TripAdvisor: Friend or Foe?

[Nov-09-Bride]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abbie i ADORE trip advisor! my hubby and i always say, there are 2 kinds of people who travel to mexico (for example): ~travelers- a traveler books the best hotel for their money and expects little but is rewarded by being surprised with way more than they thought they were getting. a traveler is the kind of person who tips well for services, doesnt complain much, and is just happy to be on a tropical vacation in a beautiful and warm location with a drink in their hand while sitting in the pool, instead of at home/work, and will find a way to make any situation work for them. ~vacationers- people who should have stayed in america/canada because nothing is good enough for them. unadventurous people. people who are used to being spoiled and waited on hand and foot but dont tip well even for fantastic service. people who expect 5 star/diamond/apple service and accomodations in a 3rd world country thats sometimes-motto is "Manana, I'm on Mexican time!" rude, pushy, and unaware that the native people of the country are human beings too. anyways, we always read the review with these descriptions in mind, you can immediately pick the "traveler" reviews from the "vacationer" reviews. hubby and i definately see ourselves as travelers, and we have never been so disappointed or disgusted with a place that we have stayed at that we came home and wrote an embarassing review like some i have seen on TA! my absolute favorite part about the trip advisor reviews is you can look at REAL pictures taken by and uploaded by the actual person, rather than just the resort/hotel photos that the PR person for the hotel chain wanted you to see. you can see exactly what you are getting yourself into: bugs, mold, dirt, linens, bathrooms, pools, bars, buffets, everything! if you dont like what you see, dont stay there! i always look at the traveler photos first when i start researching any hotel, pictures dont lie! but just take what you read with a grain of salt, if you feel good about the place and you dont go there expecting perfection, you will end up having the best vacation every time

AMEN sister! I am with you on that! I love trip advisor and I do keep in mind the difference in Vacationers and Travelers. My FI and I are hooked on looking at the pictures as well, it really does give you the "real" feel and look of the resort! This is how we chose the resort for our DW. We did a lot of research and then went to TA and read the reviews and looked at the pictures, some of them even had videos!!! Totally great!!

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