What are your "Pet Peeve" questions?
 

Try as I might to suppress any "cranky" thoughts whilst reading some posts, there is usually one post from time to time that hits a nerve. In the interests of "getting it out my system", I have to say my pet peeve question is "Will I be bored?" Arrgh!

How about: "I'm going to [a geographical area that is hundreds of square miles in size]. What should I do or see [without indicating at all what I like to do or am interested in]?"

Is_____worth it?

""What are your "Pet Peeve" questions?""

Since this forum lacks moderation and/or editing, I think it important for us to observe certain unwritten rules so that it remains a pleasant and relatively efficient method of sharing and requesting information. I don't see anything wrong with pointing out that certain questions cannot be answered (e.g., "will I be bored?"), and that other questions should be formulated in a more precise manner so as to elicit the requested advice.

It's not the questions sometimes. It's the responses by some posters who think only their choices of a restaurant, a B&B, a part of a country or whatever.

I am sometimes guilty of that "trust me; I know best" attitude that cigalechanta speaks of; I am really working on that. I try to say WHY something suited me so well, so that others can make their choice based on a little more information. But sometimes I slip up. :-(

But my least favorite questions are the same as Tracey14s: they display such a lack of interest that I am astounded. Why do people want to go to a city, region or country if they have no idea of what is there? I am totally confused when I see these questons. I have never, really never, wanted to go to any destination that I was completely unfamiliar with. There is always something that attracts me to a place.

Are these people not thinking? Are they going to Paris or Italy or some other popular place JUST because it's popular? Not because they like history, or art, or architecture, or shopping, or food or something, for heaven's sake, that is to be found there?

Drives me nuts. Not hard to do.

Just to keep everything tidy on this thread about "Questions", here are the "Answers":
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34627039

Pet peeve question: How many countries can I do in one week without being rushed? Oh, and I want to go to a lot of little nontouristy places.

My "pet peeve" ANSWER: When someone asks for information and advice on train and bus transportaiton and says that he will definitely not have a car, someone replies and says "Rent a car. The driving is so easy. You'll love it."

Second pet peeve ANSWER: Referring to various Italian municipalities as "villages," especially when people are even referring to ones with a long history, including a period when they were independent republics.

"I am going go XXX. Where should I stay?"

"I want to stay somewhere cheap." without an indication of what that means to the person posting.

And all the ones from people who can't spell itinerary, distinguish between advice and advise, and a whole lot more in the same vein. I'm not talking about typos, BTW. Those are usually obvious.

I really care a lot about language, and in situations more serious than posting on a travel board, I try to be careful with spelling and other precise aspects of the language. Yet, I really don't find it that annoying when people (other than in professional situations)misspell words, unless they are also annoying for other reasons. OK, I do find it annoying when someone posts repeatedly asking advice about a certain place, e.g., Siena or the Cinque Terre, and spells the place name wrong each time, leading me to believe that he may not have done any research or else would've noticed the spelling. But advise/advice, effect/affect and things like that just don't particularly grate on me. I'm just happy I know which is which for my own purposes, though I rarely type "because" and "friend" and "tomorrow" correctly when typing fast and probably type "advice" and "its/it's" wrong, too when in a hurry, though I certainly know better.

Typos and misspellings (in forum postings) do not personally trouble me but many English teachers (of which I am one) think that the relatively informal "rules" and habits that govern the writing of email and website postings are beginning to manifest themselves in other, more formal types of writing. Increasingly large numbers of my students don't seem to think that grammar, spelling, etc., should matter - even though I tell them that these rules were formulated to aid in the construction and comprehension of sentences. Moreover, I can't pick up a newspaper without finding basic errors (e.g., it's/its). What I find particularly frustrating are not the minor misspellings, but the major errors that make posts, emails, etc., well nigh incomprehensible - and people's defensiveness and hostility when one points out that one has absolutely no idea about what they mean. I wish that folks would see grammar, spelling, etc., for what they are: not rules to squash one's self-esteem, but a form of linguistic politeness.

