What is #travchat?
Follow the hashtag #travchat on Twitter to meet with like-minded people. It is a place where…
...travellers come to talk, to share and to stay a while.
We meet every Wednesday at 10:30am London time; officially for an hour but many hang around longer than that. You can read more about it here.
The topic for Wednesday, February 12, 2020 was Travel Tips. You can follow any of the topics by going to Twitter and following the hashtag #travchat. However, I have summarised some of the tips for planning your trip and getting the best deals in this post.
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Which apps or websites?
A1 We recommend @VamoosTravelApp to our tailormade clients as it offers real time flight updates and many other handy itinerary features #travchat pic.twitter.com/Kc9GhIDEx8
— Aardvark Safaris (@aardvarksafaris) February 12, 2020
A1 I know it's a bit obvious, but I'd have to say Google is the first place I go when planning trips. #travchat
— Travelitic (@travelitic) February 12, 2020
Yes, we've definitely seen a decline in quality with Skyscanner since they had the changeover. They still seem pretty good for flights, but we prefer using https://t.co/7WlVHgOtxl or another hotel-specific website for accommodation#Travchat
— TanSuo Cultural Travel (@TanSuoTravel) February 12, 2020
The website www.thetouristtrail.org was mentioned. I have since visited the site. It looks like a great site to plan and organise trips around the UK. I have already decided to ‘test drive’ it to plan my Dorset trip later this year.
A1: May we *humbly* suggest https://t.co/csidyEGkYC? 🤭🗺️#travchat #UKtravel #planning pic.twitter.com/ixQTsds64e
— The Tourist Trail (@TheTouristTrail) February 12, 2020
Getting the best deal
Most travellers want the best deal possible. The Internet is awash with blog posts and social media posts claiming to give the best tips. The tweets below give a flavour of how the conversation went on #travchat.
A2 We suppose it goes without saying, but the best way is to book in as far advance as possible and shop around as much as possible. That being said, you can get some great last-minute deals, so the early bird doesn't always get the best price#Travchat
— TanSuo Cultural Travel (@TanSuoTravel) February 12, 2020
A2: Play around with dates, look for flights to hubs rather than your destination as local flights tend be way cheaper when bought separately. London-Bogota and Bogota-Cartagena for example is waaaaay cheaper than London-Cartagena. Longer stopovers = time to explore? #travchat
— Travel Lexx (@travelexx) February 12, 2020
A2 There are so many options for finding good travel deals out there. We like to check Kiwi and Rome2Rio for route options and affordable pricing. #travchat
— Travelitic (@travelitic) February 12, 2020
A2: If you're travelling the UK, checking rail fares early and getting advance tickets can save you up to nearly half the standard cost. 🎟️ #travchat pic.twitter.com/G9w4hGXoVa
— The Tourist Trail (@TheTouristTrail) February 12, 2020
also if you fly in Asia it is also cheaper to book there, sometimes even better at the airport. #travchat
— A Travel Companion (@aTravelCompanio) February 12, 2020
A2. Use a VPN / Opera browser when searching.
— A Travel Companion (@aTravelCompanio) February 12, 2020
Otherwise the next time you check it is more expensive.
Then when ready to book, use your go to browser to do so. #travchat pic #Ibiza pic.twitter.com/Ky4ywuDvrH
In a follow up to the above tweet yours truly made a suggestion.
Also, once you have found what you are looking for book through an affiliate link on your favourite blogger’s website. You won’t pay any extra but they get a small (very small) fee when you book. It helps support them. I always do it that way if I can. #travchat https://t.co/wscktSlG2v
— Gordon Lethbridge (@lethers) February 12, 2020
You would be more than welcome to join in the Twitter chat at 10:30am UK time, every Wednesday. We cover a wide range of topics from destinations to travel issues.
There was a lot of discussion on finding the best local food when travelling and ensuring it was safe to eat. Those tips however, will have to wait for a further post… coming up soon.
