Request for Trip Reports

So true, Jean. I really love reading reports when they tell me where they went and what they did (not so much Covid stuff - while it still might be necessary, I like to see it separately so I can enjoy the actual trip information). But on the flip side, I always feel like my own reports are either too long or too boring. Lol.

I love reading the trip reports too, but I sure wish they were organized by country. Or, I wish we could do a search just inside the trip reports and not have to search the entire forum.

Me, too, Carrie! I love going back and reading trip reports as I am getting ready to go somewhere new - but they aren’t easy to find. :)

Travelmom please don’t worry about your trip report being too long or too boring… I read every one that comes across this forum and enjoy them!

Wish it was easier to link Trip Reports together. There is a length limitation, and altho you can link them in the comments section, often the Reports themselves are separated by OP comments. A two week trip usually is summarized by 5-7 Trip Reports.

Also, RS staffers, the SEARCH function here is awkward and basically inept. When researching topics from posted Trip Reports, usually the results do not find the most recent and pertinent Reports. Seems this could easily be improved.

This being said, I also LUV reading the Trip Reports!

Thank you, Luv2Travel. :)

Pat, I sneak around that by writing the whole report first in Word or Pages and then just copy/pasting it in sections, as the character limit allows, all at once. But I don’t mind reading comments in between sections. :)

I find the Trip Reports framework frustrating on this site and so I just don’t use it. I do like to write about my travels but this framework here is so limiting. As far as reading other’s trip reports on this site - they’re limited by space and then I have to search for further writing in the comments, with other poster comments woven in. Then they are sometimes continued in whole other posts (Part 1, Part 2 etc.)

The end result is that I mostly don’t read them. I’ve shared my thoughts with the Webmaster but I’m not sure there is a better solution within the framework of the RS site.

Is there anything that would prevent a post on a country's site that says "Strasbourg Trip Report"? I realize that this lets others comment but I don't see a problem with that.

I'm actually excited about putting together a trip report while I'm in Scotland in June. I'm thinking about doing something similar to what Claudia did in December while she was in London, and updating every evening instead of doing it all when I get home.

I don't think there is a perfect way. What does everyone prefer?

Then they are sometimes continued in whole other posts (Part 1, Part 2
etc.)

I did this 3 years ago after an RS tour to France. Feedback I got was it was frustrating to search for. I also found it frustrating for me if I wanted to send a link to someone, I had to search for all 5 parts of the report.

I use TravelMom’s method and create the trip report in Word. Then when I’m ready to post it on the forum, I copy paste it into subsequent “comments”, so it’s all within one post. I do tend to post it after midnight to lessen the chances that someone immediately comments. My time clock is messed up when I’m back home, so I’m awake anyway.

Maybe it would help if we began the trip report with a sentence all in caps stating to not comment for 30 minutes to give the person time to load the entire report. When finished, that first sentence could be removed.

I have mine written for Costa Rica and am working on finishing my Shutterfly book. Are we allowed to post a link to our Shutterfly book? I feel sometimes words are good but photos are better.

Allan, I think what makes the Part 1, Part 2, etc. hard to follow is when people have commented on separate parts. That causes each post to be listed in the overall feed in a different location - sometimes far apart. And I could see how that would be frustrating for you, trying to find a specific one. I made two trip reports for an Italy/France trip one year, thinking it would help people who were later searching for a country-specific one. Now I would just title it as one - “Italy & France”.

I love reading trip reports, in any form. And I love looking at other peoples scrapbooks. I use Snapfish, but I get ideas from others. I followed a link in one posters Egypt book and now am obsessed with traveling there.

Yes, I confess that I don’t usually wind up reading the reports in Part 1, Part 2 separate posts format. It’s too hard to stay up with.

Allan, I think your reports would be interesting whether you do it by day or all at once. But while I enjoyed Claudia’s actual reporting, it got clogged with conversations and just got too lengthy for me toward the latter part of her trip. Maybe better for a shorter trip? I could see that being a problematic way to do my 5 week Scotland trip…..

Mary, I don’t think there’s a problem with posting a link. Diveloonie did that with her Egypt book. Others do that with links for their online photos they are willing to share. Valerie has her blog in her profile and it’s a great way to see her trip reporting.

And although there is the Trip Report section, I sometimes wonder if they wouldn’t be better off in the actual country section with Trip Report in the subject line. Then I could at least quickly scan for that. Even though I might have read them, I usually go back and look for relevant reports when I get ready to go somewhere new. But I guess now I can scan the Trip Reports for the place…. So maybe it’s all the same.

