NB: This is a guest article by David Los, co-founder of Tripl.
Social travel sites appear to launch every day – some get acquired by Google, some are mobile efforts in Asia, others are just riding the crest of the white hot social travel wave.
So, we hear about them every day – but what actually is a social travel website?
Frankly, I wish there was a better definition of what is a social travel website. There are so many applications out there under the banner of “social travel”, which can ultimately be confusing for users, partners, media etc.
Even I am confused, but is it just me? I think not. Let’s look at what a “social travel” website might mean? Frankly, what’s not “social travel”?
I think, however, there is a huge difference in between travel websites that are “social” and “social travel” websites. There’s a difference in utilizing social media in a good way, and in making travel it more social.
For example: a hotel review site with Facebook integration (a wall, Likes, comments etc), is not making the actual travel more social. And the same goes for a photo-sharing site.
Those sites are just using social tools, to enhance a better communication, and sharing functions. Thus, they do not link people in a social way. That’s what Facebook is doing, that’s what LinkedIn is doing and that’s what a social travel website should do as well.
For me, a social travel website is focusing on connecting travellers from around the world, no matter which application they are using.
Even if I am a Facebook user, I would still like to integrate with people who are using the Chinese Renren.com, or with people from a professional network like LinkedIn.
Our human curiosity encourages us to meet new people with different cultures, experiences and backgrounds. It’s about transforming a virtual relationship into a real life relationship, and vice versa.
It’s about using your network to get in contact with friends, or even friends’ of friends, abroad. To get in contact with locals before you get there and to make the world smaller thanks to the social travel connections that can be established on the web.
A social travel website should be social in a way that the word “social” is defined. A huge, if not the most important part of the travel experience is the social part I would say.
It is what we remember and what we think of when looking back on a previous trip – it is the great people we meet, and not the old monument that we already have seen twenty times on pictures before going.
Anyway, the future of social travel is yet to be defined, but we must concede that there is a huge difference between a social travel website and a travel website that is social.
My definition of a social travel website is that it should:
- Link travelers, locals and friends’ of friends from around the world
- Recommend people and places based on your social graphs
- Leverage the power of social purchases
- Make the world feel like a smaller place
- Have a social and global focus through the entire site
Any more?
NB: This is a guest article by David Los, co-founder of Tripl.com.
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About Special Nodes
A social travel site should engage other potential travelers. Ability to interact with other travelers, view reviews, advice and tips. It should enable the traveler to cut back on wasted travel time figuring out the must see sights of a location.
Hi Tessa. I agree with you. A social travel site should be able to cut back on wasted travel time figuring out the good things to do and see. It should also be able to save the travelers money etc. Thus, all these things should be done through live and social interactions with others. I mean, its much better to get live and social recommendations through locals, friends and friends of friends, rather than reading on a review site. Those people are probably most up to date, lives there and know what they are talking about
Thats my opinion
A timely post for us. I’m pretty sure we (Globetrooper.com) fit your description of real social travel because we help people travel the world together (not just share photos or stories). But it’s one thing to attempt to make travel ‘social’ and another to achieve it. We’ve found it’s a complex ambition.
Hi Todd! There are a lot of social travel sites, focusing of what we are talking about. I agree, its not easy to create a global and social travel platform. It’s about utilizing social graphs, in a way that maximize the utility for the travelers, and the whole industry it self. Even if we have been thinking about social travel since 2009, we still find it to be a tuff challenge.
The most important thing ought to be to make it possible for travelers to meet and connect even long before they have their trips planned and decided. Who cares these days about the actual sights? I can see all the (new) seven wonders of the world on Google Image Search, but I can only meet awesome and inspiring new friends from all around the world when you are actually traveling. Social travel websites should increase the possibility of meeting awesome new people while/before traveling.
True
Social travel is anything that’s not work related – friends groups, activity groups, fundraiser groups, family groups. We’re all social when it comes to travel now – even if we’re not booking in a group, we’re communicating to say, Facebook friends who we’ll be visiting, or updating pals on a group planner.
I don’t think it needs defining since it’s naturally integrated in our lives and especially so, with the additional niche social non booking sites popping up at a rate of knots.
When’s the last time you booked something as simple as a flight without consulting anyone by either Facebook or Twitter – even for basic advice. Yes, I thought so
Hi Heddi,
I would rather say that Vacation is related to travel that is not work related. We should not forget the business travelers; they are social as well, and want to grow their professional networks during their business stays abroad.
Heddi, social travel is not about group-booking. It’s more about interaction with people, within and outside your social graph. And you are right, we communicate to our friends daily through different social plattforms. Thus, travel is also about meeting new people, and that’s why a social travel website should not only be focusing on your existing social graph.
Of course there should be a definition of what a social travel site is, specially when “they”, like you say, pop up at a rate of knots, without really don’t understanding what real social travel is about (at least some of them
)
And of course I use Twitter and Facebook and other channels for travel advice. But my friends on Facebook are not always up to date, and short Twitter answers from strangers may not always be the best suitable. But again, is that what you call social travel? To ask people for advice through your Facebook or Twitter? I don’t think so.
To me, social travel is about connecting with people not already in my networks (FB, LinkedIn, etc), but have the same passion/interests. So, if I’m into cruises, I should be able to meet someone halfway across the world with the same passion. Or into backpacking…or any other specific travel interest. Good post.
Faraz, it seems that we are having the same opinion
See you on Twitter? @los_david
Absolutely. I’m @farazq
David,
I have spent the last 1 1/2 years traveling around the world – 43 countries and counting. And, for months and months and $$$$ I tried to develop a TSN (Travel Social Network). It is a complex issue, but a problem that needs to be solved.
After 43 countries, Facebook and Twitter are not good enough for me as a traveler.
Currently in Hawaii, I’ll be in SanFran in August and tgen South America the rest of the year.
You see, my drean to travel and experience the world has won over my dream to build the best TSN; for now anyeay!
My two companies exist as Facebook pages
W.A.S.T.E.D Planet. &
CWB | Connecting Without Borders
Let’ts chat sometime.
Cheers!
Anthony
Anthony,
Would be a pleasure to speak some more with you.
Cheers!
My Twitter: @los_david or @triplapp
My definition of a social travel website is that it should:
[...]
Any more?
Here is the ad-hoc community aspect.
It is an interesting conversation going on here.
We, @sostravelers, are looking at the social aspect of a travel website when travelers are facing a difficult problem such as being stuck in an airport due to all kinds of reasons.
Those travelers do not know each other but they happen to share the same aims (e.g. need to travel to A)and thus they can constitute a ad-hoc community with various roles.
For instance, if there is no plane, the group of people can find a collective solution like renting a car together, a whole bus or even hire a private plane with our help.
This is a part of http://www.SOSTravelers.com that we are aiming at: provide the right infrastructure through social media, our website and offer some collective solutions to people, who, otherwise would stay stranded.
I’ve been thinking about this since reading this last week. I don’t really agree with the premise of the article that “travel is inherently social”.
I actually love being in a quiet, entirely foreign place, with no-one else around, allowing a chance to stretch the mind. I take inspiration in that kind of moment that lasts me long into the future.
I love the “optimism of transit”. I enjoy sitting in a train in silence watching the world pass by. Taking time to breath a little.
And you know what, I still love to see the sights. I don’t care that there are a million photos of Macchu Picchu. I still want to go there and see it for myself. And in an ideal world – not with a lot of other people present.
This is not to say I don’t like meeting people while travelling. Of course I do. But if travel was primarily about being social, I could wander out into Melbourne, a city with fascinating people from all walks of life and socialise to my heart’s content. I don’t have to hop on a plane to meet someone who speaks a different language or doesn’t do the same things as me. In fact, probably the best way for me to meet truly *different* people to myself is by disconnecting from the internet, walking around and talking to random strangers. Perhaps walking into an old-folks home. Or maybe a mosque. Somewhere different, somewhere without internet.
The idea that the internet will help me organise the people I’ll meet on my travels before I go is truthfully a little frightening to me. It reminds me of holidays we used to take in Europe where we would head off to a campsite in Luxembourg, just to find that 90% of the people there were also Dutch. Great for socialising, not so great for broadening the mind.
I can understand that there are people who want to build social connections before they leave. Just like there’s people who enjoy all-inclusive-tours, or enjoy spending their summers in campings where everyone speaks their language. It’s just not the essence of what I enjoy about travel.