Travel Reviews- What to Look For

There are reviews for almost anything now. Google reviews, Amazon Reviews, Product reviews on most shopping websites and Travel Reviews. We depend on these reviews to make buying decisions but do you really know what you are looking at? As a travel agent, I love reviews and encourage my clients to use them as part of their own research.
I am not an expert on reviews by no means but I do read a lot of them and have learned some lessons over the years. There are several considerations when depending on travel reviews when deciding on a destination, cruise ship, excursion or even an attraction. Using these considerations will help.
There are several travel sites giving reviews but the ones you want to depend on are ones that require you to create an account and be a member. There is more of a commitment and a little less anonymity on sites like Trip Advisor or Cruise Critic.

• Make sure you are reading several reviews in a row. You want to look for consistency to make sure it’s not just a one off and that goes for negative and positive reviews. If someone rants about the food on a certain ship, then see if others say the same thing. If not, the food may not be bad, just not to that individuals taste.
• Look for extremes. If someone is using “this was the worst” or “the best vacation” ever, there may be some exaggerations in there. Not all ways but something to keep in mind. Still look for exaggerations.
• Look out for situations where the reviewer is complaining about something out of the cruise line or hotels control, like weather. So many people will slam a cruise line because it rained in Nassau while they were there. Folks, mother nature does not look at your vacation calendar.
• Lastly if you see a bad review, check the date of the review or date of travel. Sometimes the review is old and so is the information. For example, a ship may get a review that is dirty or needs updating. Well, there may have been a dry dock or will be before you travel so that issue could have been resolved.

These were just a few tips when reading reviews. They are a valuable research tool, just be mindful when reading them,

Remember, for all your travel needs, you can contact me at (904) 534-4318 or email mike@freedomtoroamtravel.com. Although I specialize in cruises, I have experience in all types of travel.
 
 
 
 
 

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