Category Archives: Social Media

Destinations, General, Public Transportation, Random, Social Media, Travel Tips, Twitter

Safe Travels: 7 Tips for Staying Safe while Traveling

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“Safe Travels.”

You probably heard or said that phrase dozens of times. Usually the meaning behind it is simple – we hope your car won’t break, your flight will be uneventful, and nothing bad happens while you’re on your way. However, the phrase could also mean – I hope won’t encounter any natural or man-made disasters while you travel, be it a tsunami, an earthquake, or, recently, a terrorist attack.

Wherever and however you travel, you can make your travels safer with a few precautions.

I assume that you have already researched the destination where you’re going, whether on U.S. Department of State’s Country Information pages, or an equivalent site.

Here are a few other tips from me and my fellow travel bloggers on how to stay safe while traveling:

#1. Register Your Itinerary with a Government Agency

Susan from Gen X Traveler says: “I register my travels with the U.S. Department of State Smart Traveller Enrollment Program (STEP) program. That way our government know where to look for me if they need to evacuate Americans.”

Sally from Our 3 Kids v The World adds: “Australia has the same, it’s called Smarttraveller website. You fill in your itinerary & if anything thing happens our government will know where we are. The onus is on yourself to register your movements on the site.”

Canadian traveler Alouise from Take Me To The World, registers with Registration of Canadians Abroad.

Do a bit of research to see if your country offers such registration service. Continue reading Safe Travels: 7 Tips for Staying Safe while Traveling →

Blogging, General, Random, Social Media

Recognizing Fellow Travel Bloggers – Liebster and the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Awards

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If you’ve been part of the travel blogging scene for a while you have undoubtedly seen several mentions of the “Liebster Award” and the “Sisterhood of the World Bloggers” award. Heck, you might have already been nominated for either or both awards yourself.

For those who haven’t heard of the Liebster and the Sisterhood yet – it’s basically a way to recognize your fellow travel bloggers, and get to know them a bit better by asking them questions that they are expected to answer as they, in turn, write a post about the award.

Technically the Liebster award is supposed to be given to new blogs, with very small following, and I have first received the Liebster nomination from BEATRAVELING way back in October 2014, when I was just a new kid on the block. (You can read about that in “Liebster Awards, or as I’ve been calling it #blogspotlight.“)

liebster award
Liebster award button

The Sisterhood of the World Bloggers on another hand is supposed to showcase female bloggers, because, as Kate of Adventurous Kate pointed out during her keynote at WITS15 (Women in Travel Summit held in 2015), female bloggers deserve more attention than they are given by the media.

(I don’t think there’s a video recording of that speech but you can at least look at the slides of Kate’s presentation “Gender Inequality in the Travel Blogging Industry.”)

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers button

Continue reading Recognizing Fellow Travel Bloggers – Liebster and the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Awards →

Attractions, Museums, Social Media, Twitter

Make time on September 16, 2015 for #AskACurator Day

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Those of you who have been following museums on Twitter for a while might remember that September 17, 2014 was a #AskACurator Day, organized by @MarDixon.

As @MarDixon’s site says

What is Ask a Curator? It’s a way to talk to curators and people who work in cultural venues you normally don’t have access to.

Basically, the curators from all around the world get on Twitter and answer people’s questions, and if you follow the hashtag #AskACurator you’ll see the full feed of all the questions and answers.

The 2015 #AskACurator day, by the way, will be held pretty soon – on September 16 – so put that date on your calendar if you love museums!

 

Continue reading Make time on September 16, 2015 for #AskACurator Day →

Blogging, Social Media, Twitter

Get Chatty! Tips on getting the most out of Twitter chats

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Are you on Twitter, but not sure whom to follow, and how to get anyone to follow you back?

Get chatty!

One of the best ways to meet fellow travelers on Twitter are Twitter chats.

I admit, I’m a social media junkie, and I love Twitter chats.

If you take time to read the discussion during or after the chat, you’ll notice that some people post answer similar to what you said = they are probably a lot like you.

I tend to follow those folks, and sometimes they follow me back.

In fact, after every chat I participate in, I get new followers. Sometimes there’s just one or two, sometimes there are more.

But it’s not about numbers, it’s about growing your community of fellow travelers, who think and feel like you. That’s the most important part.

How do you find a Twitter chat?

Continue reading Get Chatty! Tips on getting the most out of Twitter chats →

Blogging, Social Media, Twitter

Tweeting for #MRpoints: A Few Comments on Marriott’s Plus Points marketing campaign

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Note: This post was written to satisfy an assignment for the “Social Media and Analytics” class I’m taking, taught by Leila Samii (@reallyleila), but I hope you’ll find it interesting nevertheless.

Last May (2014) the Marriott hotels chain started a promotion allowing social media users to earn Marriott Rewards points through a “Plus Points” program for:

  • following Marriott accounts on Twitter and Instagram,
  • retweeting Marriott’s content,
  • checking-in at Marriott on Facebook,
  • or posting on Twitter or Instagram content with hasthags #MRpoints and #LoveMarriottRewards.
Official Marriott Rewards Plus Points logo
Official Marriott Rewards Plus Points logo

Continue reading Tweeting for #MRpoints: A Few Comments on Marriott’s Plus Points marketing campaign →