Yeah I have to admit- much like Tracey14, in "real life" typos and spelling mistakes drive me CRAZY- especially on official documents
(and the fact that no one can spell the word GUINNESS correctly on bar menus... hello! Look at the can/ bottle/ pull handle!).

I am a teacher, so I should be used to it by now... and I do make "fast typing" mistakes too... I am human. But man! How does a person become an adult without being able to spell???

%%- Okay ranting over.

Other pet peeve... ignorant questions. I take some things personally, such as the assumption that traveling to Russia means that you will be targeted as a tourist.

See the thread about urgent help for Ireland trip. Why pull up an old thread and give advice to someone who has already come and gone? I'm sure it makes the ones who follow feel foolish.

I realize that there are sometimes valid reasons to pull up an old thread. But usually not for the purpose of advising the OP.

Well personally I can live with any posters questions etc. If I don't like the post because perhaps the poster has not done one bit of investigating the place they are planning to travel to I can just ignore it.

Since I have read that less than 25% of US citizens have a passport I am not surprised by some questions. Also feel that our US educational system has not educated our students regarding geography..at least again by various studies that have been reported these past decades.

I often smile as some new travellers posts are sweet and you can read the excitment that they have regarding the fact they are going to take their first trip oversees. Some really touch my heart and I consider it a privledge to be able to assist them even if it is just one small detail that I can answer.

My "Pet Peeve" are the rude and the know it all posters.

Regarding typing skills..well I won't even go there..heaven knows mine leaves a lot to be desired.

Well said LoveItaly. I have gained a wealth of info from this forum. If I see a post with a question that doesn't interest me or that's a turn off, rather than take the time to write a cranky response, I simply ignore it and move on.

I agree that there is good reason to tolerate all kinds of questions, and I used to br irked by many kids of questions that I now try to tease out of the questioner... what kind of <i>reasonable</i> questions is it that you would <i>really</i> like &quot;us&quot; to answer.

Still, I always grit my teeth over &quot;how many days do I need for _ _ _ _?&quot;

What an incredible insult to the people who <i><b>live </b></i> there!

Best wishes,

Rex

Rex, I don't get it...when a traveller ask how many days should they plan for (name the place) what does that have to do with the people that live there? How is that an insult? Guess there is something I am missing in your post because honestly I do not understand your comment. Best regards.

Well, maybe I am not conveying those questions the way they hit me... maybe wording more like &quot;Is two days too many for _ _ _ _?&quot; Seems like a resident might answer... no, ummm... 365 is not too many!

Addendum - - and of course, the question is all the more unanswerable for the &quot;big bonanza&quot; destinations like London, Paris, Rome, New York...

Is four days enough? Is four lifetimes enough? For what?

The &quot;Child friendly&quot; or &quot;Toddler Friendly&quot; hotels, restaurants, or Venice with children, or CT with children, etc. get to me. I've never seen a hotel yell at anyone for bringing a child, and I've seen children in virtually every restaurant. Do they want a clown to come out and entertain? Do they want crayons and Kool Aid in every restaurant. I guess they think children in other countries NEVER go to a hotel or eat in a restaurant.

&gt;Since this forum lacks moderation and/or editing, ....&lt;

FYI, this forum is moderated and edited.

((I))

I am willing to beg KatyaNY and Tracey14 not to read any of my postings. I say this as one who is a careless typeist and has only a passing
interest in the spelling of the english language. Thank you (only Kidding)

Ah, got it Rex :S- yes when someone asks for example if four days in Rome is too long..etc. Capito!!

One more: the people who specify that they want an inexpensive but clean hotel. Why the assumption that non-U.S. hotels are not clean?

My two all-time favorite pet peeve questions were already mentioned:

1) I'll be visiting ____. What should I see/do?

2) I'll be visiting ____. Where should I stay and can anyone recommend a hotel that's not expensive?

my all time personal favorite is:

&quot;Where should I go?&quot;

Tracey14- are you new here? this forum most certainly is monitored!

