Facebook Travel Groups vs. Travel Forums

Hey, you said it yourselves—long-term travelers have the time to travel and can improvise their route. The paradox is that when you *do* have time to travel, you’re spoiled for choice. But let’s not forget that employees often don’t have many vacation days to travel, and it’s obvious they’re on a tight budget and need to plan their itinerary carefully. That said, saying travel forums are *only* for people with time—like wealthy retirees or idle folks—is a bit of a stretch 🙂

Hello,

Wouldn’t the explanation rather lie in generational differences?

Those under 40 started their social media lives on Facebook. So, they naturally turn to it for travel research—whether it’s a beach getaway or a long-term itinerary.

Basically, they don’t know anything else.

The generations who’ll be tomorrow’s travelers will find Facebook outdated and use Instagram, etc., instead.

As for longtime VF or *Le Routard* users, some may have taken their last trip, while others no longer have the energy, money, or simply the desire to travel.

Most travelers need reassurance. I think it was the same on VF, which was never a forum for explorers but one for everyone—from all-inclusive fans to those who prefer a *Nus et Culottés* style.

As for Facebook, it’s pretty terrible. At least, the groups I’ve been in.

Lots of hidden ads, self-promotion, ultra-Photoshopped photos, and influencers with no real value.

And above all, it’s really hard to search for info, and questions get buried fast.

I don’t get why it’s so successful (as a forum replacement), except for people’s conformity and lack of curiosity.

Good evening, I'd really like someone to explain the difference between a person—well, a 20-year-old—and someone who's 40... It's not like you can plan a trip properly with TikTok, after all. And then, visiting the Taj Mahal or the New York skyscrapers, or the Louvre, doesn’t necessarily appeal to everyone. Who benefits from putting people into boxes? Advertisers and marketers, as you’re basically admitting yourself.

I'd really like someone to tell me what the difference is between a person—well, a 20-year-old—and another person who's 40...

Life experience...

Personally, when I mention black-and-white TV, Casimir, a phone attached to the wall, a VCR, a boombox, a car with 4 gears (and usually no AC or power steering), the Bac C, a Walkman, the franc, etc., to a 20-year-old, I lose them...

They lose me with TikTok and other new stuff...

At 40, you're kind of in between. The old-school things aren't all unfamiliar, and neither are the teen trends.

You don’t plan a trip with TikTok, after all.

Why not?

And then visiting the Taj Mahal or the New York skyscrapers, the Louvre—it’s not necessarily everyone’s cup of tea.

No. But you’re forgetting conformity.

Given what parental and national education have become, soon people's IQ won't even be high enough to go look things up on FB.

FB groups aren’t great. There are quite a few rude and jealous people. It’s not practical for serious use—it’s mostly just for killing time by scrolling.

That said, some folks forget how many simple questions have been asked on VoyageForum. Oh, we’d happily answer them—say, up to the sixth, sixteenth, or thirty-sixth time the same question came up. 😉

Among those, some weren’t very resourceful, and honestly, they needed good support, so helping them out was doing a good deed. But let’s be real—most were just lazy, always ready to have others do the work they couldn’t be bothered to do themselves.

If you count the million registered users plus those who browse without ever creating a username, we’re probably looking at well over a million VF users. I’d estimate around 2,000 to 3,000 are *very* active participants (and that’s saying something).

So, the slight decline in VF activity is mainly due to the lack of a thousand very active participants who were recruited by the new forum that popped up during Covid. That forum is super sanitized—but some people need that—and heavily locked down at the slightest hint of an opinion deemed "conspiracy-like," meaning anything that goes against what the media keeps repeating. It’s also that difference between liberal and slightly fascistic, but I’ll say I’m extrapolating... Still, it’s a shame to have split something that was much stronger, more complete, and easier to use when it was all on one website.

Hi everyone, I created a Facebook group exclusively for female co-travelers of all ages two years ago. Since I was the only one managing it, I had to validate around a hundred members every morning, not to mention sorting and approving posts (dozens per day), blocking guys who didn’t specify their gender on FB so I had to dig through their profiles, filtering out scammers and charlatans, blocking tour operators, agencies, members working for MLMs and other Ponzi schemes, as well as ads. FB France also requires monitoring everything said in the comments because being an Admin means you’re on the front line when it comes to FB sanctions. This group became the largest in its category (over 40,000 women in 2 years). It was a massive volunteer job, unlike paid Facebook pages. Basically, I’d say 90% of the members didn’t know how to use the group for their searches. It was simple though—just post a destination (country, city, region, continent) and approximate dates, and the announcement would appear in the search bar in one click. Real travelers knew that by typing a country into the group’s search bar, they’d immediately find the page for departures to that country.

First problem: very few found the search bar, even though it was right in front of them, and they’d get aggressive, saying, "I don’t have that search bar, I’m not stupid, you know!" Yet, yes, they were . Anyway, I did the job with a lot of heart because I knew many girls struggled to travel alone and couldn’t manage on their own. I had to explain billions of times that they needed to post with a destination country, and I’d get yelled at and insulted by some who didn’t see the "Admin" badge next to my comments. They’d say, "Mind your own business!" or "What’s her problem?" . Yet, my approach was meant to be supportive and helpful for their plans. I even got blamed when a member got scammed in private messages by another—it was me who took the heat, which was ridiculous.

I’d also say that more than half of the members didn’t know where to go or what to do with their money . At first, I tried to block posts without destinations, but they were the majority, so I gave up and let it slide.

The issue with Facebook travel groups is the lack of finesse in the settings FB offers. For example, if in a post about Morocco, the comments below suggested another country, that country would automatically appear in the search bar, and it was total chaos.

The other problem was the total lack of discipline among the women who used someone else’s post to suggest something else (and this happened hundreds of times a day). It ended in verbal fights between them, and I’d get penalized by FB as soon as insults flew. It’s sad because despite everything, I felt great joy every time someone told me they’d traveled with others thanks to my group, even if very few wanted to exchange in the comments, preferring private messages, which are a nightmare I also fought against before giving up.

I lasted two years and just permanently closed this group, which I was also supposed to open internationally, like in Quebec and elsewhere (but too many nationalities are closed off to others). Human relationships are deteriorating day by day, and I’ve had enough—I’m done helping people who, for the most part, don’t deserve it. No more volunteering for humans ever again!!!

And here, when I see that my sense of humor doesn’t go over well at all because I’ve noticed quite a few grumps, I’ll get annoyed fast 😄