Make Friends While You Plan Your Trips
No one knows if they'll become the next MySpace, but these three social networking sites I read about in the February, 2009 issue of Budget Travel magazine sound interesting.
So even though my little black book is overflowing with email addresses of all the friends I've met on my journeys, I couldn't stop myself from checking out something new. Here's the scoop on some lesser known places where you can make friends while planning your trips:
GeckoGo
GeckoGo is a collaborative travel planning resource for independent travelers. Begun by a group of friends who quit their cushy day jobs, moved to a new country and worked full time without pay for 12 plus months straight, Geckogo has grown into quite a large travel community. On this site you can:
The site has a nice forum and I like their destination pages, where you'll find detailed maps and information on the area you are interested in and its attractions. Just remember, though, that, like Wikipedia, anybody can update this information so you might want to check another source or two to make sure the information is correct.
I like the site's blog, GeckoGoneBlogging, and even if you do nothing else, I recommend you pay it a visit. It has some nice interviews, such as with Christina Heyniger of Off the Radar and Polar Explorer Børge Ousland.
Matador
I already subscribe to the Travelers Notebook, which is part of the Matador Network, and it's good. What I didn't know, however, was that the Matador Network has an entire travel community that you can participate in.
As the video on their homepage says, Matador is the world's first fully interactive travel magazine, harnessing the passion and talent of thousands of members and publishing their stories on a stage that reaches millions.
Their membership? A worldwide mix of passionate travelers, writers, photographers, adventurers and grassroots organizations.
What's cool is Matador actually pays members to contribute short articles -- not much, about $25 -- but it's enough to help you buy that new guidebook you've been eyeing in the bookstore. The idea here is that you (as a member) become a travel writer by blogging about your journeys, creating guides to your city or advising others on places you consider yourself an expert in.
TripIt
As the Budget Travel article says, TripIt is a site for sharing. This is how it works:
- You email the site your travel plans (no matter where you booked)
- Tripit creates a master itinerary
- Then you can share your itineraries online or via a mobile device
To try the site out, I decided to email TripIt my travel plans for my trip to Phoenix next week. Considering that it took me twenty minutes to find the email message with my flight itinerary, I knew I was onto something -- if I'm this disorganized I need this service.
Once I found and forwarded my flight itinerary to TripIt, it only took about three minutes for my information to appear on my new account, and there are even links for online check in and checking flight status. I still need to update my profile to take advantage of the other features the site offers, but first I want to think about how much of my trip information I want to make public. The site looks promising, though.
So there you have it -- three new travel social networking sites. New to me, at least. And if your little black book is as full as mine, I still suggest you check them out. After all, there's no such thing as too many contacts, right?
Lochmaben, Dumfriesshire, Scotland photo courtesy of Freefoto.com, photographer Ian Britton. This is the birthplace of Robert the Bruce.
Kara, I know exactly what you mean! It's almost like advertising that you're not going to be home!
My thoughts are: As a travel writer,it could help you get additional work if editors can easily see where you're going. Yet do you really want everyone to know?
The TripIt site does allow you to keep your information private and just use it for yourself, to keep track of your trips, but if that's all you're doing, I wonder if it's worth it.
Posted by: Melody | February 24, 2009 at 09:37 PM
That's my question. How detailed do I want to be in my travel schedule. Do I want strangers knowing my house will be empty (family travel) for a week in April, or the like? Hmmmm.
Posted by: Kara/MountainMama | February 24, 2009 at 03:40 PM