I find myself reading this travel board for a few years now and I have to say I don't think I fit in.
Seventy percent of the posts I find myself disagreeing with the advice or even the questions. This isn't a flame by any means I just wonder if I am all alone?
I don't get a Vegas trip mixed with a trip to the grand canyon. It seems like an oxy moron to me. Up all night sin city excitement mixed with a 4 hours bus ride to stare at a hole in the ground.
All the Hawaii posts as if it is the ONLY tropical paridise to be found? It's actually my last choice for a beach vacation there just are so many other places with a better value to me at least and much nicer beaches, I could be wrong.
Whats wrong with Florida in the summer? Or the Caribbean? Been a bunch gotta say I love it.
Half the reccomended restaurants on here I go look up the menu and I can't even recognize what some of the dishes were originally supposed to be. Or it is ALL steak,chicken or seafood. Nothing for the non carnivores except vegetable lasagna.
I don't believe a trip to NYC is not complete without a Broadway show. I have been 3 times and managed to avoid paying 100 plus bucks a seat to sit there for 3 hours and be board each time and I have really enjoyed my trips. Not for me I guess. Ditto shows in Vegas. Not my area of interest at all.
Again it just seems everyone always does the same kind of thing every trip and I don't fit in with half the travelers here. I seem to have just as much fun on my trips as the rest I just do it way way way different.
I just feel lost in the shuffle on Fodors, am I alone?

It's okay that you don't agree with everything posted here. I doubt ANYONE agrees with everything. However, I really and truly don't want to sound rude here, but if you don't like what you see, then I wouldn't bother with it. Find another travel board that suits your tastes--hopefully you'll find one where you feel more at home.

Hmmmm. Why would you read a board for years if you don't think you fit in? Is it possible that you might subconsciously enjoy hearing diverse opinions? Have you considered about how these other opinions have opened up your way of thinking about others, about yourself?

And, most important, why do you feel any need to fit in? What's to fit into? It's a chat board. Just chat and don't take it to heart.

Just a lot of different opinions here, room for all of them -- in my opinion.

Monique, is it possible you're imputing too much importance to the opinions you read here? What you're sensing is precisely what occurs - people repeat what they've experienced, and gradually it takes on an "only way" tinge. But that's okay, what else might one expect. Two suggestions: accept what you see here for what it is, good advice and ideas, but from the limited experience of one or two travellers. And have more confidence in your own individuality. If your experiences are different from those you read here, chime in and add to the database. That enriches the entire website. No one here has the corner on all the "right" moves for LV, NYC, WDW, HI, etc. Lets hear your own advice.

Monique, it takes all kinds to make a world; if it didn't, we'd all flock to Disney World or East Overshoe, Tennessee. Is there something intrinsically wrong with combining a trip to Las Vegas with a look at the Grand Canyon? If the latter is, to you, just a hole in the ground, then c'est la vie. Keep your vacation pursuits pure. To me, some parts of Hawaii are grim versions of hell, but the island of Maui also contains what I sincerely believe to be the most beautiful beach on the face of the earth and, believe me, I've seen a lot of beaches.

Florida in the summer? I have a one word answer: "humidity". If you don't mind it, then Florida in August is glorious. As a native, I'm allowed to say that I think Florida in the summer is fetid swamp that should be given back to the Seminoles with no restriction on what they do with it between June and October. Theater in New York? I have a basement with perhaps 3-400 Playbills from things I've seen over the years. Yeah, there's dreck, but I also saw Katherine Hepburn in 'West Side Waltz' the night she stopped the show and lectured some poor schnook who made the mistake of putting his feet up against the stage. As they say in the Mastercard commercials, "priceless." And you'll never be there the night it happens unless you go.

The people on this board show a wealth of different interests and a collective body of knowledge that is stunning. Seven years ago, I was going nuts trying to find out about a ferry service in Greece that might or might not still exist. I went through every travel guide in existence and got no satisfactory answer. I took my question to this forum and, three hours later, I had detailed advice from someone who had been on that particular ferry just a few months earlier.

Maybe you're a troll and maybe you're for real. Assuming you're for real, keep looking up those restaurant menus. One of these days you'll find one that offers exactly what you're looking for.

Well, it's definitely to each his own. I would never go to a resort or on a cruise, but millions love them. Good for them, but not for me.

Just FYI, I think what you have to realize is that Fodor's is populated not only with independent, non-biased travelers, but also with travel agents, chambers of commmerce, visitor & convention bureaus, and other travel industry interests. The recommendations that you see over and over again for places like Vegas, Disney and Hawaii are the kind of trips in which hotels, restaurants and tours can be easily promoted and earn the most money for the travel industry. If you see the same mediocre hotels and restaurants pushed/recommended repeatedly, it could mean that they are preferred suppliers and they pay extra to be promoted.

I'm not saying they are. I'm saying they COULD be. You'll notice that recommendations for things like free hikes or camping spots are often pushed down the list in favor of hotel discussions in Hawaii or elsewhere. Travel professionals don't make money promoting free activities, they make money promoting businesses.