&gt;Why the assumption that non-U.S. hotels are not clean?&lt;

Because some, wherever they might be, are not.

Almost spent a night in a place in New Orleans, the mildew was so bad we had to leave.

Ditto for a place in London.

((I))

Yes, I am new - thanks for the correction! Since I did not see visible signs of moderation (e.g., &quot;this message has been deleted&quot;), I mistakenly assumed that the forum wasn't moderated. Guess I should read more carefully about what I sign up for ...

I'm not sure how long ago I discovered Fodors, but it's been several years. Don't know if I have a &quot;pet peeve question&quot; but I do get peeved with gramatical errors like &quot;to for too&quot; and with misspellings of common words. Guess that's my &quot;teacher self-righteousness&quot; emerging. I have become much more selective over the years about which questions I bother to fully read. I offer even fewer comments.

&quot;What is the <u>best</u>...&quot;

I like to say (with a nod to the previous occupant of the White House), &quot;It depends on what your definition of <i>best</i> is.&quot;

For me it's posts that say something like &quot;I can't live without my (favourite food), will I be able to get it in …?&quot;.

I try to contain my regrettable grumpy-old-man tendencies, not always successfully. On the Australia forum, where I mostly hang out, I sometimes whimper when I read posts from people who plan to &quot;see Australia and New Zealand in 10 days&quot;, or wonder what clothing to bring, as though the entire country occupies just one climate zone. All too often the real problem is not restricted vacation time, which I understand and accept, but a profound ignorance and laziness that the poster thinks can be remedied by a few stray questions on Fodors. This is a really useful facility (thanks, Fodors) but no substitute for a good guide book and other sources.

Others stretch credulity - such as the poster who quailed at the thought of going anywhere without a big box of Cheerios to munch on between meals, and was alarmed to discover that they're unavailable in this part of the world. I was convinced that this one was a troll, and said so, then to my horror realised she was serious. (I may also have made some hurtful remarks about the size of aircraft seats.)

And yes, I often despair at the lousy English on forums whose users must be, in the main, middle-class and college-educated. And LoveItaly, I'm sorry to say that the problem isn't confined to the United States. Visual and aural media are producing a population of functional illiterates.

Politeness is a very fine quality, and we all sometimes access our inner idiot, but there's a time and place for everything.

Responses that don't answer the question are annoying, e.g., when a poster asks if there's a decent Paris hotel for under $100 and someone responds by touting the same 150 Euro hotel he pushes on every Paris thread. When we budget travelers ask for budget hotels, it's a pretty good bet we're not talking about $180 per night.

Perhaps we should add those who either can't be bothered or aren't bright enough to spend a few minutes using the forum search facility or doing a quick Google. I suppose it's part of the dependency culture.

As a fodorite who reads a lot but (unfortunately) doesn't have the experience to answer a lot, I am consistently amazed by how polite most advisors are in response to such questions. AND I think some of the type of questions mentioned here get the MOST replies - they seem to start everyone bantering back and forth!

I hope I didn't sound like a grammar-holic or anything! Please note: I do not hold bad spelling against people.

Some of my best friends can't spell. I had an uncle once who couldn't spell. But <b>I'm</b> not a bad speller- not that there is anything wrong with that. ;;)

To quote a t-shirt of one of my former students-

&quot;Bad Spellers of the World- Untie&quot;

(Please tell me someone got the reference...)

Posters who leap in with un-asked for alternatives when someone has asked a specific question. I find that insulting to the original poster who, one would assume, has already researched the question.

And those tourists who don't want to see &quot;touristy&quot; areas, that one really drives me up the wall.

My pet peeve question is, &quot;Is air conditioning necessary in [location] in [month]?&quot; I know that, when people ask this, what they really mean is, &quot;Will I be uncomfortable if I stay in a hotel without air conditioning in [location] in [month]?&quot; But even if the answer to the second question is &quot;Yes&quot;, that doesn't mean that air conditioning is necessary; if it were, residents of [location] would all have died out many years ago, before air conditioning was invented.