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Planning a good experience and sorting through the opinionated reviews

My own perspective on travel has changed and broadened this year in particular. No more am I going to assume a place is a certain way before actually giving it a chance. I recommend freeing your thought from the opinions and just start fresh. 

There is a big picture way to look at planning a trip. We are all different and I am not attempting to set any opinions on how people should look at travel. I am simply going to share what I do to plan a trip when I am in or going to a destination and give ideas from there. Something I notice when travel planning is that when it comes to searching for the top things to do in a location, almost always the main focus is on zoos, museums, shopping, more museums, and probably trying the food a place is known for. These are nice suggestions, but many times I don’t have the whole day to spend at just one attraction and sometimes even one place. Unless I am convinced that it is well worth the time and that I need to adjust my travel plans, I usually keep searching for other options. I personally am always looking for accurate referrals pointing me towards something really worth the time invested. The best referrals come from locals, or friends and family, but, if that isn’t an option, reviews online can be very helpful guides.

A great point made from a friend recently was in how different we are perceiving travel now compared to just a few years ago. Tik Tok, Facebook, Instagram, Trip Advisor, Youtube, blogs, all have brought the beauty of the world into our homes with a high quality visual. We can now see first hand experiences, get recommendations, and build up a desire to travel to these new places to see and experience them for ourselves. Gone are the days of only seeing a place either by going there firsthand, by immediate referrals, or through travel guides. We can pretty much choose a nice campsite without having to drive around the campground and avoid that not so good hotel or restaurant experience all based on reviews, videos, and photos. Unfortunately this has also added an overwhelming pressure element to traveling that involves figuring out the perfect thing to do and see and what perspective to trust that wasn’t quite as extreme previously. But, to relieve that pressure, don’t get caught up too much on reviews. After all, you are making the final decision. Just take the recommendations lightly and plan according to what you are hoping to get out of the experience. One person’s negative takeaway from an experience might not bother you at all. Weigh the price, the time involved, and the overall quality and make a sound judgment based on what you gather from the reviews.

Since there are many websites out there that like to repeat the same information and suggestions as other websites, skimming through multiple websites comes in handy. I look for key words that pop out and grab my interest. Look for things that interest you (if you are traveling alone) or your family, friends, etc. What is this place known for? For example, recently we would be driving through Denver, CO that day and we really only had a couple hours to spare there. The morning of, I did a quick search online in the hotel before checking out and leaving. At first I skim the standard top attraction lists by googling top attractions in Denver. Trip Advisor is a good website list to scroll through. This particular general search gave me the standard attractions that would require more time in the city than we actually had: museum, zoo, botanical garden, sports stadiums, etc. Next, I started using key words to go a little further beyond the touristy suggestions. “Local favorites” and “hidden gems” started to show me interesting and doable activities in our timeframe.

This website gave some really great activities: https://www.extraspace.com/blog/moving/city-guides/unique-local-spots-hidden-gems-in-denver-you-must-visit/

Also, secretdenver.com came up for interesting ideas in the city.

Words that popped out to me about Denver were: trendy restaurant/bar scene, antique shopping, thrift shopping, vintage shopping, and live music. We decided to visit some nostalgia shops. Now, I actually didn’t end up going to any of the places listed on these sites, but the ideas inspired me to search for best antique stores in google maps. We started at a really well reviewed antique mall, Brass Armadillo Antique Mall, in the suburbs of Denver and ended up spending so much time there that we didn’t even make it to the other places, which closed at 5pm. When writing this blog I did notice that the Brass Armadillo is a chain antique mall throughout the Midwest, and there are other locations in other states. For mention of places that are specific to Denver, we were going to stop at a nostalgia toy store (Fifty Two 80’s) and a vintage clothing store (Regal Vintage). Before leaving the Denver area we found a Korean BBQ fast casual restaurant and then we continued on our way. The restaurant was chosen based on our preference at the moment and a place that was faster than a sit down restaurant with good reviews. Even though we didn’t have a lot of time there, we both enjoyed Denver and tried something different and unique.