Using Foursquare as a Travel Tool

A few years ago, I was traveling with a friend in Portugal and rolled my eyes non-stop at his incessant use of Foursquare. Firstly, I didn't have data roaming enabled on my phone, so I couldn't check in somewhere even if I wanted to. Secondly, it just seemed too connected for an adventure. If you're recording every single step you take, are you really enjoying it? After all, if you're busy playing with your future phone, you're going to miss the views. 

Photo credit: me

The catch is, I now have no recollection of what port house we were at when this was taken. Or which port houses we even visited, for that matter.

Fast forward to our recent trip to Amsterdam where I checked in absolutely everywhere. I'm so beyond glad to have Foursquare right now. I will always be able to recommend the good Indonesian food we had (rijsttafel!), or confirm that the place that gave us little wooden shoe keychains was, indeed, called Pancakes! We had great pizza at a little place in the Jordaan, and I won't have to Google every time I want to tell someone the name of the annual summer concert we saw on the canals (Prinsengracht). It takes two seconds to check in. It's a travel log that is built for lazy people like me, who collect business cards and pamphlets and eventually end up throwing them out when they collect into a mass at the bottom of your purse a few months later. 

Since Foursquare is largely used by locals, it can also offer great suggestions for where to go next. Looking for a good bar nearby? Not sure where to find dinner? Have 30 minutes to hit up another cultural attraction but not sure what you're near? FOURSQUARE.

Foursquare also gives businesses the ability to offer discounts for people who check in. These tend to be better in some cities than in others. Many big US cities are fantastic for this. In European cities, you'll find offers more often in chain establishments. Still, for a quick drink or nibble, a discount can really help you make your money go further. The top five cities for Foursquare are generally: 

• New York City
• San Francisco
• Los Angeles
• London
• Paris

But it is growing every single day. Foursquare starts to recommend things based on places you've liked in the past, so with a lot of use, your suggestions should be well tailored. I'm not sure how useful that will be when traveling. Actually, I haven't noticed a significant change in my suggestions, yet, so I'm not sure how well this even works. But it's TRAVEL. Let's take risks! Lazy, lazy, technological risks. 

Isn't this pretty?! Any guesses where it is? 

Because I have no f'ing clue.