I get asked all the time how I find the places I visit. People usually think I’m joking when I tell them that I use Pinterest to plan the majority of my trips. I follow travel bloggers on Pinterest and am inspired by their adventures inspire. Since I can usually click straight to a blog article, the images on Pinterest grab my attention and then I can click on them to give me details to plan a trip.
Pinterest gives you glimpses of places that no other site could. While I can’t plan my entire trip with Pinterest, the platform allows me to find things that I wouldn’t have otherwise! It helps me organize my trip and highlights the things I want to do most. Pinterest truly is a travel girl’s best friend! Here’s how I use Pinterest to plan all of my trips:
Trip planning and preparation
If I’m going to a new area, a general search of the city on Pinterest will yield numerous results. I can look through the images and/or blog titles and easily see if it’s worth researching. My other option is more tedious: do a Google search and click on each link hoping the results will be what I need.
Another bonus of Pinterest is that a lot of bloggers use lists. Since lists are common, you will find other things to do in the area that you wouldn’t have known about before. So now, not only do you have one specific place, but a list of others you know are close by! Easy! I hate leaving a place and learning later about an attraction I would have gone to if I had known about it!
I use Pinterest for all my trips, including the U.S. and abroad! When I traveled to Sydney Pinterest was the main social media I used to plan the sites I wanted to visit. Then I researched the areas I wanted to go to through blogs. I used Instagram as inspiration, but always checked out the area through Pinterest and blogs, I even used Google maps!
Instagram is great for inspiration for larger areas (waterfalls, buildings, even food!), but if you’re a great photographer you can make a little section of a place look great! So be sure the sight is worth the trip. Also check if you can visit anything on the way there or around your destination.
Trip planning in the U.S.
Pinterest has even helped me broaden my bucket list for where I live. I have found numerous new spots to try out because of it! When I lived in Florida I found out about bioluminescent kayaking on Pinterest, an experience I will never forget. I also planned my trip to Crystal River and 3 Sisters Springs using Pinterest. Miami and Key West are two cities that I’ve researched from to-do lists on Pinterest. Not only did I find the main locations through Pinterest, but I can look up things to do on the way to each destination and places to eat along the way.
You can look daily on Pinterest for travel inspiration. Once you have a general country or location that you’re really interested in, learn more about it (best times to travel, language, etc.). Then look up popular things to do in the country. Focus in and be more specific by looking up things in a particular city.
Next, map out places you want to go and see what’s in between. Look at blogs for more information: places to see, stay, where to eat. Don’t just stop at social media though. Once you’re at your destination, ask the locals what their favorite place is. Everyone will answer differently, but look those places up because they might be great suggestions.
Pinterest Boards
I have Pinterest boards for all 50 of the U.S. states and my top list of countries I want to travel to: Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, etc. Once you have a list of places you want to visit, it’s time to find out how realistic that is due to the length of the trip and the total travel time between sites.
Then I create a list I do research, first on things to do in that country/area/city. I am mainly looking for images that catch my eye, then I read blogs to see what they are really like. Once the list is together, I look up the places or parks on their websites to gather more information. The reason I break down all my boards into states or cities is so I can focus on areas close together instead of sifting through hundreds of Pins trying to find a specific place.
International trips
One main example for my Pinterest Boards is my Australia list. I used to have one board for everything I wanted to see/do in Australia. Once the trip gets closer, my boards broken down by the major cities I want to hit. This allows me to quickly see if I go to an area what is it that I’ve marked I want to do or where I want to eat. I have two Pinterest accounts, a personal and blog account, so I try to make sure I’m following different bloggers so I can get as much information as possible.
When I planned my trip to Indonesia, I had lots of spots from Bali pinned months beforehand. So my inspiration mainly came from Pinterest, and the pins from blogs helped me do most of my planning. Instagram of course also helped here, mainly for my visit to Nusa Penida. I found images on Instagram and then looked at blogs through Pinterest searches to find out how to get there.
Luckily I did my research. The most popular tourist spot was the west side of the island, but everything I wanted to see was on the east side. Without reading the blogs that were easily accessible on Pinterest, I would have taken the wrong tour and been disappointed.
Be sure to gather all the information needed
Pinterest is great for planning and keeping track of the information needed to plan for trips. For example, I visited Falling Waters State Park and forgot to lookup when the best dates were to go to see the waterfall! It was still an incredible experience and I’m glad I went. I just can’t believe that I forgot one of the most important factors: the best time to visit. Just that small bit of information makes all the difference.
So when you’re planning your trip through social media, make sure you get all the information you need! If you’re short on time, focusing on blogs are your best bet!
The outcome
Not only have I been very satisfied with all the trips I’ve planned, but I’ve had positive feedback from my friends and family. So many people who had been to Bali before asked me how I knew about all the places. I’ve had this on a smaller scale with my Florida trip destinations.
Some of my friends go to places because they saw I went and were inspired. That’s the main goal for someone like me! I love to inspire others to go out and see the beautiful places that Earth has to offer! So if you aren’t currently using Pinterest to plan your trips, give it a try. I hope it helps you as much as it helps me.
