One of my best-kept secrets for planning memorable trips is using Instagram. That’s right, the social media platform full of mouth-watering foodie photos and fashion blogger outfits can be extremely useful for your next vacation. As a visual person, it’s so helpful to get a glimpse of a destination from the accounts of real people. Here is my step-by-step guide for using Instagram for trip planning!

Search By Location

My first tip on using Instagram for trip planning is to utilize the geotag feature. Heading to Barcelona? Search Barcelona, Spain in the Instagram search bar. Interested in a particular restaurant? Search that and check out the top posts. These are the posts that have garnered the most engagement and will most likely give you clues as to what spots are worth skipping and worth visiting.

Check Out the Official City or Tourism Board Account

Most cities have an official tourism board Instagram account where they share the most stunning photos from their community. A great indication of an official city account name is “visit” following by the city name. For example, take the @visitraleigh account. Not only does it show the best photogenic areas in Raleigh, but it also links to blogposts and webpage content with more information on these locations and experiences.

Search for Bloggers In Your Destination

Chances are there are dedicated bloggers in the area you’ll be visiting. And chances are, they have active Instagram accounts! Search Instagram for the city or area you’re visiting followed by “blogger,” and check out the profiles that appear in the top results. These accounts will be chock-full of food and activity suggestions for your upcoming trip.

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Save Photos to a Collection

When it comes to using Instagram for trip planning, the Collection feature has to be one of my favorites. As you scroll through various Instagrm accounts sourcing inspiration for your vacation, make sure you tap the bookmark icon on the right of the photo to save it to a Collection. At any given time, I have about 8+ collections with saved photo and video inspiration for future trips.

Search Destination Hashtags

Say it with me – hashtags, hashtags, hashtags. Hashtags are the one of the best ways to find vacation photos from visitors before you as well as locals who live in the area. From the city level down to the restaurant level, hashtags feature a mix of images from professional photographers next to less filtered photos from the general public. Check out the top posts for the photos with the best engagement and use those for inspiration for your own vacation posts.

Slide into DMs

When in doubt, ask! Instagram is all about being social and making new connections. Don’t be afraid to direct message an account to ask for recommendations. I’ve definitely messaged foodie accounts ahead of a trip for their favorite brunch spots. Most folks will be happy to help!

If you have any questions on using Instagram for trip planning, let me know! After all, scrolling and saving dream travel photos is one of my favorite pastimes. I hope this guide helps you plan your next getaway with ease!