You want to know my best kept secret for finding the hidden gems when I travel?
Forget trawling through Google, scrolling through blogs (with the exception of this one!), or asking everyone you sit near whether they know what to pack for Bangkok in July.
I’m going to share one of my best secrets, which I’m not even sure if other travel bloggers are across, but this easy peasy tip will ensure you get up to date information from locals before you go.
If you’re wanting to know answers to questions like…
> What do I wear in Nashville?
> Where’s the best bar with a view in Paris without spending a fortune?
> Is the Staten Island Ferry worth taking?
> How much should I tip in Ireland?
> Where shall I celebrate my birthday in New York?
> Where’s the best market in London?
> How bad are the mosquitos in Rarotonga??
> Where is the best place to stay on the Amalfi Coast?
> Where’s the best day spa in Bangkok?
A little trick I do, particularly when I’m planning a tour, even to places I’ve been before, is join location Facebook pages or groups.
I go to Facebook and see if the city or destination has any pages or groups, which are usually run by locals, and join them. You may need to answer some questions promising you won’t spam everyone, and then they’ll approve you.
I only join the large groups, because my aim is just to browse through the questions that people have already asked, like “where is the best live music venue in Chicago”, and the big pages (with several thousand members) have tons of people responding.
Sometimes I ask my own questions, after first using the search feature to see if it’s been asked before.
Tip: if your question is declined, you can click on the reason why, and it’s usually because it’s been asked loads of times before.
To use the Facebook Page search feature, go to the page of the place you’re visiting, then you go to the little magnifying glass symbol and type in your question, or even just a keyword like “fine dining”.
In fact, just sneakily, I also use lots of these pages to update my blog content as I can’t be on top of every new thing!
You do need a Facebook account, but you don’t need to upload a photo of yourself or even ask a question as most likely everything you can think of will have been asked.
If there’s nothing there in your search, or the answers are old, of course, ask away. You’ll have answers within hours, and can then go back and thank them, or ask a little more.
Boom!
For more of my handy travel tips, jump to my Travel Tips category and scroll on through. I have my Wise Card review, essentials I take in my carry-on, sneaky ways to create a comprehensive travel itinerary without spending days on it – and loads more!
And I also have a few Facebook pages you’re welcome to join:
My main one, Facebook/BloggeratLarge, is where I add my blog posts so you might find content there that interests you. It has over 12,000 members, and people are very engaged with commenting, so I’d love to hear your thoughts too.
Then I have my Facebook/BloggeratLargeTours page with around 1,200 members who are interested in traveling with me. These guys hear about my upcoming tours first, and have input on where I plan next ones too.
I also run Facebook/BloggeratlargeTravelTips which has 1,200 people. This is where you can ask your questions and myself, or others who know the answer, can jump in and reply. I always do my best to find an answer for you in this group, or maybe suggest where you could go to find it.
And finally, because I have so much US content, and because I’ve been visiting the States since I lived there in 1985, I started Facebook/USATravelTips, which is still small, but feel free to ask any US-specific questions there.
For New Zealand travel, my friends Sarah and Nathan Chant run Facebook/NZTravelTips with over 140,000 members. This is very active page and if you’re a NZer, you might be able to help answer some queries of people planning to visit here.