Last Updated: 5/22/21 | may 22nd, 2021
A few years ago, I was in San Francisco to check out the Google travel offices, where we spent a lot of time geeking out over travel booking data and metrics. one of the stats that stood out for me was that a lot of consumers spend over 40 hours and look at over 20 web sites researching their trip.
When I started planning my first round-the-world trip in 2005, there weren’t as lots of online resources. I remember a blog on backpacking Europe (basically what a girl did on her study abroad and her notes from the road), a couple of online forums, and random web sites here and there.
My trip planning consisted mostly of using guidebooks.
Today, we have 100,000+ blogs, travel forums and online communities, Youtube channels, Instagram pages, apps, and sharing-economy websites, and everything in between.
You can find information for anywhere you want to go.
No destination is too obscure.
There is a figurative firehose of information online.
But, in this sea of limitless information, how do you know what information and recommendations are accurate and trustworthy, especially when so much content is sponsored by companies?
Like you, I spend a lot of time researching destinations before I go. I read blog posts, books, trip reports, hostel reviews, get guidebooks, and leave no stone unturned.
I love digging deep into the places I’m traveling to. It makes the trip seem real and gives me the feeling like I’m unearthing deep secrets.
Planning a trip gives you ownership of your journey. It’s an integral part of the travel experience.
But, considering that I’ve been looking up information online and working in the travel industry for years, I can spot the BS/paid/sponsored content really easily.
There’s a lot of bad information out there that will lead you astray.
And today I want to help you spot it.
(Note: I’m going to break down my thoughts in extreme detail, but it actually doesn’t take that long to process all this. I’ll give you some perspective at the end. It’s not as long as you think!)
Part One: aspects to consider When reading about Destinations
1. Sponsored Content
Whenever I come across an article, I scroll to the bottom to see if it is “sponsored.” Sponsored content is (a) when a blogger is given a trip or product in exchange for a review or mention on that blogger’s website, or (b) content that is generally advertising or marketing material (think some “awesome” contest they are telling you di).
While organized press trips have occurred in the travel service for decades (and I’ve done them), sponsored content is something different.
A press trip is an unpaid experience where writers check out a destination in buy to write about it. In this case, there’s no exchange of money. And, while there’s probably a little quid pro quo, I think when compared to sponsored content, it’s a lot more honest. (I still take press trip content with a grain of salt though).
A sponsored post always has an exchange of money. That’s what changes the dynamic for me. That makes it marketing (for reasons that tie together below). A person was paid specifically to write great things.
I’ll read the post (it still might be useful) but I don’t put as much weight into the recommendations as I would an unsponsored post. After all, the writer was paid to write about the place and there is a natural human inclination to sugarcoat the negatives if we’ve been paid to write about a place or product.
When I see “Thanks for the complimentary trip, (insert tourism board name). All opinions are my own” without explanation, I’m also wary. What was free? What was paid for? Did they receive money? how do I know what is true and what isn’t?
Thus, I’m normally a lot more skeptical of the content unless I see clearly what was sponsored.
When I went to Islay, the tourism board covered a lot of my trip: “Visit Islay supplied the car and accommodation and also connected me to distilleries so I could get the behind-the-scenes excursions for this article. Meals, flights, and transportation to and from the island — as well as all that whisky I gotten — were at my own expense. They did not pay me directly for coverage.”
This is what I look for. I want the author to be clear on what was and wasn’t paid for – because that will directly impact some of the other crucial things to keep an eye.
2. Replicable Experiences
If the writer is writing about an experience that I can’t do or a situation I can’t replicate, the recommendations isn’t beneficial to me as a reader. It’s great that someone got to do something cool like eat at a 3-star Michelin restaurant and cook dinner with the chef — but how does that really help me experience the place?
How will that make my trip better?
Those kinds of articles make for fun stories but nothing more. When I’m researching a destination, I don’t want a fun story. I want a helpful story.
