Using Trip Advisor When Everyone Else Can Too

Ten years ago during my first backpacking experience westward from Japan to New York through a dozen countries, travel was very much a guidebook adventure.  Lonely Planet, Fodors, and Frommers told me where to eat, sleep, and visit.  Entire budgets and 4-month trips hinged on my dedication to these books.  I was an LP fanatic.  But times change and the internet now plays a huge role in travel planning.  The web has great places to research travel and accommodations.  But readers should be aware that many sites (like Trip Advisor) are open-source sites where information can be flawed and even purposefully misleading.

Don’t Believe All Trip Advisor Hype

For a long time, Trip Advisor was my ace-in-the-hole.  I lived by positive and negative reviews.  But now 5 months into our South American trip, I’m starting to see little gaps.  While traveling, I met a hotel owner who was being harassed via Trip Advisor users.  Someone didn’t like her #1 Ranking for Best Hotel in Ecuador, and subsequently began a slander campaign.  Every day, a negative report would appear: this hotel doesn’t accept Muslims, this hotel is dangerous for small children, this hotel is a hostel.  The comments spanned the gamut of the ridiculous and my new friend had to bear the brunt of it.

So when using Trip Advisor, I am now cautious.  I look at hotels beyond the first page and scour both good and bad ratings with an objective eye. When I find a review that is interesting, I examine the reviewer:  how long have they been a TA contributor?  How many posts have they published?  Senior reviewers with multiple comments over a long span of time are most likely legitimate.  Conversely, I usually take my time with new reviewers.  If it’s their first post, I weigh their opinion with more skepticism especially if it is written in a neutral third person voice where they do not cite specific personal accounts.

Tips for Surfing Trip Advisor

Most people look at the top five hotels and stop.  That’s pretty unfair to the other hotels, don’t you think?  When Neil and I were planning our stop in Huanchaco, Peru, I used Trip Advisor to see if there were any hidden gems.  On the third page of the Huanchaco search, I found a hostal with 3 stellar reviews—all written in first person and all from seemingly seasoned reviewers.  I then did a general search engine query for the hostal and read three blogs about the hotel.  Again, all were magnificent and emphasized how the hotel was a hidden gem on the beach with clean rooms, friendly owners, and an insanely affordable rate of 15 Soles per person (US$7.50).  We booked and to this day, the Oceano Hospedaje is the best hotel that we’ve had in Peru.

Most travelers within a specific geographical area will be traveling similar routes.  People who are in Lima may possibly visit Huanchaco, Huacachina, and places to the north like Chiclayo.  On Trip Advisor, senior reviewers will post their reviews regularly.  When you find someone who writes a helpful review about a place that you are traveling to, you can actually see what other posts that person has written.  So if someone wrote great advice about a place in Chachapoyas then they probably have other great comments about cities you may like too.

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