E_Ray13

Has anyone else found some of the responders on this forum to be almost condescending versus helpful? I must admit that while I have seen some very helpful responses to hundreds of posts, others are almost bordering on rude. I've also noticed a certain arrogance in many responses. Case in point: someone recently requested suggestions for Munich - it is the person's first trip ever to Europe- and one person cautioned the first timer to avoid Neuschwanstein because it's so "touristy." I was really disappointed with that. I mean, it's the person's first time ever in Germany and he/she is being told to "avoid" something really spectacular because other (GASP) tourists might also wish to see it and (GASP) there might be a lot of people. Is it that these folks just want to hear themselves talk?

Some people are not able to get away for more than one trip per decade or perhaps lifetime. They are paying a lot of money for a trip to Europe (or wherever) and they would like to see a variety of cities and famous landmarks. Sometimes the only time they can go is in the middle of July or the end of December. I was once told to completely avoid Italy altogether because I could only go in June. I mean, how ridiculous! I am a school teacher and that's the only two week stretch I get. So I guess I should never visit the the
Mediterranean? I just find it condescending to suggest to people seeking ideas that 1 week in Bavaria or Rome is "simply not enough" and that the the Sistine Chapel is overrated or that a famous German castle is too "touristy". Really? While some tips are extraordinarily helpful, I have found myself avoiding this particular forum and wondered if anyone else had found some of the comments condescending.

Cowboy1968

Depends.
This is a forum that more or less summarizes personal, subjective experiences.
Obviously, for every person who likes Neuschwanstein, you find another one who hates it. That's life.

If someone wants a neutral approach w/o personal bias they can buy one or two travel guides and should consult (and pay) a professional travel agent.

adrienne

You post here for opinions and you get them. You don't have to follow anyone's advice. Personally I would not go to a hot climate in June. It's up to each person to decide when they can and do go on a trip. If you don't want opinions then don't post to and don't read this forum (or other travel forums).

I think the Sistine Chapel is over rated. It's loud and difficult to see the frescoes. I've seen many other frescoes in Italy that were just as wonderful and more accessible and not located in a noisy chapel.

Sometimes responses are arrogant or bordering on rudeness but look at the questions that are posted here. It completely baffles me why some people choose to visit locations yet have absolutely no idea what there is to do once they arrive. Why are they spending the money to get there? And how can anyone reach adulthood and have no idea what is in the major capital cities such as Rome, London, or Paris. Didn't they ever study history in school? Haven't they ever looked at a guide book (free from libraries)?

What about the posters who ask "is xyz town safe?" Or they want a safe location to stay or is it safe to walk around a certain town. That's rude. It intimates that European locations are rampant with drive by shootings or muggings or other crime and they won't make it home alive. I remember one poster who thought it wasn't safe to walk anywhere in France after dark. That's not condescending?

I enjoy the helpful posts and am amused at the sarcastic posts and absolutely hate the stupid, stupid posts, of which there are many.

greg

It is difficult to gain extraordinarily useful inputs without encountering extraordinarily offensive inputs.

Entrepreneurial classes teach students that the opportunities and risks are often next to each other or the different faces of the same thing. I believe this is why polite forums, guide books, etc, are often tasteless -- they may not be offensive but also not useful.

In a forum like this, people come offering and looking for different value propositions. To gain that one helpful info, one must weed through a pile of postings with polarized subjective opinions not relevant to the value proposition one seeks.

november_moon

Everybody comes to this forum with a different set of life experiences and expectations. Such is life. And yes, there are some people who border on rude, and then there is the issue of tone - sometimes tone doesn't come through very well on forums.

kybourbon

I think you are being a bit too sensitive. This board is about opinions. Some you will agree with and others you won't. There are some people with attitude, but many times people assume attitude when none was intended.

I posted on a thread last week because someone asked a question on an old thread. The OP on the thread had not been on the site in a couple of months and I wondered if the thread was about an older experience/trip as I had been to the same place recently and had a much different experience (the person asking the question had made a reservation for this place). The OP happened to log back on and was furious that I posted my experience. I'm not sure how anyone could be offended by someone wondering if their experience was longer ago and things had changed (room set up, etc. had changed from their description). It seemed to me as the OP was just overly sensitive and that someone else would not have seen the post as offensive at all. It benefits people to have recent knowledge to make decisions.

Sometimes internet posts come across short unintentionally, but it often depends on the reader and their current mood how a post is taken.

Stellarossa

Fodors has a bunch of people who continually attempt to impute failure in others. Ignore them.

lindy27

I can only travel to Europes once every few years and love the, sometimes condensending, advice from travels who travel there all the time. While my budget is nowhere near as high as most people on this forum, they can still offer advice on food/loding/travel.

You have to take advice with a grain of salt and do what works best for you and your family, they are just making sure you are prepared for what you are going to encounter.

Nikki

There are all kinds of people on this forum. Some people's personalities and sense of humor click better than others. Some appreciate the very postings to which others object.

You just have to get a feel for the perspective of the poster and take that advice which is useful or interesting to you, knowing that there are other posts you will find useless, condescending or clueless that other people may see in a very different light.

