Travel Journals
Snap Says Friends and Family Are the “Real” Travel Influencers
This sponsored content was created in collaboration with a Skift partner.
As the travel industry continues to rebound, consumers are inundated with targeted travel advertising that may or may not hit the mark. While personalized ads across websites, social networks, and streaming TV platforms are becoming more and more relevant, people continue to make decisions based on travel recommendations from close friends and family. Family and friends have a bigger influence on travel decisions than traditional advertising, TV and radio, and print media, according to research conducted by World Travel Market London.
The only source of inspiration with a bigger impact than friends and family is social media. But on many social media platforms, the transactional nature of influencer culture leaves travelers questioning the authenticity of a recommendation. Snapchat combines the influences of social media and friends and family by structuring itself as a “best friends network” where people come to catch up with their real-life communities. In turn, travelers use Snapchat to seek out trustworthy recommendations and engage with high-tech experiences that help them with their most passionate purchase decisions around the trips they take.
The Real Influencers: Close-Knit Communities of Family and Friends
As the buying power of Gen Z eclipses that of the millennial generation, these consumers — who grew up with online platforms — are craving community in digital spaces. The Snapchat audience has expanded and matured over the last 11 years: Over 50 percent of Snapchatters are now 25 or older. This audience, largely made up of older Gen Zers and millennials, actively seeks out meaningful interactions with the people they already care about and are connected to in real life — 75 percent of Snapchatters use the platform to interact with their closest circles of family and friends, according to a 2022 study from Neuro-Insight Implicit Association commissioned by Snap, Inc.
While many influencer-led social media platforms leave users feeling pressured to post perfectly polished content, Snap’s focus on connecting with your existing community helps keep things down to earth, relatable, and real. According to a 2021 study by Global Cassandra commissioned by Snap Inc., it’s more important to Snapchatters that they connect deeply, whether by sharing their personal travel experiences or looking for tips from the real influencers: their friends and family.
As much as they remain skeptical of travel influencers online, today’s average consumer is also wise to predominant advertising techniques. It’s no wonder that friends and family emerge as a more trustworthy and reliable source of information in light of those concerns. Ninety-one percent of Snapchatters trust recommendations from friends and family as a source of information about brands and services. Snapchatters are also avid travelers — seven in 10 have traveled in the past six months, and eight in 10 plan to travel in the next six months, according to a 2022 Ipsos study commissioned by Snap Inc.
And while they are 46 percent more likely to state that traveling is one of their passions, travel starts way before you pack a bag: More than half of Snapchatters say they enjoy researching travel. For example, over 300 million people use features like the Snap Map — an interactive hotspot map that displays where in the world Snaps are happening — to view the places their friends are visiting or see what’s happening at destinations that interest them.
“There is a huge amount of travel intent to capitalize on as a marketer on Snapchat,” said Andrew Jarvie, Snap’s U.S. head of marketing science for travel. “Not only that, the Snapchat community is looking to be inspired. They’re interested in learning about new places and experiences and seeing or hearing about what their friends are doing.” This translates into major opportunities for travel brands that can transport Snapchatters to new places and experiences.
Snapchatters Love to Travel — and They Plan Their Trips on Snapchat
In the over-crowded experience economy, travel is a highly social interaction. Even if modern travelers take solo trips, chances are they’re planning their itineraries with help from their communities. “Six in 10 Snapchatters decided where to go on their last vacation after a friend told them about it,” Jarvie said. “This influence can have a big impact on where and how our audience travels, with 81 percent of Snapchatters being travel decision-makers.”
When considering a new destination or planning a far-flung adventure, travelers are forced to stretch their imaginations. Many seek out content that will give them a better sense of a place long before they arrive, and Snapchat is designed to inspire that research phase: “The app opens to the camera, immediately sparking creation, inspiration, and conversation,” said Kelly Covato, Snap’s U.S. head of travel.
