Travelling is fun especially when you’re going to a foreign land to explore the place, meet new people, eat their delicacy foods and “get down” with a new culture. To get the most out of my trip, I make sure to do intensive research on the little known “go to” attractions within the city or outskirts of the area, scour the best hotel or resort accommodation deals and the “must try” diners and restaurants.

TripAdvisor is my ultimate companion when creating my travel itinerary and should be yours too! It’s all about travellers sharing their photos and experience with other travellers. 

Using TripAdvisor, you can see hundreds and thousands of reviews from different people all over the globe. You’ll be able to have an idea what to expect or not in the different places you’re going or spending the night at. You’ll read not only the reviews of happy visitors but also frank reviews of guests who did not enjoy their stay at a particular hotel due to nasty bed bugs or molds. You can even read a few reviews cursing a place because of high charges but the quality of service is subpar. Albeit all these negative rants, there are still many people who gave out positive reviews.

How do I deal with the reviews overall? I make sure to read a handful of reviews before jumping to conclusions. I find consistency on the reviews and comments made towards a particular restaurant, resort or attraction. Moreover, I always make a point to look at a place’s rates, its good side and bad sides.

Lastly, among those great features that the TripAdvisor app has to offer is that they allow its users to download maps, reviews and photos for them to keep. The app updated its feature so that offline users can still have these information when travelling even without internet connection or cellular reception. You can wander in the woods with your maps and enjoy nature without being bombarded with social media notifications, work emails and voice calls – just you and mother nature!