How Social Media Friends Shape Where We Travel

Ever felt inspired to visit a restaurant, city, or scenic lookout just because a friend posted about it online? You’re not imagining things—your social media friends might be shaping your travel choices more than you think.

In this study, we analyzed a massive dataset of over 22 million check-ins from 112,000 users on Foursquare and Twitter. We wanted to know: Do our social media friends really influence where we go? And does that influence depend on how far we’re traveling or what kind of places we’re visiting?

The short answer? Yes. People were more likely to visit the same places as their social media friends, especially for trips closer to home. If a friend checked into a cool café or local museum just a few hours away, chances are you might be tempted to check it out too. But as the distance from home grows—such as across countries or continents—that influence fades a bit. Still, even for faraway adventures, friends can plant a seed of inspiration.

The type of place matters too. Travel and transport hubs (like airports and train stations) showed the highest overlap among friends, followed by shops, nightlife, and art spots. Event venues like concerts or festivals? Not so much—probably because they’re one-time events that depend on timing, not influence.

To make sure it wasn’t just people from the same area going to the same places, we compared real friends with “fake” friends (e.g., random users from similar locations). Real friends consistently had stronger overlaps, proving it’s the social connection—not just location—that matters.

So, what does this mean? If you’re a travel company or marketer, you might want to stop targeting individuals and start thinking in terms of social circles. Group-based promotions and “your friends went here” recommendations could be the future of personalized travel.

In summary: your social media friends aren’t just posting cool photos—they’re subtly guiding your next trip. Whether it’s a brunch spot downtown or a beach halfway across the globe, where they go might just be where you go next.Xingwei Yang, Zhibin Lin, Mehdi Kargar, and Elmira Djafarova (2025). The echoes of social media friends’ travels: social influence and venue selection in a hyperconnected world. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (Accepted).