Travel Tip #59 - Check reviews from other Customers

     Five years ago, my wife and I went on a cruise with some friends of ours. In preparation for the trip, we got a list of the shore excursions and decided what we wanted to do at each island. Relying solely on the cruise ships descriptions of each excursion, we debated among the various options until we finally made our choices. Among our choices, we decided to take a tour of what was labeled "the world's only drive-in volcano." It turned out to be a major disappointment - primarily because it was false advertising. First of all, it wasn't true - we'd been to other places in Yellowstone and Hawaii that fit their definition of a "drive-in volcano." Second, it wasn't nearly as cool as it sounded. Every few minutes one of our fellow tourists would ask when we were going to enter the volcano and our tour guide had to keep explaining that we were already in the collapsed caldera of the volcano. Third, by taking that tour, we missed out on another tour we would have enjoyed much more - swimming with sting rays.
     The reason for mentioning this trip is to illustrate the importance of reading independent reviews. The reviews the cruise company provides are going to be biased in favor of the trip since they want you to spend your money on the tour. Yet, if we would have done more research, we would have realized that the volcano was basically sulfur pits instead of the magnificent caldera we imagined. Since then, we have done a better job at checking out reviews. Not only have they helped us decide which places to visit when we are short on time, they also given us hints on the best time of day to visit them.
     In addition to reading reviews, I also recommend writing your own reviews. If you liked something, let other people know about it. If you didn't, other people need to know that too. You might be the voice of reason that makes a positive difference in helping someone else have a great vacation instead of just a good one.
     P.S. I noticed that since posting my own review of the aforementioned volcano, the official tour site has changed their definition to the "Caribbean's only drive-in volcano." It might only be a small change, but at least it is more accurate than before.