Tipster

I love photography, and I love technology. And I especially love when the two spheres intersect. I think it's fascinating to watch developers and start-ups create engaging apps for our tablets and smartphones that help us document and share meaningful moments in our lives.

Travel is the source of some of our most meaningful moments, and naturally, we want to share those experiences with the people we love. (OK, and we kind of want to impress our friends with our great photography skills.) With these three apps, you can infuse your own personality into your travel photos and help others see these beautiful places through your eyes.

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Tags: travel, photography, apps, iPhone, iOS, Android, A Beautiful Mess, Sphere, Steller, storytelling, visual, travel agents, best apps for travel, best apps for photography, photos, Instagram

We all know social media is important to marketing strategy, but sometimes it feels like a guessing game: We often have no idea how many people will see our posts or whether we'll even get a return on our time investment.

Thankfully, most social media networks give us tools to take some of the guesswork out of our online strategy. (Hooray!) Over the coming weeks, I'll be sharing an intro to the analytics behind the top social media networks so that you can determine what works best for you and your audience. Your time is valuable, so making the most of these tools will help you spend your time more efficiently and see more results from your efforts. More...

Tags: Facebook, analytics, travel, travel agent, Facebook for travel agents, Facebook tips, how to get more followers on Facebook, how to increase engagement on Facebook

This week, Pinterest rolled out a brand-new feature that has delighted both consumers and businesses: Place Pins. Place pins allow you to make any Pinterest board an interactive map, so you can now see at a glance where in the world your pins point to.

This is huge news for the travel industry. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Pinterest presents a HUGE opportunity for travel agents to connect with clients while their minds are actively on travel. Did you know that travel is one of the top three interest categories on Pinterest, and that there are more than 660 million pins relating to travel? 

Now that mapping has been enabled with Place Pins, there are even more ways to take advantage of Pinterest to connect with your current and prospective clients. Here are five simple ways to utilize Place Pins for your travel business. More...

Tags: travel, Pinterest, Place Pins, ideas for using Place Pins, Place Pins for travel, Pinterest for travel agents, planning trips on Pinterest, social media, how-to

Twitter is one of those social networking platforms you either love or hate: Many people enjoy the ability to post quick updates here and there, but some struggle to condense a meaningful idea or statement into 140 characters or fewer. Like any other platform, though, it gets easier with practice, and Twitter chats are a great way to dive in and hone your Tweeting skills. These chats can be fast-paced, but we find that there are many benefits to chiming in on these conversations. More...

Tags: Twitter, social network, social media, networking, Twitter chats, Tweet chats

Travel blogging is a natural means of marketing and promotion for travel agents. You plan fantastic trips, visit spectacular places and experience unforgettable—often life-changing—events: Blogging is a great way to share your expertise with clients and relate to them on a more personal level. For a few reasons why blogging can benefit your travel business, see this post.

I gleaned some valuable blogging know-how at this year's TBEX in Toronto. Here are a few tips that I took away from the conference that can save you time and increase your readership on your blog.More...

Tags: TBEX, Blogging, travel agents, travel industry, travel blog, travel bloggers, blog tips, business tips

The Fairmont Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, Ontario, is the Canadian capital's grande dame. A perfect picture of a historical property that stands the test of time, its Scottish baronial architecture is exquisite, and its history is rich and vibrant. I was pleasantly surprised when I visited this property to see that this stately hotel is adapting quickly to new technology, offering interactive mobile features for hotel guests and nonguests alike.

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Tags: hotels, technology, ipad, ipad app, hotel ipad app, fairmont chateau laurier, ottawa, toronto, ontario, gladstone hotel, hub concierge, toronto hotels, ottawa hotels, hoteliers