Discover Twitter travel chats - here are the best!

Do you want to connect with other travellers? Do you have a Twitter account but feel you might not be making the best use of it? One of the best things about Twitter, in my opinion, is the ease with which a group of people can get together to discuss topics and share information. This is how the Twitter travel chats work.

Twitter’s travel community

As the saying goes, it is the people that make the place. For all but dedicated egomaniacs, simply tweeting about yourself won’t feel fulfilling. Joining a community on Twitter however, is both fun and informative. As a travel blogger, I’m an active member of Twitter’s travel community, which is a lively and supportive one that makes excellent use of this global communication platform.

If you are looking for destination inspiration, or preparing for your next trip, several Twitter travel chats take place regularly that might help you. They usually follow a different theme each week, about which a few questions are asked to get the conversation going. If you are researching a destination or seeking general advice there are also less structured hashtags, usually operating for longer, such as the all day tags, where random enquiries can be made. Twitter travel chats also provide participants with an opportunity to help others by sharing experiences, providing advice and answering questions.

Of course, you don’t need a reason to join the chats. It’s great fun simply to hang out and chat about travel with fellow travellers. As with anything that is open to all, there will be participants you warm to and others you couldn’t bear to travel with. There will be show-offs, party animals, backpackers, solo travellers, armchair travellers, foodies and culture vultures; this is all part of the fun. My advice? Keep it friendly, don’t be oversensitive (remember, English is unlikely to be everyone’s first language in such an international situation) and be kind. 

Twitter travel chats list

These are some of the weekly Twitter travel chats. Times are given in EST (New York) / GMT (London) / AEDT (Sydney). The GMT time will remain constant but daylight savings will alter the times during the northern hemisphere’s summer. Also, bear in mind the Australian times are often listed under the previous day due to the enormous time difference!

Mondays 
#MexMonday – all day (travel photos)
#GirlsTravel – 13:00 EST / 18:00 GMT / 05:00 AEDT Tues (women’s travel)
#TravelPics – 15:00 EST / 20:00 GMT / 07:00 AEDT Tues (travel photos)

Tuesdays
#TravelTuesday – all day (questions and answers, photos, experiences shared)
#CruiseChat – 14:00 EST / 19:00 GMT / 06:00 AEDT Weds (cruising)
#NUTS – 17:30 EST / 20:30 GMT / 07:30 AEDT Weds (food, travel and adventure) Name stands for “Not so usual therapy session’
#TTOT – 04:30 and 16:30 EST / 09:30 and 21:30 GMT / 20:30 and 08:30 Weds (different travel related theme each week)
#RGchat - 05:30 EST / 10:30 GMT / 21:30 AEDT (travel chat around a theme)

#CampChat – 21:00 EST / 02:00 GMT / 12:00 AEDT (camping)

Wednesdays
#LPChat – 11:00 EST / 16:00 GMT / 03:00 AEDT Thurs (family travel)
#ExpediaChat – 14:00 EST / 19:00 GMT / 06:00 AEDT Thurs (travel chat and competitions)
#Travelwithpurpose – 15:30 EST / 20:30 GMT / 07:30 AEDT Thurs (volunteering)

Thursdays
#FoodTravelChat – 20:00 EST / 01:00 GMT / 12:00 AEDT (travellers discuss exotic foods)
#Tourismchat – 15:00 EST / 20:00 GMT / 07:00 AEDT Fri (currently bi weekly and discusses travel blogging)
#LuxTravelChat – 12.30 EST / 17:30 GMT / 04:30 AEDT Fri (honeymoons and luxury travel)
#OneTravelChat – 14:00 EST / 19:00 GMT / 06:00 AEDT Fri (various travel related topics and competitions)
#TNI – 17:30 EST / 20:30 GMT / 07:30 AEDT Fri (various travel related topics) Name stands for “Travellers’ night in”

Fridays
#FriFotos – all day (travel photos)

Sundays
#SBTC – 12:00 EST / 17:00 GMT / 04:00 AEDT Mon (various travel related topics)  Name stands for “Sunday brunch travel chat”

How do I join a Twitter chat?

To join a Twitter chat, simply login to your Twitter account at the relevant time and enter the title of the chat you wish to join (including the hashtag). Your feed will then include all the tweets including that hashtag. Select ‘All’ rather than ‘Top’ above the feed to see them appear in chronological order, with the most recent at the top. Make sure any tweets you share during the chat include the hashtag and title (eg #travel) so that other participants can see them. If it is a fast-moving chat I suggest opening a second window for your mentions, so you don’t miss any!

New Twitter chats emerge all the time. If you have a favourite Twitter travel chat that is not included on this list, please let me know so that I can include it.

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