Want to find the perfect place to stay on your next trip? Try this useful TikTok hack recommended by a travel expert!
TikTok user Jessica Tsoi created a viral video sharing her unique strategy for planning your next trip.
The popular video platform has had a large impact on the travel industry. Users share videos on travel hacks for everything, from saving money on airline fees to the best way to choose a destination for your next trip.
TikTok has also helped certain destinations skyrocket in popularity after being showcased on the app. It’s a great resource for travel planning and finding inspiration for your next trip.
And in the case of Tsoi’s video, it will help you find the perfect place to stay on your trip.
What’s The Viral TikTok Hack?
Normally, travelers decide on a destination, book a hotel or Airbnb, and then start planning an itinerary of attractions, sights, and restaurants.
However, the problem with this is that the accommodation they booked may not actually be close to any of the things they want to do. Just because a hotel is top-rated or claims to be in a good location, it doesn’t actually mean it’s close to most of the traveler’s interests.
In her video, Tsoi recommends reverse-engineering your trip instead.
“It has come to my attention that not everyone plans a trip this way. And ever since I started doing this, I can’t look back,” says Tsoi, a frequent traveler who shares travel vlogs on her TikTok account.
Rather than booking a place to stay first, Tsoi suggests using Google My Maps to build out your itinerary first.
@jessicawantsanap The best (practical) way to plan a trip! #planningatrip #tripplanning #travel #traveltiktok #travelplanner #travelplanning #hotels #airbnb #googlemaps #googlemymaps #maps #wheretostay #travellife #realistic #realtalk #practical #practicalplanner #20s #twenties #mid20s #midtwenties #sf #bayarea #tips #advice #advicetiktok ♬ I Ain’t Worried – OneRepublic
This free tool from Google allows you to create your own custom map and drop a pin on locations you want to visit.
Tsoi even suggests going a step further by grouping your pins together and color-coding them based on attractions you want to visit, restaurants you want to try, and transportation options you will use.
Once you’ve done this, you can save your custom map and narrow down the best location to stay based on where the most pins are clustered on your map.
Tsoi also recommends doing a Google search for the best areas to stay in the destination you’re visiting and comparing that to your own map.
Then you can go to a hotel booking engine like Expedia or Hotels.com and zoom in to a particular area, filtering your search results to only show hotels within that zone.
You will see all the hotels available for your target area on your specific dates, and you can further filter by star rating, review score, price, amenities, and more.
What’s The Benefit Of Following This Trick?
Planning your trip this way has several benefits.
First, it allows you to find a place to stay in an area that’s actually close to the things you want to do so you can avoid having to pay for taxis, take a long public transportation journey, or walk for miles just to reach the places you want to go every day.
It also helps you avoid overpaying for a hotel that claims to be in a great location but may not actually be centrally located. It also lets you avoid booking a hotel just based on brand name and not your actual convenience.
Plotting out your itinerary using Google Maps also helps you familiarize yourself with your destination before you go, making things easier and faster once you arrive.
By following this easy TikTok travel hack, you can make planning your next trip a breeze and find the perfect place to stay based on your own custom itinerary.