And Snapchatters who share travel highlights in direct Snaps or their Stories typically connect with close friends and family who trust them and are actively interested in where they’re going and what they’re doing. “Meanwhile, travel content posted by traditional influencers can be difficult to interpret because there is no foundation of trust with that person — not to mention the plethora of paid placements and freebies that can easily skew a professional influencer’s reviews,” Covato said.
Influencing Decision Making Throughout the Travel Buyer Journey
Augmented reality (AR) takes the inspiration and research phase even further. Travel is often a big-ticket budget item, and AR makes it even easier for people to immerse themselves in a place or an experience in order to justify their investment. Over 250 million Snapchatters tap into the platform’s AR features daily, engaging in try-before-you-buy experiences that allow them to picture themselves in particular destinations. “AR allows Snapchatters to experience what it’s like to travel to a specific hotel, attraction, or place virtually from their phone,” Covato said. “Given we’re a camera-first platform, augmented reality provides a big opportunity for travel brands to authentically enter these conversations.”
In that sense, one of the primary benefits of AR for both travelers and travel brands is the way it shrinks the gap between a travel idea and a fully booked itinerary. Sixty-four percent of consumers said they would purchase a travel product or service after experiencing it in AR, according to a recent study by Alter Agents and Publicis. In addition to AR features, professionally produced and viral travel content in sections of the Snapchat app like Discover and Spotlight serve to inspire travelers further.
All of these content types help travelers imagine themselves in a destination, building positive associations and encouraging pre-trip excitement. For example, Southwest Airlines has seen success leveraging AR on Snapchat to highlight the various destinations they fly to. AR allows them to immerse Snapchatters in different destinations and capitalize on these users sharing these experiences with their friends and family.
Beyond the inspiration and research phase, more traditional advertising techniques become particularly powerful. Travel brands can deliver targeted full-screen display and video ads to reach the Snapchat community while they’re actively engaged in discovery mode. “Once Snapchatters are ready to buy, solutions like Dynamic Travel Ads allow travel brands to leverage their product catalogs to deliver the right creative messaging to the right consumer, dynamically in real-time,” said Covato. The effectiveness of Dynamic Travel Ads is already well documented — they drove positive incremental lift across the Booking.com website and app, for example.
To make the most of these opportunities, Jarvie explained that travel brands should be planning their advertising messaging across a three-month booking window. The Snapchat audience is spontaneous and adventurous: 61 percent of Snapchatters booked trips within three months of their travel date, according to a 2023 Kantar study commissioned by Snap Inc. They’re also more likely to book on mobile, which can make ad creative focused on direct bookings even more impactful.
With this three-month window in mind, travel brands can combine the best of AR experiences and Dynamic Travel Ads to nurture Snapchatters from the trusted “best friends” mindset of trip planning and research through to completed bookings and reservations.
For more information about Snap for Travel, click here.
This content was created collaboratively by Snap Inc. and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX.
In a world where travel has become increasingly immediate and customizable, expectations are at an all-time high. Modern travelers want experiences that are seamless, high-quality, and tailored to their preferences.
While online booking platforms promise convenience, they often leave too much to chance. This is where the travel club model stands apart. Offering a balance of personalization and predictability, travel clubs provide value that’s hard to match.
Personalized Planning Without The Guesswork
For many travelers, the hardest part of planning a vacation isn’t the destination‒it’s trusting that what they book will deliver. With a travel club, members avoid the trial-and-error of online listings and unvetted properties. Clubs focus on curating consistent experiences, combining destination expertise with member-oriented service.
Legendary Vacation Club is a family-owned business with five decades in international hospitality that has embraced this approach. By operating in high-demand locations like Los Cabos, Riviera Maya, and Punta Cana, LVC provides members with access to trusted properties and on-the-ground support, making personalized vacation planning less stressful and more reliable.
Long-Term Value in a Price-Driven Market
On-demand platforms often compete on price, but the trade-off is inconsistent service and surprise fees. A travel club, on the other hand, is designed around long-term value. Membership gives travelers access to preferred rates, special perks, and priority booking, all without sacrificing quality.
