City trip to London: why I'm planning my next trip with TikTok
23/3/2024
Translation: machine translated
Instead of using a traditional travel guide, I'm planning my next trip to London with TikTok. It's surprisingly easy - and has a few advantages.
A city trip to London is planned for the spring. Tower of London, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace - I've seen it all. So I'm ready for new discoveries.
Buy a travel guide? Google it? Ask friends? My daughter gives me a new idea. As soon as she hears about the travel plans, she says: "I really want to make a mirror there, just like Jessie Bluegray." How, what, where? The explanation: one of her favourite influencers, the aforementioned Jessie Bluegray, shows a TikTok video showing how she decorates a mirror with stones and figures in the Potato Art Studio in London. Do-it-yourself arts and crafts, so to speak.
Ok, so that's one item on the programme. But why not check social media to see what travel tips other people have? Just five minutes later, I'm deeply immersed in the hashtag "London". And after half an hour, it's clear: I'm planning my next trip with TikTok.
The favourite guide is quickly found
On the platform, I not only find influencers from Germany like Jessie who give travel tips, but also the official website of the city itself. And then there are also many locals who pass on tips and tricks. Some have obviously also made a business out of it.
For example, a young woman called Olga, who calmly presents topics such as "14 free places you need to visit in London", "Harry Potter Walking Tour" or "Best places to have lunch, brunch and dinner". This is great for travel planning because there is no influencer staging, just short videos with the name of the location.
Source: Screenshot volga_londonstories
This is also the biggest advantage of TikTok as a travel guide: I don't just read a short text or see a photo, I get a few impressions in moving pictures right away. If something looks interesting, I write down the location and google details.
You can't avoid using your smartphone in London anyway. The hottest trend in the metropolis: everything has to be booked in advance with a timeslot. Not just museums and sights, but also galleries, restaurants and event catering. If you don't do this, you will have to queue for a long time or, in the worst case, not get in at all.
Good tips yes, insider tips no
Of course, I can't hope for real insider tips. After all, the clips have hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions of views. It was no different with travel guides like "Lonely Planet". But based on the videos, I decide, for example, that I'd rather visit Southwark Cathedral as an alternative to Saint Paul's Cathedral (£60 entry for three!) without the crowds and for free.
Social media travel guides react quickly to trends, which is an advantage for event catering and pop-up restaurants, for example. You can also find seasonal tips, such as Christmas lights and light installations in winter.
I also feel a bit like an explorer when I visit the bakery Buns from Home, the 1920s underground bar restaurant Cahoots or the Mercato Mayfair in a former church on my list. Would I have found these tips in a classic travel guide? Probably not.
Source: Mercato Mayfair
I have to organise the video mess myself
The biggest problem with TikTok: The tips are often disorganised and jumbled. So I still have to put a lot of work into it, write down the names of the locations and organise my selection by neighbourhood. In the end, I've put together my own little travel guide. For me, this is also part of the anticipation of the holidays.
Of course, I have to be aware that many of the pictures on TikTok show an embellished version. Event, restaurant or nightlife tips are also sometimes sponsored - and this is by no means always declared.
Travel tips on social media are particularly interesting for large cities and tourist metropolises. As a test, I watched videos on TikTok for Milan and Lombardy. There's nothing more to see here than ever new compilations of the 20 most popular sights, which you can also find in traditional travel guides. At least there are moving images instead of short texts. If you don't have TikTok, you can also find many videos on Instagram or YouTube Shorts.
TikTok as a supplement to the book
For me, social media will be an integral part of travel planning in the future. Not only can I find tips off the beaten track quickly and easily, but it also gets me looking forward to my next holiday.
By the way, classic travel guides are definitely recommended - especially if you are travelling to a place for the first time and want to see the most important highlights.
How do you plan your trips? What are your experiences with travel tips from social media? And do you have a real insider tip for London? Write it in the comments!
Header image: Lorenz Keller
Lorenz Keller
Senior Editor
lorenz.keller@digitecgalaxus.chGadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.