WhatsApp practice chat for the curious traveler

Here's the parent thread:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tours/what-s-app-being-trialed-for-rs-tours

In the other thread we were saying that WhatsApp is in common use everywhere but in the USA and a lot of back and forth ensued.

Anyhoo, when I was at the new Hyatt in Rouen last autumn, I am now recalling that the front desk checked in with me using WhatsApp -- for instance asking if the bathroom was clean and/or needed any supplies.

iirc, the bespoke Marriott and Hilton apps have chat functions built in for this kind of interaction, at least in the USA., but the interaction is more limited, like you have some boxes to check for various items...

My first question is how do others of you join it?

I don't know what I'm missing, when I tap on 'communities' it will allow me to start a community but nowhere can I find how to join one. The WhatsApp instructions when I Googled were no help either.

I purposely used WhatsApp this morning when the Zurich and Amsterdam airports websites offered to give me flight status updates via WhatsApp. I did get the updates, but not before I was informed of my flight statuses by other means, i.e. KLM airline app.

If you want to practice with how to use WhatsApp, setting up a community is not the best approach. You won’t communicate with hotels, restaurants etc via a community but via a direct chat. Tour guides won’t start a community, they will start a group chat. To start a chat with someone, you’ll first need to have their phone number and they need to be registered with WhatsApp. Once you’ve added them to your contact list and if they have WhatsApp too, you can start a chat by going to the chats, clicking on the + symbol and selecting the name of the person or business you want to chat with. If you want to start a new group chat, you click on the same + symbol and select “new group” at the top of the screen. You can then name the group and select the names of those you wish to make a member of the group.

If you want to practice with sending messages, photos, videos, website links in a chat in WhatsApp, the easiest way is to start a chat with yourself. Yes, WhatsApp allows you to chat with yourself. You can for instance send the website of a restaurant that someone recommends you to this chat. Or a reminder to do something. I know there are other apps or ways to keep track of things like that, but if you want to practice sending messages in WhatsApp the chat-with-yourself-option is very helpful.
To start a chat with yourself, go to the Chat tab, click on + and select your own name/number. It should be the first contact in the list of contacts.
You can then start practicing with WhatsApp.

Very helpful info from Dutch Traveler.

If anyone would like me to add them to the practice chat by sending me an email address or phone number in the DM here on the forum, please do so -- I will not use your info for anything else.