RainyDay09

Yes, I agree with OP. There is a gang of oldtimers on fodors that tend to gang up on newbies and bully them with their limited knowledge. However, there are some nice people here and occasionally you get a good piece of advice.

kerouac

A lot of us are Jekyll and Hyde characters, depending on our mood, the quality of the question and the phases of the moon.

jamikins

I agree that sometimes the tone is interpreted. I think most of us want to be helpful thats why we are here.

For those of us that have been around a while it can be frustrating to get the same questions asked over and over (I have stopped responding to Oyster questions in London as there is a plethora of threads about it and a simple search will easily bring them up) and get frustrated by the lack of effort some people put in before posting a question.

But I do think most of us are trying to be helpful - mood and tone are difficult to 'get' over the board.

nytraveler

This is an open public forum. Anyone posting a question can anticipate getting answers that are, mainly, quite helpful. However, as in any public arena, some people will have specific points of view - and phrase information in a way that others may feel to be condescending.

They may or may not mean it to be so. It may be perceived so, even if it is not intended to be so.

Differences of opinion are inevitable. And no one should take them personally, unless responses are overtly rude.

And agree that posts from some first timers - who sometimes make no attempt to find even the most basic information on their own - can be very frustrating to people who give freely of their own time to advise others.

I could mention the people who were determined to wear shorts and tank tops to churches in Italy - despite advice from many posters that this was considered disrespectful and they would be turned away from some large ones. They refused to listen to the advice and INSISTED on their right to do what they wanted. The kicker: they were planning on going to italy in January - when they wold freeze in shorts and tank tops - in church or out! Things like this can mean some posters may sound a little "short" with some newbies.

Cpelk

I am far more of a "lurker" here and on other travel forums then I am a poster. I have been guilty in the past of coming here for info, but not coming back to share my experiences when I return. I've joined, dropped out and rejoined this forum, probably 4 times.

The posters that come here and respond frequently have nothing but my respect and admiration. It takes time to respond to people, even more time to post a trip report. That they are willing to give their time and share their experiences is a very generous thing to do.

I understand that they are giving opinions. No one has to take any advice that they don't like or that doesn't fit in with their own personal likes and dislikes. You can use what works for you and leave the rest.

Even for the short time I have been reading here on the Italy forum I am noticing many of the same questions asked over and over. That the regulars bother to respond at all sometimes surprises me.

So, sign me....

Thankful

CindyP.

Dayenu

Remember high school? What do you think happened to "mean girls" and bullies? Just sift the info ignoring those who show off their superiority.

feda

E ray 13 Do not hesitate to go to Italy in June if you want to and if that is the time of the year you are free to travel. You'll find gorgeous landscapes and probably great weather.
Even Italians do go on holiday in their own country(to the seaside,to the beach to artistic cities to the countrysides, to the gorgeous lakes(especially lake Como ,Maggiore and Garda)because they too have holidays in summer like everybody else... the only con is that of standing in queues to visit sites, but other than that you'll just be fine!

feda

Besides It's not true that one week in Rome is not enough.
I mean: a BBC journalist based in Rome once said that after spending half of his life in "the city of the Popes" he had barely scratched the surface of the city, and thatì's true of course but in order to see the sites, to get a feel of the city and to have a stroll in the most beautiful areas, well one week is more than enough to do that.
I hope you'll go to Italy

Pvoyageuse

"wondered if anyone else had found some of the comments condescending."

Many times, especially concerning my little corner of France when self-proclaimed experts who happened to have briefly driven through the area feel entitled to dismiss whole areas as "not worthy" and to praise places where I would never think of going. Sometimes I wonder if they are referring to the same place I live in

LoveItaly

This thread reminds me of the time I took some days ago to read all the Yelp restaurant reviews of the restaurants and cafes in my city. It was very interesting. Some people enjoyed the same places that I have and others moaned and groaned about their experiences. One cafe in particular had me chuckling. From my experience their servers are over the top helpful, friendly and the coffee mug is always filled up. There is more food served than most people can eat. The prices are very reasonable. But a few people posted that their food server was rude and unhelpful, there was not enough food served and the prices were outrageous. Who is correct? Who knows. Perhaps the grumps went to the cafe when the regular server was off sick? Perhaps the grumps want more food than two people need? Again, who knows.

Anyway, I too am always amazed that many Fodorites take the time to answer the same questions over and over again such as "how do I get to my hotel in Venice from the airport?" or "should I bring US dollars to Europe and how should I get Euros?" or "how do I get from the airport in Rome to my hotel in Rome?" and so forth an so on. Very patient and helpful Fodorites.

I have sometimes read advice that I do not agree with but unless it is absolutely wrong information I don't respond as who am I to say that the person didn't experience their miserable experience. Or that something/some place I don't care for was not enjoyed by another person.

Regarding people that post that they are going to such and such a place and "what is there to see and do?" I tend to ignore those as I don't truly understand why a person wouldn't have a clue why they are traveling to a place, our libraries have travel books and the internet sure can be a wealth of information. But perhaps some do not know how to do any research I guess.

Anyway, my feeling is just ignore the posts you don't like and be thankful for the good information you can obtain here on Fodor's, E-Ray.

spaarne

Ditto LoveItaly,

Every week some newbie writes "what is there to do in Amsterdam?" or "is Paris safe?" or "where do we stay in Madrid?" It is a waste of time to reply, though I usually reply to the Amsterdam questions with a "see the search box above."

The OP should have been here in the good old days before registration kicked in. This forum was a piranha pond.