Think back 10 years. Do you remember using the Internet for travel? Most of us got our travel information from a trusted travel agent or tour books. The idea of searching for information on the Internet was somewhat taboo.  The pictures seemed generic, if available at all, and who knew what to trust. Not anymore. We have come a long way, baby!

Today, the Internet is packed full of great pictures, detailed information and travel reviews. TripAdvisor is one of the largest sites out there with “over 35 million trusted travel reviews and opinions.” Ten years ago when Steve Kaufer launched TripAdvisor, he wanted to provide insight from the masses rather than from one resource. The wisdom of the crowd provides both negative and positive feedback. This allows the reader to make an educated decision based on unbiased information. Although there may be some not-so-trustworthy reviews out there, the weight of the crowd should be able to drown those out.

The number of opinions from people on TripAdvisor is growing exponentially and has the potential to actually become too large. According to Mr. Kaufer, in five years people will not be prepared to wade through 150 reviews at a time and will, instead, rely on the recommendations of their friends.

When you think of connecting with your friends for their recommendations, where do you go first? Facebook, of course! That is exactly what TripAdvisor thought, too. Partnering with Facebook is a natural progression for TripAdvisor. They have launched their latest feature, “TripAdvisor Trip Friends,” allowing readers to get advice from their most trusted resource, their friends.

How does it work? Log into TripAdvisor using the Facebook Connect feature and then enter a destination. On the side of the screen a box will be available indicating which of your Facebook friends have been to that destination. They can make recommendations if you choose to ask them or you can post a request to your wall. But in order for your friends to indicate they have been to any destination, they need to load this information on their TripAdvisor profile.  Simply log in to TripAdvisor using Facebook and follow the instructions.

As a resort, think about the power of Facebook and your client’s ability to influence their friends. Why not ask your owners to recommend you the next time they log in to TripAdvisor Friends? Better yet, use your resort’s owners’ Web page to provide a selection of photographs your owners and guests can download and share for free. Encourage your owners to create a photo album on their own Facebook page dedicated to their timeshare vacation. Give them the ability to share their enjoyment of their vacation ownership with the masses!

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