Groupthink Travel Planning

Groupthink or crowd sourcing is the practice of thinking or making decisions as a group in a way that discourages creativity or individual responsibility. It is becoming more evident in the points and miles hobby and may be damaging the way you travel. We constantly look for someone else's opinion on where to stay, what to book and what to do. All of this is asked of someone that does not know me or any of my preferences. I tend to think it's the way we want everything in the hobby these days. We all want an immediate answer without searching, reading, understanding, growing, learning or really thinking ourselves. It's the same reason so many rely on flight search aggregators versus learning how to run their own award searches.

Where To Go

People want you or a group to decide where they travel. Why on earth would I want someone else to decide for me? I am not sure what the rationale is for this, or what people may be attempting to get out of it. If a certain number of people suggest the same location will you book it and go?

Looking for ideas? With a quick search, you can easily locate and access numerous trip reports within the ToP Facebook Group. Still stumped? We have an article to help you think through the decision making process. The common theme of this remains the same. Nobody knows you, your family, or your exact preferences and style. It's highly unlikely that a definitive answer can be given in a single post or a few brief sentences.

Connections

At Travel on Point(s), we have already determined that you definitely cannot group think flight connections. Each day brings new challenges, as every flight and airport can differ from one another. No one will understand your personal abilities or limitations, or be able to give you a legitimate response.

Hotels

The insights gained from hotel reviews can help shape your expectations, but they do not guarantee an identical experience. A perfect example of this was my Puerto Rico review. I had an awful room experience with multiple room changes and not much help or understanding from the property. Every other trip report shared in the group gives nothing but glowing reviews. The key here is that each person's experience is just a small snapshot in time.

Plus, just like a restaurant review, our preferences are different, just like our taste buds. I always recommend reading a review (hopefully ours) and then looking at even more pictures on a general travel forum. The images on these forums provide numerous depictions of a product's consistency. It can also give you an idea of the room and space. This allows you to match up the reviews to the pictures and make a decision for yourself. Finally, keep in mind that how my family enjoys a hotel room may not be the same for you.

Groupthink Travel Planning: ToP Thoughts

There is a difference between seeking sources to check the value of something after some research has been done and relying on strangers to plan your vacations from A to Z. Use people with knowledge to fine tune your information, or to confirm something you think you have learned. Do that instead of trying to allow strangers to plan your itinerary. Remember, they don't know you, your family or your travel preferences. Because of that they will only be able to give you their own projections. Projections of their family, their travel preferences and their travel style. Does that sound like it will be helpful to you while planning your next trip?

Let me put this another way: could you imagine asking a group of strangers to tell you what you should eat for each meal? A group of people that don't know your favorite foods, your allergies, or what you are craving right now. Do you think that would lead to a satisfying meal most of the time? I sure don't…

Share your thoughts about this discussion over in the ToP Facebook Group.