Travel Like A Pro, Part 5: How To Use Reviews To Plan Your Travel
- Nov 9
- 7 min read
How to Read & Use Reviews
To Plan Your Travel
A review is an opinion that someone has about a product or service based on the person's experience. and knowledge. A review can be subjective, based on someone's emotions or reactions or objective, based on accurate facts the person has about the subject to help them give their opinion. In addition to a review, there are also ratings, usually using stars from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest. Many companies use both reviews and ratings.
A person's review will be based on many aspects: their expectations, their experience with traveling, experience with a particular company, or even someone's mood. In order to help you to be a more informed traveler and to make productive decisions that will lead to a great vacation, it's important that you know how to use a review to plan your travel effectively.
Many travelers read or watch reviews about airlines, lodging, attractions, vehicle rental agencies, locations, restaurants and more when they prepare for a trip. But with thousands of reviews and ratings online and so little time, how do you know which reviews are objective enough for you to make an informed decision? Read on so that you know how to use reviews to plan your travel.
Here are our 10 top tips that will help you to use reviews objectively:
1. Look at the lowest rated reviews first. Then sort them by date. Sometimes, when a rating is negative, the company has taken steps to resolve the problem. So, a review from 2012 might not be valid in 2025. Then read the lowest ratings again with the most recent date to determine if the issue is valid, if it still exists. Look to see if there are pictures or photos to support what they are saying. Don't forget to read Tip 6. For example, I saw one person rate a product with one star because it had not been delivered! So, how can you rate it if you did not have it? Read them carefully and be aware of reviews that may have been translated. The meaning might not have quite made the transition.
2. Read or watch the reviews that are the most recent and see if there is anything in common about the hotel, cruise line, airline, transportation, restaurant or attraction, etc. If a particular good thing with the place or service is mentioned several times in several different reviews, it is very possible that the aspect is really a positive. But be careful of the wording. If it sounds stilted, stiff, too formal or in weird phrases, it could be fake. Look for valid aspects such as "verified buyer," or "verified customer" something like that. Know there are many companies that pay reviewers. Or some companies either ask their employees to write reviews. Too many 5 star reviews and not a lot of 4 or 3 star reviews is just as bad as a lot of 1 or 2 star reviews. Nothing is perfect. So that brings us the next tip.
3. Read the mediocre reviews (scores of 3 stars). Many times, these reviews are the most objective. The customers will say something positive and negative and they will justify their opinions with evidence and clear explanations. An example is: "the hotel was crappy because the rug was ripped and the shower had mold in it." That's better than "the shower was filthy." Filthy to one person can be a speck of dust while filthy to another person can be actually dirty. This will help to be better informed as you use reviews to help your plan your travel. Remember many people do not want to give a perfect score based on the philosophy that no one or nothing perfect, so sometimes the actual review sounds like a 4 star review even though the person gave it 3 stars. Again, look for visual proof. Many fake reviews often don't have photos or the photos are perfect.
4. Look to see if the reason for a low review is the staff or the location and not the physical property itself. Now, that can be justification for giving a low score, especially if it affected the quality of the experience. But, it does not mean that the hotel/airline/restaurant/attraction itself is totally unacceptable. If the reviewer does not speak of the company itself but rants on about attitudes, then read another review. And again, look at the date of the review. And look for a specific reason why people may deduct a star: "Good hotel except for..."
5. Read or watch other reviews by the reviewer. If the person seems to be complaining all the time and never has a positive or even a mediocre review, then you will know that the issue is with the reviewer and not the companies per se. Some people just like to complain or they are never satisfied. Which brings us to the next tip...
6. People have different levels of acceptability. One person will believe someone has an attitude if they don't look up right away and another person might be able to see that the person is finishing a computer transaction and be able to respect that. Also, the level of experience in travel can affect a person's perspective. It may will be difficult to figure out someone's perspective when reading/watching the review, but your level of experience will be able to figure out the actual facts opposed someone's exaggerations to make a point, especially videos. Sometimes, people want to be outrageous to get views for their blog or social media accounts. People may be going for sensationalism. Many times it's bravado.
7. Be able to determine if circumstances are beyond the company's control. For example, some areas are prone to blackouts of electricity. The company should be responsible for their response to the situation: how long did they wait before checking on guests (a reasonable time would be 1/2 hour if the area has them all the time), are there flashlights in the room (to indicate they are prepared), is there information in the room that this happens often, etc. The company should not be responsible for the the blackout itself (unless they don't have a backup generator for their computer system). Sometimes a location may not be near shopping, or public transportation or it's near train tracks. A hotel may very well be near a stadium or college, but it may be on a very busy road or the motel room doors may face an extremely busy highway.
8. If you know a company fairly well, such as a hotel chain, an airline, or a restaurant group that specializes in fine dining, pay attention to a high number of negative or medium reviews about one location in particular. It could be that location has an issue, meaning the franchise owner is not holding up the reputation of the parent company. This is important as people like to use one brand to build points and using reviews to help plan your travel helps with this. Look at the dates to see if the reviews are recent and then, if you are particularly loyal to this brand, you might want to email customer service at the main office to voice your concerns. You don't need to complain, you can just be concerned. "I noticed that one of locations of your brands that I normally use has a lot of low ratings, which is unusual for your company. Are you aware of this?" You would be surprised: they may answer with an honest response and you might get extra reward points. They may also have an alternative location to recommend.
9. The best reviews will be the ones that describe the experience with details. Again, look for photos. Then, you can make your own determination. For example, many cruise excursions promise a drink, transportation and a meal. Many people imagine a top shelf cocktail in a glass, a premium bus with WiFi and an endless buffet featuring steak and lobster. The reality is you will get a rum punch, with a lot of ice in a plastic cup, adequate transportation (usually a coach bus or a comfy van, but it depends on how far the destination is) and a plate of food with no seconds, almost always rice and peas and chicken in the Caribbean. Lately, the excursions have included a bottle of water. Seasoned travelers will say that the excursion was good if the purpose of the trip was fulfilled: they snorkeled, they got their historical tour, they shopped until they dropped, etc. Complainers will say that they got a cheap drink and a bus with no bathroom (which is really a good thing, by the way). It's all about perspective.
Another example is European travel by those from outside that region. Rooms are smaller, there might not be air conditioning and there might not be an elevator (the lift). The room is also likely to have less furniture, no carpeting and spotty WiFi. Someone who is not experienced will be likely to give a low rating regardless of the hospitality of the staff, the location of the hotel and the cleanliness and security of the property. Perspective.
10. As your travel become more varied, you will be able decide more effectively which reviews and ratings actually will help to plan your trip better. And follow us for our hotel tours and reviews, sightseeing walkthroughs and more Tips for Your Trips.
Good luck and Happy Travels!
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All photos and videos created and copyrighted by Marcia Crayton, unless otherwise noted.
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