FIRST there was the printed word — newspapers, magazines, books. Then radio, then television. Of course, we all know about the Internet, with it’s fancy Web sites, blogs, podcasts, videos. Every new advance has helped us travel better. What now, then? These days, we get our information in tiny, 140-character bursts of text, or tweets.
Don’t roll your eyes like an old person. Twitter isn’t just teenage girls and empty-headed, feelings-sharing celebs; it’s also the latest-slash-greatest advance in how travel information gets dished out. It’s interactive, you can connect quickly with reporters, with industry types, with the hotels you love to love and the airlines you love to hate. Sign up today — it’s free, you know — and start off by following these ten feeds.
@airfarewatchdog With more than 11,000 followers, the feed for one of the best low fare websites out there stays busy trying to answer reader questions (amid, of course, a flurry of sales and deals.)
@LonelyPlanet The globetrotting-est guidebook publisher serves as an informal sort of aggregator of some of the most curious travel tweets out there, from links to a “Thoughts on Cambodia” blog post to an account from a border crossing into Guatemala.
@HHarteveldt “H” as in Henry Harteveldt, one of the top industry experts, and also the man behind one of the better personal feeds in the Travel category. You’ll see him quoted regularly in major publications saying Serious Things about travel; only here will you get to hear him bitch about how fast food beats the last meal he had at a certain trendy San Francisco restaurant.
@Gadling One of the most savvy travel blogs also maintains a smart little feed, offering more than just reposts.
@CruiseCritic Ask questions of the folks behind the popular website of the same name; keep up to date on the latest with new ships, weather patterns and everything else cruisers love to talk about.
@JetBlueCheeps Every Tuesday, the team at JetBlue sends out ridiculously low (and usually ridiculously hard to score) fares for the coming weekend. For fast-fingered and flexible travelers, this is a fun one.
@PerrinPost Wendy Perrin is one of the most knowledgeable folks on the masthead over at Conde Nast Traveler magazine; she keeps this busy, insider-y feed.
@VisitOrlando The idea of a “Twisitors Center” (get it) has been around for a while, we’re digging the effort from one of nearly every New Yorker’s favorite destinations.
@Heather_Poole A sassy flight attendant tweeting from 35,000 feet; what’s not to like?
@TodayInTheSky USA Today air travel guru Ben Mutzabaugh is at the helm of one of the paper’s best (and most visited) blogs. This is where that blog lives on Twitter.
Follow Post Travel Editor David Landsel’s new Twitter feed (@DavidLandsel) for reports from the road, travel snaps, tips, deals and more.