Using and understanding online reviews is a critical step in the travel planning process. I use reviews all the time, but with a healthy dose of filtering and some skepticism. Below are some basic tips. Find your favorite travel blogs and review sites and stick with them while you plan.

Hotel and restaurants have potentially hundreds or thousands of reviews online. The good news is there are a lot of reviews. The bad news is there are too many that are overly positive or negative or possibly bogus. It is the Wild West when it comes to reviews online, nothing is curated. Using and Understanding Online Reviews is very important for anyone and especially for those planning a trip. Way too many people either gush all over a place with a 5 star review or go all into a tizzy with a 1 star review. Something like “When I finally got to the door past the firefighters, the owner, fighting back their tears, said they were closed. Also the place reeked of smoke. 1 star, never going back.”

There are a few things you can do. A really good travel guide can be more objective. It is written professionally and they have a reputation to protect. Online reviews can be anyone with any agenda. For online information I check not just the 5 star reviews, but the 3 & 4 star reviews which can be a bit more objective. Also, I like to look at the rating ratio. Below the reviews suggest that the hotel on top may be better than the one on the bottom as their ratio of excellent reviews is higher than the 2nd hotel. It isn’t a foolproof process, but after a short while you get better deciphering reviews.

Decide what is important to you when searching reviews. For hotels I want clean rooms, well located, quiet neighborhood, and sometimes a kitchen or restaurant. Filter using keywords to narrow your search. Most travel sites allow you to filter this way. Using the keyword “noise” or “location” will give you reviews that focus on that attribute. Pictures are very informative as good hotels don’t have mold in traveler’s bathroom photos. Pictures may not be the deciding factor, but it can help sway you between 2 places.

Online Reviews: Restaurants

Restaurant reviews are also all over the map and need to be weeded out. Just like hotels, places rated under 3.5 stars I toss out. Again, look at the pictures. Well presented food that looks appetizing usually translates to more care, and hopefully a better dining experience. I can never understand when a place has a 2 star or lower rating why people even go there. I love it when you read “We took a chance despite the 2 star review and it sucked.” What is happening in your head? I eliminate reviews with the word Yummy and Delish. I hate Yummy! Are you describing food to your 3 year old damn it? Yummy is ignored immediately as you are too childish to review anything more complex than peas. Delish, need I elaborate? Ooey Gooey?! I want to scream GROW UP you simpleton!

I had to get that off my chest. Where was I …

Reviews of trendy restaurant are too often overly favorable. Take those reviews with a grain of salt. If it is a “Must Eat” place people get too caught up in the hype and reach for that 5 star button too easily. It is THE place to eat after all, it must be great. That doesn’t mean every highly rated restaurant is over rated, far from it. Some are just over hyped. I’ve eaten at a few of these places only to be disappointed or say it was a good 4 star experience, but not 5.

I actually don’t waste a lot of time looking for restaurants before my trip. Too often I find a nice restaurant in a particular neighborhood and I not at that location at the right time. If I am celebrating an event such as an anniversary or birthday that’s when I put effort into the right restaurant. Is pizza a must try in Naples Italy? Sure, but I never waited in line to get “the best” pizza in Naples and “the best” pizza I had was … in Sicily.

Sometimes the good old fashion way to find a restaurant is best. A good review and busy restaurant, especially full of locals, usually translates into good food. If I find a 4 star rated restaurant with no people eating there, something seems amiss. (Unless you are there at 6PM in Europe before the locals even think about dining.) I pass by restaurants if someone is in front enticing you with a menu. That’s a giant red flag as good restaurants seldom need to do that. Giant glossy pre-printed menus is a warning. European and overseas restaurants cook based on the season and availability so the menu changes too frequently to laminate a menu. Keep moving.

Online reviews are a great resource, but make sure you understand the pros and cons. Learn to decipher them as best possible and narrow your search using keywords to focus on what is important to you.