Travel trends come and go as tourism evolves. I think in my particular journey I’ve seen more change then any other generation. I started traveling earlier than anyone I knew; both my parents worked for the airlines, so it was a bit like my birthright. At 12 I was heading to Europe to spend summers with extended family. By 16 I was backpacking across countries. At 25 I saw all 7 continents. I traveled in a time before the internet, before even cell phones which is incredible. There is a lot to say about that, but to stay on topic all I will add is that everything is different now, and mainly because of Trip Advisor.

Ironic the only badge I don’t have is “Bar Crawler” … that surely can’t be.

Trip Advisor was one of the first sites I remember contributing to. In the early days sharing travel stories and recommendations was a new frontier. Now, many years later, almost 25 years to be exact, Trip Advisor is still there helping people find their way to new travel experiences. I think there is a lot to be said about that kind of longevity, and it’s success has everything to do with it’s contributors. It is for better or worse a sounding board for all those that dare venture out of their house. Within the digital walls of Trip Advisor you will find truly any experience you could want, and with it, a review from a real human, much like myself.

It has been a while since I’ve offered a review on Trip Advisor admittedly. I’ve been focusing on my own channels and professional content to magazines. Today however I hopped on to see how my old friend has been, and was immediately transported back to when I first started traveling. It would seem like Trip Advisor is a destination all it’s own, and to see “Superstar” and “Authority” above all my expert badges I have to say was quite rewarding. 600k miles and 1/3 of the planet seen, all neatly packaged on one page with cute iconography.

Thanks Trip Advisor for always being there. Never change. I doubt you will.