social media for AGES, esp Twitter but I'm starting to see how it's such a good way to meet people. Thanks too for the tip about Stumble Upon and commenting on blogs.
Rachel DuBois recently posted..The Hunt for a Hostel Competition