In competitive regions like Cancun and Vallarta, Legendary Vacation Club offers a distinct advantage. Members enjoy access to exclusive properties, including its Hard Rock resorts, all of which have earned the prestigious RCI Gold Crown award. These distinctions reflect not just luxury, but consistent delivery of service, something discount sites rarely guarantee.
Trust Built Through Proven Hospitality Standards
One of the strongest advantages of the travel club model is the trust it builds over time. For repeat travelers, the ability to return to known properties with reliable service is invaluable. Unlike one-off bookings, club memberships foster long-term relationships between travelers and providers, encouraging a higher standard of care.
In an industry where attention to detail defines the guest experience, long-term trust is one of the most valuable assets a club can offer. Legendary Vacation Club exemplifies this through its Riviera Maya location, where the Unico Hotel received the U.S. News & World Report Award in 2021.
Such accolades are more than symbolic. They signal a depth of operational experience that translates directly into member satisfaction.
A Better Way To Travel in a High-Expectation World
The rise of on-demand services has changed how people approach travel, but not always for the better. The travel club model offers something that algorithms and price filters can’t: a structured, member-first experience rooted in consistency, quality, and care.
For travelers looking to escape the uncertainty of one-size-fits-all solutions, a well-established club can provide a far more dependable alternative.
As the hospitality industry continues to evolve, the value of being part of a curated, experience-driven travel model becomes increasingly clear. For many, it’s no longer about just going somewhere. It’s about how well you’re taken care of when you get there.
Tech-enabled travel company Travel Counsellors has reported record £566m H1 revenues.
The Manchester firm saw 10% year-on-year growth in the six months ended 30th April 2025 as sales broke £500m for the first time, with Travel Counsellors citing growing demand for personalised travel advice.
The firm added 149 new travel advisors to its community, taking the business to more than 2,206 at the period end.
Summer 2025 is also set to be another strong season for the company with bookings across the peak summer season – July and August – 11% ahead of the comparable time last year, it added.
“We’re seeing increased demand from millennial customers for cruise and adventure travel,” said Steve Byrne, CEO. “This demonstrates this generation’s preferences for premium and differentiated travel experiences.
“These are consumers who want more than just a holiday – they want peace of mind, personalised experiences, and meaningful, memorable journeys.
“During the first half of the year we’ve continued to experience good growth across the business, which is once again a firm demonstration of the strength of our differentiated strategy and was underpinned by the record number of customers who trusted Travel Counsellors with their leisure and corporate travel needs.”
Travel Counsellors has also maintained its five-star Trustpilot rating, recently reaching 10,000 reviews.
“This is a strong testament to our customer-first culture that runs through everything we do,” said Byrne.
“It’s for this reason that more than two thirds of our customers come to us through word-of-mouth referrals – which is a strong endorsement of the level of care we provide.
“We are focused on continuing to disrupt the travel market over the coming years through superb, personalised service and our scalable, relevant, and differentiated business model.”
A small plane crashed at London Southend Airport on Sunday (July 13) shortly after take-off. Visuals showed black smoke billowing from the Beechcraft King Air B200 aircraft after the mishap.
London Southend Airport confirmed a “serious incident” involving a general aviation aircraft. Witnesses have reported seeing a “huge fireball” emerging from the crash site.
Let’s take a closer look.
What happened?
A 12-metre plane with two pilots onboard crashed at London Southend Airport. Emergency services, including the police, fire service and ambulance service, rushed to the site.
Essex Police said they were “alerted” about “reports of a collision” involving the small Beech B200 aircraft at the site in Southend-on-Sea shortly before 8.30 pm IST.
“We are working with all emergency services at the scene now, and that work will be ongoing for several hours. We would like to ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues,” it said in a statement.
As per the flight-tracking service Flightradar, the aircraft took off from Southend Airport at 8:18 pm IST and was headed to Lelystad, a city in the Netherlands.
