Instagram is everywhere. It’s built businesses, made dreams come true and it’s solely responsible for the selfie-boom of recent years – but has it changed the way we travel? We think so…
Instant inspo
Picture the scene. You’re sat in the office at 11am on a Monday morning, scrolling through your news feed and dreaming about being anywhere but work. It’s prime time for a travel inspo image to pop up and encourage you to ‘visit Bali’… and it works! You’re only a few clicks away from being able to find where that dreamy hotel is, and booking it. Hotels and tourism boards the world over have reported unimaginable growths in business after paying influencers to advertise their stay.
Far and wide
Thanks to Instagram, people are now travelling further than ever before and to lesser known destinations. Remember the swimming pigs? They’re now one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Bahamas thanks to celebs and influencers on Insta. Social media has the power to make the world seem smaller and therefore, people are willing to travel to far-off lands and take that dream selfie!
Travelling is expensive – isn’t it?
So, you normally need a large bank balance to travel the world. Or, like most of us, you’ll need to work as you travel (or TEFL, even). Or will you?! Some of the top travel accounts on Insta are owned by solo travellers / couples who now get paid to travel (we know, it’s not fair). All they have to do is post photos regularly and normally they’ll have a blog on WordPress alongside Insta. If you’ve got the followers, you’ve got the means to travel for free – so, what are you waiting for?!
Be your own travel agent
Back in the day, you would get all your friends together and nip down to the local travel agents to book your package holiday. In this day and age, fewer and fewer people are using the middle-man to help them book their next idyllic getaway because it’s just too easy to DIY. Instagram can be the fundamental travel agent where you choose your destination based on image promos and then book through sites like Airbnb, Trivago, etc. We are strong, independent travellers!
