Travel Needs More Advocates

If you don’t have anything nice to say…

What happened to that old adage that seemingly guided polite public discourse for our parents and grandparents?

Maybe it’s just blithely looking at “good old days” that never really existed, but I personally long for a time when positives outweighed the negatives and it wasn’t so difficult to find a truly good experience.

Of course, those who have done any sort of travel searching online know what I’m talking about.

I don’t want to totally blame the OTAs, but there’s a correlation here—just as there is on product reviews for places like Amazon or other online retailers. Wading between the overly positive reviews (*cough*paid for*cough*) and the overly negative ones is absolutely tiring to the nth degree.

It is really at the point where Tripadvisor, Yelp and the like have become almost completely meaningless and my reading of those reviews has become as subjective as I know the writing of them to be.

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Again, I don’t think it’s the OTA’s “fault” per se, but it’s human nature at its finest (i.e. worst). Of course, the overly positive reviews are going to happen thanks to friends, family, PR hacks and overanxious reviewers who don’t know better (see: the local Olive Garden’s five-star reviews wherever you may be).

The overly negative reviews are going to happen as well thanks to a culture that says any perceived or minor slight needs to be shouted about from any and all mountaintops.

Which brings us to social media, because…ugh.

I’ll mea culpa and admit to being a pain at times when it comes to getting my way on social media. I learned a long time ago that I shouldn’t waste my time at the “customer service” (ha!) counter at airports and simply tweet at Delta or American instead. It’s infinitely better service—especially when you have a decent-sized following.

Have I used that same routine in other situations…even when I wasn’t really that dissatisfied and just wanted to see what I can get?

Guilty as charged.

Your Facebook page, twitter feed and whatever other social accounts you have (save maybe Instagram) is likely always going to be filled with more negative than positive for one big reason: Our culture feeds off the negative. In the most positive sense, we would never want someone else to experience our negative moments and so we gladly “warn” others.

Let’s be honest, though, there’s also some malice involved in terms of getting back at someone who wronged us—intentionally or not.

We need more positive advocates in the travel space. But what’s the answer?

I, for one, can tell you that TravelPulse is committed to being a positive advocate for travel brands and destinations. Are there always going to be negative news stories that a news website must report on? Of course.

However, we maintain committed to the very real fact that travel is, intrinsically, a positive experience and the positives should always outweigh the negatives.

READ MORE: Balancing 'Yes' and 'No' the Key to an Epic Vacation

Travel agents, too, are a huge positive driver in this regard. No other industry has the vast resource of unbiased, consumer-driven, positive reviews that travel agents can bring.

They will move you away from destinations and brands they personally didn’t enjoy in a positive way, still allowing you to see for yourself if you truly want (the customer IS always right) while providing better and more tailor-made options in a way no other industry could ever duplicate.

Seriously, a travel agent is like having Consumer Reports or J.D. Power and Associates as your personal shopping companion, making sure you always get the most bang for your buck.

The biggest and best answer to this question, however, is always going to be you.

Our combined power as the travel community is always going to move the needle more than one travel website or even one travel agent. If you have good experiences—share them! Don’t just share them to get likes or retweets, but because the companies and destinations that do good work deserve to be enjoyed by others.

A good example of my attempt to do this is a recent trip to Alaska. I didn't know what to expect in this new-to-me location, but I was excited for the trip—for all the wrong reasons. Alaska (especially Southeast Alaska) is not nearly as remote or cold as I thought it was going to be.

I was picturing "Northern Exposure" and found places that had more in common with "Portlandia." As a foodie/millennial who enjoys craft beer and small-batch gin, I was quite literally in a heaven I didn't think I'd ever find.

Even as I went further North into the state, I still found surprises and amazing facets to the experience that I never would have thought about.

I've not only already started planning my return trip, but I've also daydreamed about just moving there—something that would've been an absurdity just months ago.

READ MORE: Big or Small? The Best Way to Cruise Alaska

Guess what: Absolutely everyone I've talked to upon returning had the same sort of picture of Alaska I originally did.

No one thinks of the unique coolness of a place like Ketchikan that can only be accessed via water. No one dreams that Juneau might actually be the next Portland/Austin or that their foodie scene may actually surpass those other "cool" destinations. Approximately zero people from the lower 48 know to expect just how urban Anchorage is while also being surrounded by the most beautiful landscape. 

So, write your unbiased and even-handed reviews online, sure. Post your pics to Instagram, I’ll make sure to double tap them. Do all that, yes, but do more.

In an overly negative culture, focus your conversations on the positive. Remember the names of awesome tour guides or fantastic drivers. Don’t just tell people you had a great time, but encourage them and let them know they can start crossing things off their bucket list today!

Finally, maybe let a few chips slide off your shoulders when it comes to negative experiences.

Maybe you just misunderstood what you were signing up for. Or, maybe, the person you were dealing with was just having a bad day. Don’t you have bad days?

If you truly have a problem, contact the people involved and see if they will rectify the situation before condemning them online. If they truly deserve the bad review, they’ll make that clear in a hurry.

Because, really, who needs one more piece of negativity in their life?