You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin from News talks 'b Travel with Wendy Wu tours Where the World Is Yours.

You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin from News talks 'b Travel with Wendy Wu tours Where the World Is Yours.

Book Now, and Megan Singleton, our travel correspondent, joins us now, good morning, good morning, Good to have you with us. I like what you're going to talk about today, because you know what, I always get a bit of a panic on when I'm going somewhere new about how I'm really going to get a sense of the place if I've only got three or four days, and how am I going to really kind of, you know, get the out of what it would be like to live in Hong Kong or Barcelona as you might be going. You know, I want to have that real experience and find these amazing spots and places and things.

Book Now, and Megan Singleton, our travel correspondent, joins us now, good morning, good morning, Good to have you with us. I like what you're going to talk about today, because you know what, I always get a bit of a panic on when I'm going somewhere new about how I'm really going to get a sense of the place if I've only got three or four days, and how am I going to really kind of, you know, get the out of what it would be like to live in Hong Kong or Barcelona as you might be going. You know, I want to have that real experience and find these amazing spots and places and things.

Yeah, yes, yes, like what's the latest bar that's just opened, or where's it where's the best outdoor music venue or something. I've just written up this post my best ever to finding hidden gems, and this is what I've been doing for a while now, And to be honest, I even use this tip to update my blog content because I can't be everywhere across everything. I know it's alarming to say. So what I do is just to cut a long story short, because I know we don't have all day. Is I've got my questions because I'm heading over to New York, for example, is the Staten Island fairy worth taking?

Yeah, yes, yes, like what's the latest bar that's just opened, or where's it where's the best outdoor music venue or something. I've just written up this post my best ever to finding hidden gems, and this is what I've been doing for a while now, And to be honest, I even use this tip to update my blog content because I can't be everywhere across everything. I know it's alarming to say. So what I do is just to cut a long story short, because I know we don't have all day. Is I've got my questions because I'm heading over to New York, for example, is the Staten Island fairy worth taking?

You know?

You know?

How am I going to find that out? I go to Facebook and I join pages or groups that are related to the destination I'm going to. So there are, for New York, for example, there are lots of different Facebook groups. So then I choose a group that's got like one hundred thousand members or at least tens of thousands. And then what you do is you go to the search little icon on those Facebook pages and you type in Staten Island Ferry or where to have my fiftieth birthday dinner or something like that, and you'll if you don't find the answers already there, because usually people have asked those questions before, you can then go ahead and just ask that question, and honestly, you will get so many great responses from locals, from people who are there right now, from people who are there last week, from people who just said, oh, we just sat on the rooftop of this place over in Brooklyn had the most amazing skyline view, and it would be someplace you never would have found without this little intel from the local basebook group.

How am I going to find that out? I go to Facebook and I join pages or groups that are related to the destination I'm going to. So there are, for New York, for example, there are lots of different Facebook groups. So then I choose a group that's got like one hundred thousand members or at least tens of thousands. And then what you do is you go to the search little icon on those Facebook pages and you type in Staten Island Ferry or where to have my fiftieth birthday dinner or something like that, and you'll if you don't find the answers already there, because usually people have asked those questions before, you can then go ahead and just ask that question, and honestly, you will get so many great responses from locals, from people who are there right now, from people who are there last week, from people who just said, oh, we just sat on the rooftop of this place over in Brooklyn had the most amazing skyline view, and it would be someplace you never would have found without this little intel from the local basebook group.

So there is the key though, making sure it's run by locals, it's not some kind of tourist.

So there is the key though, making sure it's run by locals, it's not some kind of tourist.

Driven Yeah, well yea, and most of them are, and or they might be run by like the ones that I follow, like they might be run by companies that take walking tours, for example, So of course they want to try and sell you a tour, but there's one hundred thousand people, so they don't.

Driven Yeah, well yea, and most of them are, and or they might be run by like the ones that I follow, like they might be run by companies that take walking tours, for example, So of course they want to try and sell you a tour, but there's one hundred thousand people, so they don't.

There's lots of comments on there, and you can of course go ahead and say, yep, that sounds great, I'd like to book your walking photography tour. That's a bit of me. And so often they are like, I run a few pages, and ultimately they'll be like, oh, I hope that they might join me on a tour, or I hope that they might read some of my content if they do ask. But generally speaking, the more people that are on there, the better engagement you're going to get. And that's what people are all after.

There's lots of comments on there, and you can of course go ahead and say, yep, that sounds great, I'd like to book your walking photography tour. That's a bit of me. And so often they are like, I run a few pages, and ultimately they'll be like, oh, I hope that they might join me on a tour, or I hope that they might read some of my content if they do ask. But generally speaking, the more people that are on there, the better engagement you're going to get. And that's what people are all after.

You see.

You see.

So yeah, so what they won't the Facebook pages won't be run by tourist boards, but they will likely be run by people who have some capacity in the tourism industry, so they're knowledgeable.

So yeah, so what they won't the Facebook pages won't be run by tourist boards, but they will likely be run by people who have some capacity in the tourism industry, so they're knowledgeable.

So what's some of the best sort of advice that you've been given the places you've traveled to? Well, I use.

So what's some of the best sort of advice that you've been given the places you've traveled to? Well, I use.

Them for my tours.

Them for my tours.

So I've got a tour coming up to Thailand right in July, and we're going to go to Bangkok and then we're going to go to Kosamui. So I want to know, I've only got four nights in each where are we going to go for dinner? So I'm particularly looking for at Kosamui where to go for dinner with great views? And that's what I'm looking through on the Kosamui pages that I'm now part of.

So I've got a tour coming up to Thailand right in July, and we're going to go to Bangkok and then we're going to go to Kosamui. So I want to know, I've only got four nights in each where are we going to go for dinner? So I'm particularly looking for at Kosamui where to go for dinner with great views? And that's what I'm looking through on the Kosamui pages that I'm now part of.

So this is great.

So this is great.

So then I write it down. I open a little note on my phone and I write down the names of these restaurants and then I can go ahead and do my own research later and look at them my pontrip Advisor whatever, and then I can go ahead and make my booking brilliant.

So then I write it down. I open a little note on my phone and I write down the names of these restaurants and then I can go ahead and do my own research later and look at them my pontrip Advisor whatever, and then I can go ahead and make my booking brilliant.

Love it.

Love it.

Thank you so much, Meghan. You can find that blog at blogger at large dot com.

Thank you so much, Meghan. You can find that blog at blogger at large dot com.

For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin. Listen live to News Talks it B from nine am Sunday, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio

For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin. Listen live to News Talks it B from nine am Sunday, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio