TripAdvisor: A Detailed Review 2017
We’re crazy about TripAdvisor
OK, spoiler alert. We feel that TripAdvisor has been the greatest help in our trip planning of any site out there. Yet many people hate it, and many of those are seasoned travellers. Here, we will explain what TripAdvisor is, what you can use it for, and the pros and cons. Read along and see if it is for you.
TripAdvisor is the world’s largest travel site. Chances are high that you have used it yourself before. Its main feature is user-generated reviews of hotels. things to do, and restaurants, in pretty much every city, town, and village in the world. Each place has its own forum too, where you can ask local experts about anything that you can’t find the answer to. Chances are high that you can get the answer here.
Pros of TripAdvisor
- The scale of its reach. As I mentioned before, it covers pretty much anywhere in the world. It is very rare for a tourist attraction, hotel, or restaurant to not reviewed on here.
- The user-generated reviews. TripAdvisor offers everyone, including you, the chance to rate the places that you have visited. You give a star rating between 1 and 5, and a short review. The many reviews then combine to create a ranking. You can see at a glance what the top rated restaurant in a city is, for example.
- TripAdvisor is a one-stop shop. You can book flights, accommodation, and even restaurants directly from the site.
Cons of TripAdvisor
- Much controversy abounds about the truthfulness of many reviews. It is easy for a company to sign up anonymously, and post their own reviews. Conversely, a rival business could easily put bogus poor reviews up about a competitor.
- As many of the reviews are user-generated, there is no quality control. Often the reviews can be poorly written, hard to read, or have you thinking, ‘what the hell?’
The Best Way to Approach the Site
For us, the positive points far outweigh the negative when it comes to TripAdvisor. If you are the type of person that doesn’t like using different websites for different aspects of the planning, then it is your best option. Practically everything can be done through TripAdvisor. Book your flight, check and book accommodation, plan your itinerary, and even book restaurants, all in one place. Anything that isn’t answered already, just ask in the forum. It is an awe-inspiring resource.
We love their regular e-mails with the top beaches in the world, or best underwater restaurants, or whatever it is at the time. It is great for inspiration, planning and booking a trip, and we have found that we have some great experiences when we take the advice given on the site. With regards to the bogus reviews, the best bit of advice is to ignore the reviews of anyone with just one or two reviews to their name. They are not all fake, of course, but chances are a lot are.
Do you use TripAdvisor? Love it or hate it?
