Travellers Turn to Facebook

Facebook is the world's most popular social media site - its popularity has grown in recent years as even the older generation turns to it to share photographs, status updates and links with friends and family. But how has Facebook affected the way we travel?

Travel complaints 

Gone are the days when you had to send an email to a customer service department and wait days (sometimes weeks) for a response.

Today's generation want instant gratification - they want real-time responses to complaints, comments and queries, and nowhere is this more evident than on Facebook.

Hotels, airlines and travel companies usually have a Facebook page, and if you're looking for somewhere to complain about poor service whilst you're on your holiday, this is the place to be.

By posting on the company's wall, your comments are usually instantly visible to the public, and you're more likely to get a fast response to your concerns. Been delayed, experienced cancellations or turned up at your hotel to find your room has been double-booked?

Facebook is the place to share your experiences. You don't have to stop there though, you can update your status and tell friends and family about your problems, or upload photographs of any issues you're having.

Holiday ideas

There is a more positive side to Facebook when it comes to the way we travel; it provides us with a new way of sourcing ideas for our holidays.

'Liking' pages means you can keep up to date with a tour operator's special offers or deals, and often seeing posts by friends can inspire you and give you an idea of your next destination.

You can contact hotels or the owners of self-catering accommodation directly to make your booking, which could lead to great savings compared to booking a package holiday, and of course you can share your holiday snaps instantly whilst you're lying on the beach in sunny Mauritius or trekking the Inca Trail; there's no need to wait until you're back home.

Facebook provides an opportunity to share every aspect of your holiday and see where other people are going and what they're getting up to - it opens up new ways of booking and organising your break and provides a great way for smaller businesses and sole traders to promote their services without spending a fortune on advertising.

Social media is a great way forward, and when it comes to travel, it provides both customers and the industry with more positives than negatives.

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