Holiday reviews sites such as Trip Advisor are great, popular hotels traditionally have hundreds of reviews on them, and most importantly they are IMPARTIAL, although many of the holiday review sites also sell holidays, they have no particular affiliation with specific holiday companies, so have no reason not to give you completely frank and honest reviews. A little word of advice, if you find one or two bad reviews out of hundreds, in any normal circumstances I wouldn’t let it put you off…
Communicate with people that you know using Social Media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, ask a question on your status such as “has anyone been to New York, if so where do you recommend I stay?” If you have a few friends on both it is likely that you will find someone that has been to the place you plan to go, and give you good recommendations.
Ask someone that knows you such as friends or family. Someone that knows you and your character will probably be able to give you the best advice on your holiday. They may even be able to recommend hotels, activities and places to visit during your stay.
Be careful when booking with travel agents, because many times they will have purely commercial interests at heart, i.e. you may be recommended a place purely because it is expensive and the travel agent will earn the most commission. However, this is not always the case, they may make great recommendations. In short, it’s hard to trust an opinion if you haven’t spoken to someone that has been to the place you plan to visit. That’s why I always encourage you to do your own research.
Although it is always recommended to do at least a small amount of research, this may not always be possible. There are still some “gems” in the world that are beautiful and safe places but have a small amount of visits by Tourists. So sometimes you need to take a risk!
Check that the resort or area you are going is safe to visit, some places it may be recommended to stay within the resort either all of the time or at night.
What is the nature of the resort or the area you are going to? For example is it a party orientated or 18-30 sort of place? That is why you need to do as much research as possible or speak to someone in the know. For example, a resort such as Magalia or Malian would rarely be appropriate for a retired couple or a family holiday if the couple has young children. However, it may be a perfect place for a group of 20 year olds to go to. Don’t be put off just because a certain place on an Island may be party orientated, it does not mean that the entire Island is the same, for example certain parts of Ibiza are very party orientated, but certain parts are much quieter. Thailand may be associated with young students traveling on their gap year, but many older people also visit Thailand.
