On a recent trip to New Orleans for a collegiate marketing conference, my fellow Temple University students and I experienced an amazing city as rookie travelers. From the moment we stepped off the plane, we could sense that this was not going to be anything like our family trips to Disney World.

Since our sightseeing time was limited, we focused on the destinations most recommended by travel websites. That led us straight to the French Quarter and Bourbon Street. We loved the night life, music and delicious food. One of my absolute favorite things was also the simplest — a scrumptious pastry called a beignet from Cafe du Monde. The café is open 24 hours a day, all year long, with customers lined up around the block.

Even more impressive was the overall positive spirit of the shop owners, restaurateurs, musicians and virtually everyone we met. You could sense the pride of the New Orleans residents and how they wanted to share their precious city and way of life with us.

As rookie travelers, we also experienced some character-building moments along the way. For instance, one of our connecting flights on the way home was cancelled at the last minute, leaving us at the mercy of a very ornery airline customer service representative. Our group was split up and sent in different directions, arriving back in Philadelphia at different times. Unfortunately for me, my luggage did not make it back at the same time I did.

These travel glitches made me wonder how I could improve the planning of my next trip. As a marketing major, the most obvious answer was to utilize social media sources. Putting a simple question out on Facebook asking for travel suggestions for a particular destination would be extremely helpful. Let’s not forget the power of Twitter and having the ability to complain about an airline’s less-than-stellar service on its own Twitter page for rookie and seasoned travelers alike to see.

— Sara Meenan, intern