So you've read about a great resort in a magazine and it sounds awesome. But you're not sure if your kids will have fun and we all know that if the kids ain't happy then mom's not happy. So you ask around. No one in your family has any intel and not one person in your moms group has been.
Vacations can be so expensive these days and that's why it is so important to research your options before deciding on your destination. Magazine reviews can be helpful but a lot of times they don't really get down to the nitty gritty. Most well-known travel writers are given the VIP treatment from the resort because, obviously, the resort knows they're going to write about them.
So what's a mom to do? Check out TripAdvisor.com. There's a reason why their tagline is "Get the Truth. Then Go." TripAdvisor.com offers traveler reviews for just about any resort and hotel in the world so you can hear first-hand from other parents if the resort was kid-friendly and all the other details. Some travelers even take pictures of menus, the grounds, and the inside of hotel rooms letting other users see exactly what to expect versus a glossy resort photo. As part of their review, users can recommend the type of demographic the vacation spot is best suited for: families, singles, young people, couples, seniors, etc. While not all the travelers giving reviews are parents, all of them are helpful. After all if a young couple complains about a lot of kids running around...it might be a perfect match for you. Want even more discussion? The TripAdvisor.com forum should satisfy your research cravings if the reviews aren't enough for you. Once you've decided on your destination, TripAdvisor.com lets you compare prices at many of the travel booking sites you're probably already familiar with such as: Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, Orbitz.com, and Hotels.com ensuring you get the best deal possible.
My husband and I have used TripAdvisor.com to research every major vacation we've taken and have not been steered wrong once. If you're the type of mom that likes to find out every single detail she can before making a big decision...TripAdvisor.com is the way to go.
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