I recently planned the trip that led to this photo using one social media platform. And SURPRISE, it was Pinterest, it was Instagram. Sounds weird right? Instagram is where you usually turn to share your memories and experiences, not to plan anything. Well read on, because these tips for planning your next perfect trip with Instagram may just change your perspective.
Get Inspired
Check out the travel section of your Instagram Explore page for inspiration. There are so many places in our world to explore, and there is no reason to limit your next trip to only the places that you’ve heard of. Add to your bucket list by checking out the Explore page before settling on your next travel destination. I saw a photo of Grutas Tolantongo (pictured above) on my Explore page, and it inspired our recent trip to Mexico.
Curate your Ideas
Save your Favorite Photos: Utilize Instagram’s “save” feature to flag the photos that inspire you so that you can come back to them later.
- To do this, just tap the little flag in the bottom right corner below the photo, and you can come back to it anytime.
Group Photos into Collections: Up your organization game by separating your saved photos into collections.
- Have a few trips coming up? Save images into different collections by location.
- Come back to your collections for inspiration anytime from your profile page by tapping the three little lines in the top right hand corner.
Learn More about Destinations
Instagram’s helpful and travel-applicable features extend beyond just inspiration. Once you’ve decided on a destination, there is much more research that can be done on the platform, and it all starts with Instagram’s the search bar:
Search by Location: More people are geotagging their images on Instagram than ever before, which makes using the platform for travel even more effective.
- Simply type your travel destination into the search bar, select places from the search options, and a gallery of images of fun things to do will appear at your fingertips.
- You can also use this feature to connect with locals. See a photo of some awesome street art geotagged “Washington, DC” but have no idea where to find said murals? Leave a comment on the post. More often than not the person who posted the photo will be more than happy to give you the info.
Follow Hashtags: In the weeks before your trip upcoming, following some key hashtags is both super helpful for planning purposes and a very light lift for you timewise.
- All you have to do is search for relevant hashtags and click follow. Instagram’s will algorithm will incorporate relevant images with that hashtag on your feed.
- I usually follow hashtags associated with the destination’s tourism board for the best content.
Have other Insta-travel planning tips? Let me know in a comment!
