The Savvy Traveler's Guide to Pinterest

Dara Continenza has been exploring the world and writing about it since 2010. Her writing has appeared on Hopper, SmarterTravel, USA Today, Money, U.S. News and World Report, Yahoo, Business Insider, TripAdvisor, Huffington Post, Boston.com, and others.

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Since Pinterest launched in 2010, the social media site has been a valuable tool for getting inspired and staying organized. Whether you’re designing an imaginary wedding (so many mason jars) or decorating a dream vacation home (chevron print everywhere!), the site and its app can accompany you on your flights of fancy. But Pinterest is also a well-designed tool for the tech-savvy traveler. Here are a few ways we at SmarterTravel use Pinterest.

Get Inspired

Pinterest, more than anything, is an inspirational tool, designed to help users devise a bucket list of sorts on each board. We follow a number of travel-focused pinners whose destination photos are stunning and motivating. We also like to follow tourism bureaus that pin specific attractions, hidden hot spots, and even accommodations options in that destination. Travel publications like Lonely Planet and travel-sale sites like Jetsetter also pin gorgeous photos and inspiring travel quotes. Explore some top pinners in Pinterest’s travel category; the more pinners you follow, the more inspiration you’ll get on your homepage.

Get Informed

Photos of Balinese bungalows may be Pinterest’s bread and butter, but the many infographics you’ll uncover are filled with nuggets of wisdom, helpful tips, and data about trends, prices, and stats. From which destinations offer the most bang for your buck to a comparison of travel prices between 1863 and today, you never know what fascinating factoids you’ll uncover. Because Pinterest works on mobile devices, including iPads, iPhones, and Androids, these graphics can even be valuable resources while you’re on the road. We’ve used the popular TSA Packing Tips & Guidelines infographic more than once! Follow our Travel Infographics board and start soaking up the knowledge.

Get Organized

The new “Place Pins” map functionality on Pinterest, which was rolled out in November of last year, allows users to pin specific photos to a nifty illustrated map. (See our board Inspirational Beaches to see the map in action and check out the screenshot at left.) This means that you can pin an entire itinerary, from museums to restaurants to national parks, for an upcoming vacation, complete with helpful photos. Or simply pin all the places you’ve been; it’s amazing to see how far across the planet you’ve ventured—and it’s fun to show off to your followers, of course.

Don’t have Pinterest yet? Check out our boards and follow us at Pinterest.com/SmarterTravel. You can sign up for your own account in the upper right-hand corner. Happy pinning!

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