Is Facebook an Excellent Travel Guide?

Signing up with Facebook has its own advantages. In addition to getting a whole lot of new friends and staying in touch with them, you get to hear about the latest apps being developed for almost every conceivable thing.

You also have many games that you can play by yourself, or invite a group of friends who are spread out far and wide and play as a group. It is no wonder then that the membership base at this most popular social media site crossed the 1 billion mark quite some time back, and still counting.

It is amazing how you can sit in some remote corner of the world and strike friendships with people who live several thousand miles away, in different time zones, exposed to different cultures and speaking different languages.

The best thing that could have happened to any Facebook user is the close comradery they are able to strike up with fellow users, wherever they are located. Take for instance the example of an interior decorator who was traveling in the Czech Republic.

She did not have the slightest notion about how to go about things in a strange land where she had no friends, did not even have a smattering knowledge of the language (not even a word), but ended up landing there anyway.

The only saving grace was the chance friendship she had developed with a Czech national through Facebook. Needless to say that the Facebook friend went out of the way to help her and made her stay as comfortable as possible.

It is not just landing up in a strange land and hoping to find a friend. Many people announce on Facebook their intentions about going on a trip and give a running commentary about their itinerary weeks before they plan to leave. Some even ask for suggestions and recommendations for hotels, best place to eat, best food to eat, and where best to do the shopping.

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Facebook does have a Questions section that lets you post any sort of question and simply wait for the best answers. Very often you notice questions like what are the places of interest in XYZ or something of that sort. What’s more, there are several travel sites that let their customers review their sites on Facebook, just because of the immense potential and the amazing reach that Facebook has.

Though Facebook does not have any sort of control, or even any idea about the veracity of what is posted on its pages, it is generally taken as a good bit of advice by most of the users. Except for some stray cases of misguidance or posts with a mischievous intent, by and large, Facebook posts have been relied upon by the users in general.

It is no wonder then that most travel sites would like to get a share of the pie, which, to them is in the form of Facebook users. It is like Facebook has become a central news gathering and dispensing center, not just for travel, but for anything at all. Y

ou ask a question, or even think loud on Facebook and you end up with several hundred responses (depending on the number of friends you have made) and as far as travel is concerned, Facebook indeed is a great guide.

  Nicole Wilson

About the Author:

Nicole Wilson currently works at times warner cable nyc, a site that enables everyone to learn about how to save on broadband and internet cable.