Our rating concept explained
Providing the complete and real story
There are numerous blogs on the internet showing and telling you how amazing every destination is. The praising stories are often supported with some picture perfect images. These stories and images excite us and so off we go expecting to have the same experience as shown and described. Although many places are indeed very beautiful and fun to visit, when actually there, many places also appear to have some (serious) downsides of which most of the blogs don’t write about. How everyone perceives a place or experience will always be an opinion, it’s subjective to the person’s likes and dislikes. However our goal is to both show you the beauty of each destination but also shine light on its downsides. We want to provide you with honest and sincere advice which helps you choose and navigate the endless travel destinations that are out there.
Food
Beach
Culture
Transport
Pricing
Safety
Luxury
Nightlife
Adventure
Digital nomad
Healthy life
LGBTQIA+
Food
Beach
Culture
Transport
Pricing
Safety
Rating icons
On top of every destination page and blog you will find the same, recurring twelve ‘rating icons’. These rating icons represent the twelve subjects which we find the most important when traveling. On a scale from zero to five, we have graded each subject, showing you a clear overview of each destination. Because the same twelve subjects recur at every destination page and blog it’s easy to compare different destinations. The higher the rating, the more positive the destination scores on the subject. Below we give more information about the meaning of each rating icon.
Food
The availability, variety, quality and general touristic perception of the food options.
Beach
The quality of the beaches is based on how easily accessible, clean, crowded and picturesque the beaches are.
Culture
The level of options for cultural activities and noticeable culture in both architecture and daily life.
Transport
The ease of getting around, in choice of options as in average time.
Pricing
The general pricing for accommodations, food and transport compared to the prices in the western world.
Safety
The general safety, considering criminality, food quality, healthcare quality, natural threats, local laws and law-enforcement.
Luxury
The available options for luxuries such as 4- or 5-star hotels, spa’s, fine dining and high-end shopping.
Nightlife
The offer and quality of parties, bars, clubs and late-night restaurants.
Adventure
The presence of nature and the level of options for adventurous activities such as hiking, climbing, surfing, (scuba-) diving and other extreme sports.
Digital nomad
The ease of finding options for a good work-spot and a strong internet connection.
Healthy life
The options for healthy food, health-related activities and availability and quality of gyms.
LGBTQIA+
The presence of LGBTQIA+ friendly hotels and activities, active laws and general view on the LGBTQIA+ community.
Shining light on the downsides of destinations
At the bottom of destination pages and blogs you will find a paragraph with the title ‘downsides’. In this paragraph we will talk about the destinations or subjects’ downsides. Our goal is to give you a realistic understanding and expectation by also addressing aspects that are less appealing. For example, some aspects that can be included are: few eating options, a lot of pollution, very crowded, hard to get to, unmentioned extra costs and limited availability of accommodations. When deciding where to go or when making a travel itinerary, having the full and realistic knowledge can help you create the best experience out of your trip. Especially when you have limited time to explore a destination or when you are on a (tight) budget. Any possible struggles or disappointments that can be taken away will help you create the best experience out of your travel. In the end, we travel to discover, create new memories and above all; have lots of fun.