Earlier on Sunday, the plane flew from Athens to the Pula airport in Croatia, before making the three-hour flight to London Southend, reported Independent.
After the crash, London Southend Airport closed operations until further notice. It said it will inform the public of any updates and those set to travel on Monday should contact their airline.
As per the airport’s website, five international flights had been cancelled after the accident.
Dutch company Zeusch Aviation confirmed its SUZ1 flight had been “involved in an accident” at London Southend Airport. The company said they were “actively” supporting authorities with the investigation, adding: “Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected.”
Besides the two pilots, it remains unclear how many people were on the plane. The cause of the crash is also not known yet.
David Burton-Sampson, MP for Southend West & Leigh, wrote on X: “I am aware of an incident at Southend Airport. Please keep away and allow the emergency services to do their work. My thoughts are with everyone involved.”
United Kingdom Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “I’m aware of the tragic incident at Southend Airport this afternoon. My thoughts are with all those involved.
“The emergency services are on scene and are advising the public to avoid the area where possible. I am monitoring the situation closely and receiving regular updates.”
I’m aware of the tragic incident at Southend Airport this afternoon. My thoughts are with all those involved.
The emergency services are on scene and are advising the public to avoid the area where possible.
I am monitoring the situation closely and receiving regular updates.
— Heidi Alexander MP (@Heidi_Labour) July 13, 2025
Witnesses describe London plane crash
Witnesses told British media that the plane crashed “head first into the ground”.
John Johnson, who was watching planes with his wife and children at the airport, told BBC he saw a “huge fireball”.
“You could see [the pilots] smiling and we all kind of smiled back, the aircraft then turned 180 degrees to face its take off point, powered up its engines and powered past us, carrying on down the runway,” he said.
“It took off in probably three or four seconds. It started to bank heavily to its left. I said to my wife, that’s unusual. We don’t find aircraft normally turning at that stage in their ascent.
“Within a few seconds of that, the aircraft almost inverted and hit the ground. There was a huge fireball.”
According to Johnson, the airport’s fire service responded immediately after the crash, with two fire engines reaching the spot.
They were followed by local police, ambulance and fire services.
Speaking to Metro, a woman said she was watching planes departing with her daughter from a viewing deck at the Holiday Inn on Sunday.
“It was honestly a surreal experience. The plane took off, then around 50 meters it sort of kicked to the left, then around 100 meters it abruptly banked to the left. With that, it basically descended down headfirst and just burst into flames as it hit the ground. We can’t believe what we have seen.
“It didn’t look like there was time to bail out. Luckily, I think my daughter is too young to know what really happened. I feel for the other kids who were there and witnessed it too. It felt like we were in a bad dream.”
James Philpott, a bartender at the golf club next to the airport, told BBC that he felt “a big heatwave” before looking up to a “massive fireball” in the sky.
“Everyone was just quite shocked… we haven’t seen anything like this. People were sort of running towards it to see if anyone was injured.”
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What we know about the crashed plane
The plane involved in the crash at Southend Airport was reportedly a Beech B200 Super King Air, a US-built aircraft with a jet turbine, according to flight tracking data.
It is a small plane capable of carrying more than 20 people for short-haul charter flights.
The aircraft was a medical transport jet equipped with medical systems for transporting patients, reported The Mirror.
However, as per the Independent report, the ill-fated plane was a luxury private aeroplane with eight seats and a comfortable leather interior.
According to BBC correspondent Tom Symonds: “This sort of aircraft is a bit like a Land Rover of the skies. It’s a bit like an all-purpose vehicle and we can see that it has been rented out for roles including medical evacuation, moving transplant material, aerial mapping, that sort of thing.”
Zeusch Aviation, which operated the plane, specialises in medical evacuation services and transplant flights as well as private charters.
Meanwhile, Essex Police said it was working with the Air Accident Investigation Branch. Chief Superintendent Morgan Cronin said: “In these very early stages it is vital we gather the information we need, and continue supporting the people of Essex.”
With inputs from agencies
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