Social networks and travel: the hard numbers

Man building his life with Facebook blocks. Photo: Urs Steiner / Flickr

Social networks have made a dramatic impact on travel. During my first backpacking trip in 2004, I relied on e-mail addresses to stay in touch with the new friends I was making.  I once met a girl in Paris. Later into my trip, I was shocked to run into her at my hostel in Edinburgh.  What a small world!

That kind of thing would not have happened today.  We'd have added each other as friends on Facebook, she would have put a status update on her profile saying she was in Edinburgh, and I'd have messaged her before my arrival.  Since people change e-mail addresses more often than their social networks, adding people is a safer way to stay in contact.  Work and school e-mails are notoriously temporary.

The travel startup Tripl created an infographic that appeared in TechCrunch: More Americans are on Facebook than have a passport.  A sad statistic, indeed.  The infographic says 50% of Americans connect with friends and family on Facebook, while only 37% hold a passport.  It continues on to say that 72% of travelers access social networks while on the road.  As someone who's waited in line at hostels while guests are checking their Facebook feeds, I was surprised the number wasn't even higher.

On the flip side, the statistics say that only 7% of travelers use mobile internet on the road.  I think that's due to the lack of universal standards in networks.  Your mobile phone in one country often won't work in another, because your telecom carrier handicaps your phone.  That and the absurdly high cost of roaming charges.  From interacting with backpackers, very few use mobile phones abroad unless they're living abroad.  I usually leave the phone at home and solely rely on public computers to reach my friends via the Internet.

In brighter news, it seems like about half of the users said Facebook photos inspired their trips, and also makes them visit friends who are living overseas.  I will say that a trip is much richer if you have someone to meet up with over there, who can show you around.

How do you use social networks when you travel? Are they more help or hindrance? Please share your thoughts in the comments.