12 Ways the Internet is Good for Travel

Is the internet ruining travel? A recent timesonline.co.uk article says it just might be.

Dea Birkett, a travel writer who hosts the travelling with kids forum said that she looks for ‘remote’ places without internet, “The internet has changed our geography of the world: Irish islands without it are ‘remote’, spots in Antarctica with it are not.”

Hunter Davies, a writer famous for his Beatles biography, says he “never uses the internet”, and comments that “people like to hear real stories and see pictures in the flesh when you return from trips.”

The article makes a strong case against using internet cafes excessively during travel and isolating yourself from interacting with the people around you. I agree that it can be taken too far, but I found it unnerving that they are against using the internet at all. I think it’s only fair that I point out the other side. Here are 12 Ways the Internet is Good for Travel:

1. Travel planning is a snap. Booking a flight online is so easy. Do I even need to mention the hotel reviewing systems that let you get feedback on a hotel before you book it? Seriously, what did we do before?

2. You can have best of both worlds. You can keep your job and travel at the same time. Working remote has become an option for more people working traditional 9-5 jobs. My husband won’t be quitting his job, he’ll be taking it with him as we travel. He has been working remotely for almost four years now, using Windows Instant Messenger to keep in touch, dialing into conference calls and uploading his work. His managers have remarked that those working remote as often more productive than their office bound counterparts. As this trend becomes more popular, it not only saves people from the daily commute, it opens up the world for exploration.

3. Learn before you go. Need some help with the local language? Curious about the history? Want to see what the weather is like in January? This information is not just convenient but often vital.

4. On the ground coverage. When the 2004 Tsunami hit Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, the internet was flooded with video, pictures and blog recountings of the disaster. Without the advent of the internet, this information would have never had been shared so widely or quickly. The coverage was so immediate and savagely humanizing, it triggered an avalanche of support and donations.

5. Real time updates to local information. By the time you get a guidebook to press, it is already over a year old. Online resources don’t have this built-in delay, and can often have more places listed than what you can find in a guidebook.

6. Snail mail isn’t better than email, it just takes longer. Some of the writers in the article talked about how great writing postcards can be—that is unless you spend an entire afternoon with a hand cramp, while you furiously write 20 postcards. Email? 5 minutes, cc’all and send. It’s less romantic, but if the quoted writers want us to spend as much time as possible interacting with locals, then this is a huge time saver.

7. Clever ways of making money outside the 9-5. The internet has opened up doors for people looking to follow Tim Ferris’ advice in the 4-hour Workweek. Tim’s approach involves a concept called passive income: starting business online, that doesn’t require your constant attention. Through creative outsourcing with online personal assistants from anywhere in the world, you could free yourself to travel, following your passions.

8. Everyone can travel. You don’t have to be an adventurer or a member of the leisure class to enjoy travel. The internet has opened locations up to the average vacationer who would never have considered taking a week long rafting trip in Mexico or a bicycle tour of Paris.

9. Blogging isn’t about the updates, it’s about the community. As much as I like reading an award winning travel story, I also enjoy reading those hastily written travel-blogs too. And you know the big difference? If I ask the award winning author and the travel blogger a question, guess who will answer first? (Yes, the blogger). Not only is the blogger more accessible for continued conversation, they are typically tapped into an entire network of likeminded travelers. I don’t want to be told about a place, I want to discuss it.

10. You want locals? I’ll give you your locals. Sites like virtualtourist.com, let you not only read about people’s vacation experiences, but also tap into the local community of natives and expats living in a place. Some of these profiles are invaluable resources for the local’s favorite spots and a great jumping off point if you want to experience a place like the people who live there.

11. Anything goes. The truth is that there is an entire world of stories that formal publications won’t print. It won’t sell enough magazines. The advertisers won’t like it. Online I’ve found beautiful stories that don’t have mass appeal. I’ve found funny articles that are so irreverent, they would be rubber stamp rejected by most editors.

12. If you’re going to reminisce for the good old days of travel, why not go all the way. I hear passage by steamship can be quiet relaxing. Oh wait, you can do this, on the Delta Queen… I found it online.

I think it’s a mistake to say that parts of Antarctica are not ‘remote’ because they have internet access. It’s a small world that is shrinking all the time, and part of our new reality is that there are few places in the world that haven’t been discovered or that you can’t read about online. I’d like to think there is a value in travel, even if you’re not living in the jungle with the natives. So yes, put down the cell phone, limit your online time and enjoy where you are. This goes for when you’re at home too. But the internet has opened many doors for reluctant travellers, myself included. I’m quite happy to share this with you, even though it won’t be printed on glossy magazine stock.

What you think?