How Can You Find Cheap Summer Vacations Using Social Media?

With summer break here for many students and families, people are gearing up to go on vacation. The current economic situation in the U.S. has many people looking for creative ways to have a fun vacation without spending a lot of money.

Finding good deals on vacation travel and spots is easier than ever if you use a combination of social media tools and other online help. It pays to know which sites to check out and use for your next trip to save money on flights, car rentals, attractions, and hotels.

Planning Your Vacation with Help from the Net

Planning vacation usually starts off with deciding where to visit. Asking friends and family about areas they visited can be a great resource. If you decide to try something different than where your circle has visited, then casting a wide net can prove to be beneficial.

TripAdvisor has some wonderful information on different destinations. Members of the community leave feedback on hotels, airlines, and restaurants. They also have a feature where you can locate friends on Facebook who can offer personal information about your possible destination.

Lonely Planet has a ton of information on traveling, not just around the country, but the world. If you’re on Facebook, check out their Page; it can guide you to the perfect spot for your next vacation. For those who like to travel internationally, Lonely Planet has some great language guidebooks too.

Google Buzz is another handy tool you can use on the go that can help you plan and get some feedback on your upcoming trip. While you’re checking up on email, you may also want to hop online and check out WikiTravel to get a free travel guide.

Enhancing your Vacation with Social Media

How would you like to find the best deals on parking, dining, and shopping while you’re on vacation? USA Today has a great feature along with Gowalla that allows you to access this content for many U.S. cities. GoWalla, location-based social networking app, also has some user-made tours that you can follow across the country or in a city.

You can also use Twitter as a way to gather and organize some activities for wherever you may decide to go. Check with locals to see if there are any great hole-i- the-wall restaurants you should definitely try. You can also do a Twitter search with your location to see what’s going around town. You may find a free downtown concert or some other interesting events that may catch your attention.

Is part of your vacation a tax write-off? It could be. Use a free mobile application like Evernote to keep track of receipts on the run so you’ll have them to cash in on at tax time.

Your Thoughts on Cheap Vacations

How do you find great deals on vacations? Do you use social media when planning? If so, how? Leave us a comment!