Travel Reviews

Epinions (www.Epinions.com) – Unbiased reviews (some cranky, most helpful) from real people. Go to the toolbar and click on Travel to find literally thousands of personal observations about hotels, resorts, cruises, airlines, ski resorts, parks, and tour operators. The huge database is broken out by state, region, and country.

Fodors (www.Fodors.com) – The user-generated reviews (mostly hotels and restaurants) are generally more helpful than the Fodor’s reviews.

Gusto (www.Gusto.com) – This site covers hotels around the world, and has an audience that’s 70 percent female with an average age of 39.

HotelShark (www.HotelShark.com) – Provides a composite summary of reviews in a Zagat-like approach.

IgoUgo (www.IgoUgo.com) – The site, owned by the same company that operates Travelocity, has 350,000 members.

LonelyPlanet (www.LonelyPlanet.com) – The highly regarded British travel book publisher offers opinions and practical information posted by hardcore travelers.

My Travel Guide (www.mytravelguide.com) – Launched in 2000, MyTravelGuide draws from more than a million reviews from around the world. Make a big pot of coffee and be prepared to spend a little time reading “about all things travel”.

Travelistic (www.travelistic.com) – A compilation of travel videos posted by travelers worldwide. At last count, there were more than 4,000 video posts.

TripAdvisor (www.TripAdvisor.com) – Owned by Expedia, TripAdvisor is the most comprehensive listing of professional and amateur reviews of hotels worldwide. In the words of the Wall Street Journal, this site is “a first stop for travel planning”. Now in its eighth year, nearly 30 million visitors a month drop by to read what other users have to say about where to stay, eat, and play around the world. Click on the Forums for some of the 10 million user-generated reviews, blogs and videos.

Zoomandgo (www.zoomandgo.com) – The site, whose tagline is live it, rate it, shoot it, share it, gathers reviews and video clips of hotels and vacations around the world.