By BEB Bookette Carmen Shirkey
I am currently planning my honeymoon (yay!) to Italy (double yay!). Usually, I have no trouble using my old standby travel sites – Fodors, Frommers, IgoUgo, etc. to get the inside scoop on the details of my destination. For some reason, however, this time around, I wasn’t getting the information I really needed.
What happened next is 
why I am an absolute nut about Twitter. All I did was respond to a post by @BootsNAll travel about the most romantic Italy locations for a honeymoon. (Our destination, Amalfi Coast, was on the list! Yay! Again.) Within a few minutes, @italylogue said I’d made a great choice. I asked her some of the questions I had, and she connected me to @ciaoamalfi. Another Tweeter, @IsabellesTravel saw that I was planning a day trip to Capri, and she had just returned from there, so BOOM! More information. In minutes, I had access to well-written posts that answered all of the questions I had. I had been unsuccessfully Google-ing those same questions for weeks.
These Twitter gals really put the “social” in social media. (As do my fellow Bookend Babes Bookettes – you should head to the BEB Bookettes tab to see all of our Twitter handles.)
The travel world is particularly active on Twitter, and for trip planning, there’s nothing like a little conversation to add details to your good research. Got a question about a cruise? Check out @PrincessCruises, @NCLFreestyle or other ship lines directly, or, just do a search for “cruise” on Twitter and see the myriad of options that appear.
Want to find out the skinny on what’s going down in Vegas this weekend? Almost every hotel has an individual Twitter account (like @CaesarsPalace) or, there are lots of Vegas locals that are happy to chat up their city.
Or, just do a Twitter search on “Girlfriend Getaways” and you’ll be presented more options than you ever imagined!
You can find me on Twitter, Tweeting about travel, books and more @CarmenShirkey
Congrats on your upcoming nuptials and honeymoon! Color me green with envy! Italy is on my must list. I also want to plan a girlfriend’s getaway soon. Thx for the tips.
Congrats on getting married, and on Italy. I wish I could get my DH to leave the US.
I agree with you about Twitter. I “met” the director and writer of the recent hit movie KILLERS, and the writer is chatting with our screenwriting group next month.
I’ve had dinner with a development director through twitter. And I have a director interested in my Rom Com. I never would have known who these people were, much less had access to them. I LOVE Twitter!
Oh, yeah, I also lined up our 2012 guest speaker for RWA’s Scipt Scene Mini Conference through Twitter.
Okay, don’t get me started.
Malena – thank you.
And you must keep Italy on your must list. 
I’ve done Rome, Florence & Venice, and Italy is one of the top trips I’ve taken. This time, I’ll see more of it!
Jamie – find a girl friend and let DH have some alone time with his recliner and TV while you traipse off to Italy! When I get time to finish my screenplay, I will be Twittering with YOU!
I agree – life would be a much smaller place without social medai! That’s awesome – thank you for the Twitter tips! Enjoy Italy!
Mari – Twitter really did change the world.
I met the lady who would become my agent on Twitter and I sing the praises of this unique social networking site. Best of luck on your upcoming nuptuals and Happy Tweets!
CK – Boy, would I love to meet an agent on Twitter.
Gotta love those Tweets!