Jaunted

On how Travel Tuesday began: Katy insists that starting the #TravelTuesday tag wasn't solely about exposure for Where I've Been, but about "having all voices heard." Since Where I've Been is a devoted travel app, she naturally followed the travel personalities on Twitter and noticed that great tips and general travel chatter was willy-nilly and needed to be organized, so that everyone could benefit from the knowledge she saw coming in constantly. "From 500 industry people who used the tag and focused travel discussions on Tuesday, they referred their friends and followers, and it spread," says Katy.

On her social media addiction: Admitting that she's an avid reader of social media sites like Mashable.com, Katy is a social media addict. Networks are her bread and butter, and you'll find her managing Where I've Been's presence on Facebook, MySpace, bebo and Twitter, where she interacts with individual users daily. "Five to six years ago, people online were so unreachable." She cites how now, everyone has the ability to reach out to their favorite brands or celebrities with an actual chance of response. It's an empowering feeling.

On her dream destinations and next trip: Some of the users of Where I've Been's Facebook map have continents so dotted with past destinations, that we had to ask where she's dreaming of landing next. It's got to be "Japan. Not Tokyo specifically, but Japan." She hasn't done the big three cities of Italy yet (Venice, Florence, Rome), but it's on her list, as is all of South America.

Katy's biggest travel tip: "Buy an Oyster card in London...the Tube is pretty expensive and you'll save money and worry less while using the card."

Katy's Top 5 Travel Tweeters to follow: With nine million friends around the world, Katy is a popular girl. But she's hugely loyal to five tweeters who originally inspired her to create Travel Tuesday. Without further ado, in no particular order they are: @EverywhereTrip, @velvetescape, @BrilliantTips, @atlasobscura, and @Jaunted. No really, she totally said us and we're seriously flattered.

What's next at Where I've Been: Katy wouldn't reveal too much about their future plans, especially since everything is still in the works. But Where I've Been fans can expect iPhone and Android apps and—fingers crossed!—an iPad app.

Join the Travel Tuesday conversation by following @whereivebeen and @Jaunted on Twitter, and chime in by tagging your tweets with "#traveltuesday."

Related Stories:
· @whereivebeen [Follow Katy on Twitter]
· Where I've Been [Official Site]
· Twitter Travel [Jaunted]

[Photos: Jaunted]