The Hostel Girl Guide to Travel Twitter Chats (Infographic)

I know what you’re thinking… how fun can an organised tweeting session be?

The answer: Really damn fun.

Imagine if you could cram a bunch of people (sometimes even hundreds!) who share your passion for travel in to a room with you to share ideas, inspiration, tips, and support. Well that’s essentially what travel twitter chats do… just online with a bunch of strangers flinging around hashtags.

It’s cooler than it sounds guys…

Below I have listed the times and hashtags for the main travel twitter chats out there – although if you know of more great ones feel free to let me know in the comments!

I’ve also put together a Travel Twitter Chat Guide to help you get the most out of each chat you take part in.

So follow the guide, find a chat you like, and if you follow me on twitter @the_hostelgirl (shameless aren’t I) maybe we’ll bump in to each other amongst all the hashtag flinging.

Travel Twitter Chat Schedule

If you’re reading this from Australia – click here to view twitter chat times for Melbourne!

Travel Twitter Chat Guide

What is a travel twitter chat?

In a twitter chat, the owner (or moderators) will set a predetermined time for twitter users to join a conversation.

To follow a conversation at any given time, you just enter the hashtag in to the search bar of twitter to see any tweets from users taking part. You can then reply, retweet, or ask questions.

Most twitter chats follow a theme per week (or per month depending on when they take place) and the owner or moderators of the chat often set questions for users to answer. A great example of this can be seen on the #TTOT Facebook page.

Why should you join a travel twitter chat?

I mentioned they were fun right?

Essentially, twitter chats are a great way to gain more knowledge on a subject you are passionate about, and to meet others who are passionate about the same subject.

There is such a great feeling of community that surrounds the travel twitter chats. If you find a specific chat you really enjoy, you’re more likely to end up in conversation with the same people with whom you share interests on a weekly basis.

How do you keep up with a travel twitter chat?

Here’s the biggest tip of all: twitter chats move fast!

One of the easiest ways to keep up with a twitter chat is to open two browser tabs: one for your notifications and one for the hashtag stream.

However, platforms such as Hootsuite and TweetDeck are both great for viewing multiple streams at once. Other good platforms for participating in twitter chats include TWChat (who also have a fantastic twitter chat calendar), TweetChat, and Nurph.

Don’t forget the hashtag!

The key thing to remember in a twitter chat is that users taking part aren’t following you, they’re following the stream of tweets that include the appropriate hashtag.

So make sure to include your hashtag in your answer to any of the chat questions, or any questions you have yourself for the group, otherwise you may find yourself in a one-sided conversation.

For a great introduction to hashtags read: Hashing Out Hashtags: What They Are & How to Use Them

What do you think?

Are you ready to get jiggy with the travel twitter chat communities out there? No? Leave any questions you may have in the comments below or tweet me at @the_hostelgirl! And if you’re a travel twitter chat expert then we’d all welcome tips from your own experience…

Have fun peeps!

Lots of love,