3. in-dContenuto EPTH
Quanto è approfondito l’articolo? Molti più fatti, cifre e altri dettagli che includono, molto di più conosco che conoscono le loro cose. Per me, raccomandazioni dettagliate, pratiche e replicabili sono il miglior tipo di consiglio. Cerco blog e contenuti che mi danno un’idea di una destinazione o di un prodotto come mi aspetterei da una guida o dalla rivista.
Tutti questi segnali mi dicono “Questo sito Web ha contenuti di qualità e affidabili e devo usarlo per pianificare il mio viaggio”.
Questo è il motivo per cui se il contenuto è sponsorizzato/marchiato/qualunque termine le persone usano è così cruciale per me perché molto più lo scrittore sta pagando la propria strada e fa ciò che farei, è molto più probabile che includa il nit -Inghi fatti e cifre che mi saranno utili mentre pianifico il mio viaggio.
4. Immagine più grande
Guardo quel contenuto nel quadro più ampio del loro sito Web. Se mi imbatto in un post e mi piace quello che sto leggendo, sponsorizzato o no, faccio un po ‘di più sul sito Web. Se questo blogger tende a fare il tipo di attività che mi piace fare, penso a me stesso: “OK, abbiamo uno stile di viaggio simile. Le raccomandazioni di questa persona mi andranno a beneficio. ”
Se guardo intorno a un sito web e vedo che pagano principalmente a modo loro, hanno contenuti approfonditi e sono nelle trincee come il resto di noi, sto bene con la piccola quantità di contenuti sponsorizzati che vedo perché, nel mio Mente, sarà molto più giusto ed equilibrato di qualcuno che fa per lo più viaggi.
5. Aspetto del sito Web
Che aspetto ha il loro sito web? Sembra amato? Il design è del 1999 o sembra che qualcuno mantenga il sito aggiornato?
Mentre i look non sono correlati al 100% al cibo di qualità, hai molte più probabilità di andare “Il cibo è probabilmente buono qui” se il ristorante sembra che non fosse rinnovato durante gli anni Nixon.
Ad esempio, guarda il mio sito:
Nel 2008:
Adesso:
Da quale dipenderesti di più? (Esatto. La versione più recente.)
6. Sono troppo negativi?
Ci sono così tanti aspetti che vanno nel fatto che ti piaccia o meno una destinazione: le persone che incontri, il tempo, la facilità con cui ti sei imbattuto, se qualcuno nel tuo dormitorio ha russato e molto altro! Quando guardo l’opinione di qualcuno su un posto, cerco di vedere se stanno solo rant o sono davvero onesti. “Questo posto è stato orribile e non devi mai andare” è un rant che deve essere preso con un granello di sale. Leggilo, archivialo, ma per lo più trascuralo.
Anni fa, mi sono imparato sul Vietnam e ho giurato che non sarei mai tornato indietro. Considerando che allora sono cresciuto come scrittore e persona. Ho dovuto aggiungere un po ‘di blurb alla fine del post dicendo che questa era la mia esperienza, ma devi andare a provarlo da solo.
Quel post rimane sveglio perché fa parte del sito, ma mi sussulto quando l’ho letto. Non è il tipo di post che fornisce un’immagine accurata di un luogo né è quello che devi usare quando pianifichi il viaggio. Evita articoli del genere.
7. Contenuto tempestivo
Infine, quanti anni ha l’articolo? Quando è stato aggiornato per l’ultima volta? Cambiamenti di viaggio così rapidamente che un post che è stato scritto cinque anni fa e non è stato aggiornato considerando che non apprezzo. Se il post non è stato aggiornato negli ultimi due anni, saltalo!
Parte seconda: cosa considerare durante la ricerca di un’azienda
1. Molte recensioni sono negative
Innanzitutto, quando riguarda l’utilizzo di un’azienda o di un sito Web di prenotazione che non conosci, è fondamentale ricordare una cosa: la maggior parte delle recensioni è molto probabile che sarà negativa.
I consumatori usano i siti di revisione per lamentarsi, non per lodare. È quasi sempre il modo in cui una società li ha fregati. Mentre questo è spesso il caso (nessuna azienda è la migliore del 100% delle volte – e non è solo aziende oscure; ho avuto amici orribili che cercavano di ottenere un rimborso da Expedia), molto del tempo è perché qualcuno Non ho letto la stampa fine.
Quindi questa è la cosa più cruciale da ricordare: le recensioni dei consumatori si inclinano sempre negative nello spazio di viaggio, quindi non dovresti essere troppo ansioso se un’azienda ha troppe recensioni negative (il diavolo è nei dettagli, non una valutazione a stelle!) .
2. Considera perché una recensione è negativa
When checking out consumer reviews, I look to see why these people are having a negative experience. For example, if a lot of of the negative reviews for a excursion company talk about how their guide didn’t know anything, I begin to think, “Maybe this excursion company isn’t that good.”
But if the negative reviews are mostly “THIS IS the worst company ever because MY hotel WAS only 2 stars and I expected 5 stars FOR THE $500 I PAID!” then I’ll neglect those certain negative reviews.
To me, these kinds of reviews are just rants, not helpful.
3. expert Opinion
What do travel writers, magazines, and newspapers say about this company? Do they match the negative consumer reviews, or do they paint the company in a different light? If excursion company X has tons of negative consumer reviews but the majority of professionals say it is good, I’ll opt for the professional opinion. If there’s a disconnect between what consumers say and what the majority of experts say, I depend on the experts.
That said, I’ll also look to make sure the experts aren’t being paid to say what they are saying. A lot of travel magazines get affiliate payments or commissions from travel/tour companies. before I weigh their opinion, I’ll double-check to make sure they aren’t getting paid to say it.
4. examining Reviews
Next, consider the following five points when checking out reviews:
How typically a Reviewer articles – When checking out user-generated reviews, I want to see how typically a user articles (most sites show you). If someone articles just once and writes a scathing review, chances are they are trying to vent because they didn’t get what they want.
Beware Too-Positive reviews – people don’t like to hurt other people’s feelings, so on a lot of the sharing-economy sites, people sugarcoat their reviews, because these hosts or guides aren’t a faceless corporation.
If some person gave you a excursion or if you stayed in someone’s house and it sucked, you’ll feel bad leaving a very negative review because you met that person and formed a (fleeting) relationship with them.
Beware a lack of details – This is how I ended up in an Airbnb that was directly above a bar. everyone said “it was noisy,” but nyc is noisy, so I just assumed that is what they meant.
Since that horrible incident, I only depend on reviews that are specific, details, and clear on what was good and what was bad. “I had a great time” or “This place was so so” doesn’t tell you anything and those reviews must be ignored.
Beware Paid Placements – Next, make sure the top reviews aren’t paid placements. The majority of booking sites allow companies to pay extra for higher or top “recommended” placement. All those top results? normally paid to be there.
So do what I do: neglect the top-recommended properties, sort by price, and then figure out where to book.
Are There Pictures? – Finally, when I look at booking sites, I also like to see what pictures people who have stayed there have posted. Of course, having a professional photographer take a picture vs. someone taking a picture with their phone are two very different things, but I like to at least get a sense of what the room looks like in a real-world setting.
***
None of these points make or break my planning on their own. I look at everything and see what the complete picture looks like. I look for patterns and averages. That is something you can’t really fake. depend on the average.
This might sound like it takes a lot of work, but it’s really just a long, drawn-out written version of what I keep in mind as I research. In reality, this list only takes a few minutes to run through in your head.
By looking in any way these factors, you’ll rarely end up at a place you don’t like, using a company that screws you over, or getting inaccurate and unhelpful information.
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Book Your Trip: Logistical ideas and Tricks
Prenota il tuo volo
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner. It’s my favorite search engine because it searches web sites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.
Prenota il tuo alloggio
Puoi prenotare il tuo ostello con Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the least expensive rates for guesthouses and hotels.
Non dimenticare l’assicurazione di viaggio
Travel insurance will secure you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s detailed protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it lots of times in the past