Collect Facebook contacts so you can stay with friends of friends
99.9% of people travelling these days have a Facebook account. Its a staggering domination of the world's online connection which frightens the other .1 %. For them, they should get an account in with a fake name, as is the vogue with the privacy aware.Once you learn to use Facebook as a traveller, the opportunities are endless.
Who to friend with
Trolling hostels and tour buses for new Facebook friends is not necessarily the best method, but instead track down the people in your group that are the most well travelled and make friends with them.
Not only will you be impressed with their travel tales and dreadlocks, but a real connection the Facebook "friending" with them can be invaluable.
In the future you can now drop a casual message on your connection that will now go something like.
"Hey Adrian, I am going to Alice Springs next week and I expect that might have a friend there I can ask some questions of?
PS: What country are you in now?"
The response you get when Adrian gets down off the Elephant and back to Wifi range will include some great contacts and a photo of him on an elephant.
Travel related groups
Elsewhere in this guide, specific online communities are named for the information they hold about travelling, staying and working. For each of these topics (or any other) you will no doubt find a group on Facebook that you can join and discuss possibilities with. There are groups named for
Share houses - "Shared flats, rooms, sublet, accommodation Brisbane"
Cheap camping - "Free Camping Australia"
Ride Share - "Australia RideShare"
Post requests for accommodation on your timeline
Once you have established a network of traveling friends, you will simply be able to post something on your Facebook timeline and have friends respond with help at a destination. It will become very common for you to find out that friends, or friends of friends are staying at your destination of choice and will to have you over for a night or two or help in some other way.