Travelmom - Thanks. You are right. I remember the Egypt book and enjoyed looking at it having been there myself. And I absolutely love Valerie’s blog.

I also write my trip reports in Word and then cut-and-paste them into a single thread, usually posting late at night to try to avoid comments breaking up the narrative.

Allan, i loved Claudia’s style. It was super fun to read each day as she went along. Felt like i was there with her. She also kept each day’s entry short. Loved it. Wish they were all written in that style.

Normally I'm happy to do trip reports - but I'm reluctant on this form because I've found no evidence of a search function - even the "latest posts" functions is well-buried. Therefore all that effort is rapidly buried

I love trip reports! If I read one for a place that we have been to, I still learn something new and it brings back memories of our own trip. For places new to us, it often times makes me want to visit so expands our list.

Travelmom--I did a trip report recently for Iceland and I posted a warning that it was long;) I worried a bit about it being so long, but figured if someone didn't want to read it then oh well. I prefer trip reports with more details vs less.

Susan, I liked Claudia's Trip Report style as well. Being able to comment or ask questions with someone who had feet on the ground at that moment was fun. But I get Travelmom's comment as well. It was a lot of scrolling by the end.

I love to read Trip Reports as well! I admit that I tend to enjoy the ones written after the trip is completed and prefer the TR to be all in one thread but I don't mind interspersed conversation.

I also write up in WORD first. Last time I started a note in Googledocs (where I also keep my trip itinerary). I saved it for offline use and was able to add thoughts as I go then did the TR from those notes. That worked OK but really, a paper journal is what really works better for me, lol.

I go ahead & Bookmark reports that I want to read again later. And sometimes, I go ahead & print them to have in a country folder if I know I won’t be there for awhile.

For instance, currently I have Ruth’s “ To the Stiletto Heel of the Boot then Back to Roma” and Travelmom’s “ Croatia, it’s been nice” in my Bookmark list because Italy and Croatia were on the horizon for this year.

Trip reports are so fun to read, yet also practical with giving me ideas. It's nice to see not only trip reports appearing again, but overall activity on this site picking up. Good times ahead!

I enjoy reading trip reports, but I really, really enjoy writing them. This forum is great for me. I don't have the time to have a travel blog, but it's kind of nice to have a place to record and to share my journeys. I usually start playing with ideas for a trip report on the flight back to the US. I always write far too much, and then start cutting stuff. I still end up with some ridiculously long trip reports.

On another topic... it sounds like I'm in the minority, but I find the forum's search tool to be adequate for finding trip reports for places I'm interested in visiting. I found plenty for my 2019 trip to Slovenia. The ability to narrow travel forum posts down to those from the last 6 months, the last 12 months, and last 2 years is pretty helpful, too.

Nice to know my daily comments whilst spending a month in London in 2021 were read and appreciated.

I’ll do the same this year. Returning in July for Wimbledon.

I love reading trip reports too and have written one for my last few trips. I also have links to my photobooks under my profile. Photos do indeed tell the story better.
@Mary-I think it is ok to post a link to your Costa Rica photobook, I for one would love to see it. Or you can post the link in your profile, like I have done.

Trip reports are picking up :-)

I'm working on mine right now. 😊

happy dance

Working on mine too.

Looking forward to the reports. I think I will just keep posting my photobooks as I feel they are a combo journal with photos!

I love traveling vicariously through your photo books, diveloonie! Maybe when I organize my photos, I'll try to work my trip report entries into it.

Jean, you’d better get cracking! You’re back soon, I believe, 😉😆.

Lol, Pam, I was thinking the same thing!

I just had my last relaxing breakfast in Italy - in Perugia. Today I take my last trains to the Rome airport and fly out tomorrow at noon. It’s been a fantastic trip, and yes, I will post a trip report in a week or so.

It will be awhile til I get mine done. Finished Iceland, in Glasgow now (2.5 days), on to Orkney then Shetland in a couple of hours for two weeks, then stop in Edinburg one day stopover…. Then home.

These two tour are small groups and on our own in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Then RS Scandinavian tour end of July

Then Christmas markets end of November

Kim--Where are you going for the Christmas Markets? We are headed to Munich and Salzburg for them the first of December. We have been to both cities before, but not at market time. I will be waiting anxiously for your report!

Ama waterways cruise down the Danube. Fly into Prague for a few days. Then board by /around Nuremberg. Disembark at Budapest and fly home from there.