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By Dave Tug

 Dopplr, the online service for smarter travel, today shared the results of its recent research into the travel patterns and preferences of the world’s best-connected frequent travellers. Two insights stand out in the research:

- First, how early in the decision process digital influencers share their travel plans. When people share a trip through Dopplr, 2/3 have not yet booked a hotel and half have not made any travel arrangements at all (e.g. plane or train reservations).

- Second, the importance of recommendations in key travel decisions. Over 95% of digital influencers claimed to be strongly or slightly influenced by recommendations in their choice of hotels and restaurants.

Other key findings of the study include:

- Dopplr travellers prefer unique travel experiences with over 40% going for boutique hotels when they travel, and 25% choosing a trusted chain

- Dopplr travellers are highly educated, and compared to traditional frequent travellers they are younger, earn more, and travel more often

Dopplr may have the most international social graph of any social network. Over half the people on Dopplr share trips with a person from another country. Over 2/3 of the users are from outside of the United States with half of the users coming from Europe, and Asia Pacific growing quickly. London, New York, San Francisco, Paris and Berlin are the top destination cities. However, as the plot of all Dopplr destinations in 2008 at the very top of this post shows, the tail of destinations is long and covers the entire globe.

For a full summary of key findings please see:

http://blog.dopplr.com/2009/05/11/data-how-the-dopplr-community-travels/

The research - conducted in collaboration with m1ndset, an independent Swiss market research agency - is based on two traveller surveys conducted over the last year, m1ndset independent research into international frequent travellers at airports around the world, and analysis of aggregate travel patterns of the Dopplr community.

Dopplr presents this collective intelligence - the travel patterns, tips and advice of the world’s most frequent travellers - as a social atlas; which can be accessed on a personal computer and a mobile phone.

Dopplr is a service for smart travellers. Dopplr members share business travel plans privately with their networks, and exchange tips on places to stay, eat and explore in cities around the world.

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See the world through the eyes of Dopplr travellers with the Social Atlas

By Dave Tug

 Visit any bookstore and it’s easy to find a dozen or more guidebooks for any one of the world’s major cities. Dopplr’s Social Atlas is a guidebook unlike any other the information within it has been compiled by the smart travellers who share their trips with others on Dopplr.

In addition to trips, they can share the discoveries they make along the way. They are able to add travel tips about places to eat, stay, and explore that might not have caught the attention of the publishers of printed guidebooks.

Dopplr travellers add hundreds of new places every week, and we aggregate and anonymise the information they send in. Looking at the data as a whole, we can start to see patterns emerging and that’s the true power of the Social Atlas.

It means we can pinpoint the cool cafes, hip shopping streets, gourmet restaurants and fashionable bars that people have discovered in the last few months. We can see where people are choosing to spend a night, be it in a tiny backstreet guest house or in the grandest of five-star hotels.

The explore category can mean taking in the traditional tourist attractions, but it might also mean walking the back streets of an up-and-coming city district, nosing around the shops and soaking up the atmosphere. It might mean browsing dusty bookshops or modern art galleries, or simply sipping a coffee and people-watching in a busy market square. Whatever travel tips Dopplr travellers have shared, it’s all available to everyone in the Social Atlas.

And we can do all this much quicker than traditional print publishing allows. The Social Atlas is constantly changing as people’s opinions change and new recommendations are added to our database. Whatever’s happening in the world’s big cities, our travellers are likely to spot it. The Social Atlas is always bang up-to-date.

The Social Atlas is built entirely using the recommendations from smart travellers, and this is what makes it unique. We know, for example, where Dopplr travellers are based and also what travel planning they’ve been doing. We can look at an overview of the data and spot interesting trends, such as where Londoners tend to go when they visit New York (and, in contrast, where New Yorkers go in their home town).

These trends and patterns are central to the value of the Social Atlas in the long term. It allows us to take snapshots of cities not just as places, but also as moments in time. The snapshot for London in January will differ from London six months later, as seasons and fashions change people’s habits.

Dopplr is a service for smart travellers. Dopplr members share travel advice privately with people they trust, and exchange tips on places to stay, eat and explore in cities around the world. Dopplr aggregates this collective intelligence - travel advice from worlds most frequent travellers - as the Social Atlas.

Moving Overseas for Work

By Gerry Lamb

 One of the primary reasons why people are moving overseas is that they are offered jobs that are more competitive and is offering high salaries. This is why the number of those going abroad is continuing to grow.

People in different countries have come to realize that there is no future where they are right now. So when they see some jobs being offered abroad, they are easily enticed by the high salary and compensations that they offer.

Before they know it, they are off bringing their family and their belongings along to that certain country. And before long, they already have started a new life in that place with no regret of leaving their old home behind.

While moving overseas can be a rewarding and an exciting experience, there are some things you have to check out first before you make your decision. These things will prove relevant in your new life and career. What are these?

1. The employment.

Make sure that what you are getting at is genuine. A lot of people have bad experiences regarding jobs that they are supposed to be getting into. In the process of deciding if you are suited for that position; check out the eligibility of the employer.

Once you are assured that it is legible, consider the benefits that you will get from that company. Are they worth more than what you are getting right now? Is it something that you know you will be happy in and will make you stay for a long time?

These are the questions that you need to have solid answers on. Keep in mind that once you have moved yourself and your family, you cannot get your old life and work back. Make sure that you will not regret your overseas move and your new job.

2. The location.

You probably would want to go back and visit your relative once in awhile. Is the location so far away that you will not get an opportunity to do that much?

If you are from a close knit family, it will trouble you if you cannot visit them from time to time. So you should consider the location and see if it is possible for you to visit or them to visit sometime.

Another thing to consider in the location is the condition in that place. You are better off avoiding those that are frequently visited by natural calamities. You should also avoid places that will put your safety at risk. Even if they are offering to pay you a lot of money, you need to think of your safety first.

3. The place you will move into.

For sure, you would want your new house to be just like the one you have left. And you will want to make sure that you have all the necessities easily accessible.

Be sure to check the place where you will be staying before you plunge on ahead. Check for electricity and water supply. See if it is located near business establishment and a school if you have your children with you. Also check for the mode of transportation from your place to other destinations.

Make a checklist of these things before you accept that job and start moving overseas. If you think that all is well, then it will turn out to be the best decision you have made in your life.

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