Social media round-up
Feeling the need for a beach break but have no annual leave left this year? Fear not! In partnership with Google, Visit Florida has documented 825 miles of its white-sand beaches for virtual exploration. The online feature allows site visitors to find their perfect beach using a nifty sliding scale. They are then taken to a Google view of their chosen beach where they can virtually explore the area. A clever tool that we think will encourage a few people to think about Florida when booking their next trip!
Easyjet has become the first UK airline to offer an app with a passport scan feature. This is set to speed up the check in process. All you have to do is take a photo with your smartphone of your passport and it will automatically upload your details into Advanced Passenger Information meaning you no longer have to go to the hassle of manually inputting these details online. With the smartphone making life so efficient it’s safe to say we really would be lost without it.
We’ve been enjoying some good brand Instagram action over the last week or so. We followed Air Canada‘s Insta-commentary of the exciting arrival of its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, including a great shot of a sunset from the cockpit. And following its #ThisIsQueensland Instameet, Tourism Queensland shared some great user-generated content in the shape of incredible shots by residents and visitors to its 13 regions. We’ve loved them all but our ultimate favourite is a tie between this feathered fella on Hamilton Island and this stunning shot taken from a helicopter over the Great Barrier Reef. With the sudden cold turn in the weather in the UK, these feeds are definitely making us long to jet off to sunnier climes.
Speaking of Instagram, have you ever wondered how far up all the Instagram photos uploaded in a year would reach if they were printed out? Well, the people at Cewe Photoworld have done the calculations for you and created a fun, interactive infographic which shows the true power of the social networking app. Every 12 hours over 8,840m of photos are uploaded which is roughly the same height of Mount Everest. Every six day over 100,000m of photos are uploaded which is the same distance from earth to the outer edge of the earth’s atmosphere. If you want all the crazy statistics we recommend you have a look over on the site – it might just blow your mind.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt