Travelling is an exhilarating experience, full of opportunities to discover new places, cultures, and activities. But sometimes, finding things to do can be overwhelming, especially if you’re new to a destination. Here’s a comprehensive guide to finding the best activities and experiences when you travel using traditional and modern methods. This piece draws on personal experiences and practical advice to help you make the most of your travels.
Utilize TripAdvisor for Top-Rated Activities
TripAdvisor is a go-to resource for many travellers. It has user-generated reviews and ratings for attractions, activities, and tours. The platform’s community-driven content ensures you get a wide range of opinions, which can help you gauge whether an activity is worth your time and money.
How to Use TripAdvisor Effectively
- Search by Location: Enter your destination and explore the top-rated activities in the area. Look for categories like “Things to Do,” “Attractions,” or “Tours.”
- Read Reviews: Don’t just look at the star ratings; read the reviews to understand what people enjoyed and didn’t. Pay attention to recent reviews for the most up-to-date information.
- Read the Q&A Section: The Q&A Section is one of TripAdvisor’s best features, in my opinion! It allows people to ask and answer questions about the tourist site. Often, people will ask and have answered important questions like “What time does it close?” or “Is there a student discount?”
- Check the Photos: User-uploaded photos can give you a realistic view of what to expect, which is often more accurate than promotional images.
Discover Hidden Gems on TikTok and Social Media
Social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook have become invaluable tools for discovering unique and trendy activities. Influencers and regular users share their travel experiences, often highlighting lesser-known attractions and insider tips.
How to Use Social Media for Travel Recommendations
- Search Hashtags: Use relevant hashtags like #Travel, #YourDestination, #HiddenGems, or #TravelTips. This can lead to posts and videos showcasing activities not listed in traditional travel guides.
- Follow Travel Influencers: Many travel influencers share detailed itineraries and reviews of their trips. Following them can give you real-time updates and recommendations. You can also message or comment on videos by travel influencers asking specific questions about a destination or site. Often, they’ll give you a detailed response via video or message.
- Join Travel Groups: Facebook groups dedicated to travel enthusiasts can be goldmines of information. Members often share their experiences, ask for advice, and recommend activities. There are travel groups for every country worldwide, with popular spots like South East Asia having multiple travel groups focusing on different niches.
Dive into Travel Blogs for Personal Insights
Travel blogs are a fantastic resource for finding things to do and niche experiences (this is a completely non-biased opinion, obviously). They often provide in-depth and personal insights you won’t find on larger commercial websites. Bloggers typically share their unique experiences, including popular attractions and off-the-beaten-path adventures.
How to Find and Use Travel Blogs
- Google Searches: Simply searching “things to do in [your destination] travel blog” can yield a plethora of personal accounts and recommendations.
- Pinterest Boards: Many travel bloggers use Pinterest to share their blog posts. Searching for your destination on Pinterest can lead to detailed itineraries and activity suggestions.
- Subscribe to Newsletters: Some travel blogs offer newsletters that provide curated travel tips and recommendations. Subscribing can ensure you get fresh ideas delivered straight to your inbox.
Use Hostels to Find Activities
If you’re staying in hostels, you’re in luck. Hostels are often great sources of information on local activities and events. Many hostels have activity boards where they post daily or weekly schedules of tours, pub crawls, classes, and social events. Another great thing about hostels is how easy it is to meet other travellers who may have already been to the travel destination you’re looking for information on. One of the best ways to find things to do is by talking to other travellers. Fellow backpackers and tourists can provide firsthand accounts of what’s worth seeing and doing.
Making the Most of Hostels
- Daily Updates: Check the activity board daily. Hostel activities can fill up quickly, and being proactive ensures you don’t miss out.
- Talk to Staff: Hostel staff usually have great local knowledge and can provide recommendations beyond what’s on the board.
- Join Group Activities: These activities are a great way to explore, meet fellow travellers, and make new friends.
- Common Areas: Spend time in hostel common areas, cafes, or bars where travellers congregate. Striking up a conversation can lead to great recommendations. Asking people where they’ve been or what their favourite activity is is a great way to receive travel recommendations. Getting recommendations from other travellers is one of my favourite ways of finding activities and niche experiences when I travel. The information is often more recent and relevant, as often it will come from someone who has just been to the destination, as opposed to information online, which can sometimes be dated.
Explore Online Travel Communities
Online travel communities like Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree forum, Reddit’s r/travel, and even niche travel sites like Travellerspoint are treasure troves of information. Members share tips, ask questions, and provide detailed accounts of their travels.
Engaging with Online Communities
- Ask for Recommendations: Post a question about your destination, and you’ll often get numerous responses with diverse suggestions.
- Read Trip Reports: Many forums have trip reports where travellers detail their itineraries and experiences.
- Contribute: Share your own experiences and tips. Engaging with the community can often lead to personalized advice and recommendations.
- Online Forums: Platforms like Reddit have travel-specific forums (subreddits) where you can ask for recommendations and read about others’ experiences.
Utilize Travel Apps
Numerous apps are designed to help you find things to do while travelling. These apps often provide curated lists of activities, user reviews, and booking options.
Must-Have Travel Apps and Websites
- Culture Trip: Offers curated guides and articles about destinations worldwide.
- TripIt: Helps you organize your travel plans and find activities.
- Lonely Planet Guides: Provides comprehensive guides to destinations around the world.
- Thatch Travel: While these are paid itineraries, if you have the budget, investing in purchasing travel itineraries is a great, hassle-free way to find things to do.
Warning on Who to Take Advice From
Whether you’re getting information on activities from other travellers, bloggers, social media, TripAdvisor or other web forums, it’s always important to consider who the information is coming from. Everyone has different expectations and opinions on different places and tourist sights. Some people will tell you to skip Halong Bay because it’s overrated, whereas other types of travellers will love it and say it is one of their favourite experiences.
Always consider how you get information from and whether they are the same type of traveller. For example, I would take recommendations from a very outdoorsy, hiker kind-of-traveller with a grain of salt, as I am not an outdoorsy person. Similarly, if you’re not much of a party animal, reconsider whether the recommendations from a gap year traveller who only stays in party hostels will be right for you. This can be difficult when getting recommendations from online communities or forums, as you won’t be able to tell any demographic or personal information about other posters.
The other thing to consider is whether recommendations are genuine or influenced by other factors. Travel influencers, bloggers or even hostel staff may have a vested financial interest in recommending certain tours or activities over others. While I think many recommendations are genuine, it is always important to do your own research instead of blindly following recommendations from others.
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