Comments on: The Future of Travel: The End of Tourist Traps https://www.travelcodex.com/the-future-of-travel-the-end-of-tourist-traps/ Your Resource for Better Travel Sat, 03 Mar 2018 05:35:42 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2 By: MeanMeosh https://www.travelcodex.com/the-future-of-travel-the-end-of-tourist-traps/#comment-519128 Wed, 11 Jan 2017 19:05:00 +0000 https://www.travelcodex.com/?p=44977#comment-519128 I think we need to be careful about branding anything “popular” as a “tourist trap”, and also automatically dismissing anything that fits into that category as not worthy of exploration. Sure, “making friends”, “branching out to different neighborhoods”, going places off the beaten path, etc. might be your preferred style of travel, but that’s not going to be enjoyable for everyone. If one of my relatives were visiting from India for two weeks, would I seriously tell them to go walk around some hipster neighborhood in Brooklyn and avoid Times Square because it’s too touristy? Surely not, unless of course I don’t think said relative would enjoy Times Square based on his or her personality. That’s actually something I struggle with a lot when people ask me for travel advice. Naturally, my first instinct is to recommend things based on my personal preferences and biases. But if that person really wants to experience touristy stuff, then that’s where I need to steer them.

All that being said, if the broader point is that information is king, then absolutely, that’s important. If someone really wants to go to the touristy pub in London that serves crappy food, more power to them. I’ll use that same information to pick someplace quieter with better local flavor. Win-win for both of us.

]]> By: Eric Boromisa https://www.travelcodex.com/the-future-of-travel-the-end-of-tourist-traps/#comment-519117 Wed, 11 Jan 2017 06:06:00 +0000 https://www.travelcodex.com/?p=44977#comment-519117 Yeah that’s why I’m not a big fan of TripAdvisor (“this is the best hotel in all of Athens!” N=1, “this is the best food but they charged us for bread even though we didn’t want any and left it on the table” n=3 – and one of those was room service)

I think most novice tourists are just happy to see a smiling face and will bestow the greatest praise on a mediocre restaurant or hotel, but as soon as the process differs from home, they go ape. As you do this more, you get a wider and wider bell curve of experiences – I’m an hour into a ground delay in Greece right now and this is still “meh, average – might as well reply to comments while I wait” 🙂

]]> By: bluecat https://www.travelcodex.com/the-future-of-travel-the-end-of-tourist-traps/#comment-519116 Wed, 11 Jan 2017 06:02:00 +0000 https://www.travelcodex.com/?p=44977#comment-519116 Yelp is full of fawning millenial “look at how witty I am” writing
Tripadvisor is full of fake reviews
Hell, even AirBnB (“verified”!!) reviews can and are faked

It’s the old argument of what’s better: curated articles or everyman-as-author

If I find a curator I like, I’d go with that. It’s kinda like your “Smart medium” approach, except without the obnoxious writing style.

]]> By: Eric Boromisa https://www.travelcodex.com/the-future-of-travel-the-end-of-tourist-traps/#comment-519115 Wed, 11 Jan 2017 06:01:00 +0000 https://www.travelcodex.com/?p=44977#comment-519115 In reply to Credit.

Which is more insufferable, the tourist or the tout?

]]> By: Credit https://www.travelcodex.com/the-future-of-travel-the-end-of-tourist-traps/#comment-519100 Tue, 10 Jan 2017 16:27:00 +0000 https://www.travelcodex.com/?p=44977#comment-519100 If you see a tourist being Schleped by a tout, do you go and rescue the tourist or do you just them get Schleped because it’s none of your business?

I think most people would do nothing.

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