So take all these same-sounding recommendations with a big ole grain of salt and use a variety of travel resources to plan your trip.

Thanks for the replies.
I read the board because like was said I can often find that obscure piece of information that I was looking for that I haven't been able to find elsewhere. And some of the stuff does interest me and I just find the opinions even if I don't agree with them interesting.
I don't need to fit in at all I was just saying I don't and I was wondering if there were others like me out there
I will keep giving my opions you are right and keep reading yours

What's that saying - variety is the spice of life.

Personally I've never been to Hawaii and it's not on my short list of places to visit. Lots of people love it though so there are plenty of threads about it. I don't read them though. Same with LV - it's not really my "thing" so I skip over those posts.

I love the California coast, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, New Orleans, so I check out those posts.

A lot of people are into 5* dining. I prefer hole in the wall places and family owned places.

Everybody is different.

Monique, I detest Las Vegas and wouldn't set foot there voluntarily. Hawaii is great, although I don't "get" why people go to a place to relax and then feel they have to hit 3 islands in 10 days. I don't much care for Florida any time of year, but to be fair I haven't been to Captiva and other west coast destinations. I would not choose to travel to places or in the styles of many posters.

On the other hand, there is a wealth of expert info on the Europe board on hotels, restaurants, and activities. I am not personally interested in Puerto Vallarta or Cancun, but there is terrific info on other travel in a country I love to visit. The Asia board also has invaluable information, including some contributors who live in places like Bangkok and Shanghai and are very generous with their knowledge.

I think this board represents a huge spectrum of travelers, from backpacking students to people who stay in $400 a night hotels, from those who like Las Vegas to those who want to hike the Alps. It's the single best travel resource I've ever found in 35 years of travel. If you can get good advice 30% of the time, I think that's great.

Thanks for your post, Monique. I think it demonstrates that it's perfectly OK to like-- or not like -- anything and to be honest enough to admit it to yourself and everyone else.

I hope more people who think outside the travel box will post questions and answers. I get the best ideas from people who tell me something I would have never even thought of -- like the cool person who suggested watching geysers under the full moon at Yellowstone... wow!

I think that various opinions are part of what make this forum interesting and good. One quibble I have is that when someone says they really want a beach resort to spend a week, half the people replying will tell them to go to the mountains or the city instead or to even tell them they're going to the wrong state or even country. Many posters try to impose their interests on others, rather than give good suggestions for what the person is actually asking.

But the most interesting thing about your post, Monique, is that you list a whole lot of things you hate, but never mentioned one single thing you like. Is there anything about travel you do like? And if so, are you never able to find information here about those things? Or do you only look at the negative?

Like everyone is saying, "Chacun à son goût". I think also that a lot of first-time visitors to popular destinations want to hit EVERYTHING notable in the area in the fear that they'll never get there again. So, Vegas visitors want to go to the Grand Canyon (I don't consider the two to be in the same area at all-- more than 2 hours in a car, it's a different place!). People going to NYC want the experience of a Broadway show (I'm still waiting on this myself, but I go to NY all the time).

People love visiting Hawai'i. Northeasterners love going to Florida in the winter. What's wrong with return trips to places you love?

Now, your restaurant kvetch is pretty valid, in some cities. I maintain that here in California it's not that difficult to get a great vegetarian/vegan meal (you'll work much harder in most places for pure vegan, but then again we have pure vegan eateries here and there, don't we?).

The benefit of fora like Fodor's is the knowledge base of a world full of travelers willing to share expertise on places they know well. The questions often reflect inexperience, but the answers will reflect deep love and interest. Nothing wrong with that, is there?

And for the record, I'm a bit of a contrary traveler. I'll design an itinerary that includes only a bit of touristy stuff, then leave the rest wide open for surprises and recommendations. Then I'll determine if I want to return-- and then I can start really exploring.

I love a ton of things
I liked roaming times square and ending up on the local radio far more then I would have ever liked Mama Mia or The Producers
I love Florida in the summer. The sweltering heat, the thuderstorms, the variety of people the music the water.
I loved Italy and the warm people I met and all the locals wearing panty hose in the heat. I don't know why I thought that was great but the little mopeds and fancy dress going together just struck me as great.
I love the buildings and hubub of New Orleans and the music floating from the bars, ditto Key West.
I love wide open beaches like in Rocky Point Mexico and Turks and Caicos where there aren't tons of people wall to wall even if I am at a resort to get that fill.
I love Arizona in the summer because you can go swimming at midnight and not get chilly!
I just adore Jamaica because well heck they don't take themselves so seriosly and it seems everyone is there just to have a good time and a nice pace.
I guess I just like to soak up the atmosphere and the people and observe things a bit more then I like to have a scheduled itinerary and dinner reservations at 8.

Happy trips to all no matter what makes us happy

"I guess I just like to soak up the atmosphere and the people and observe things a bit more then I like to have a scheduled itinerary and dinner reservations at 8."

Tons of people like that on the Europe board.

Monique, Rocky Point in San Ignacio Lagoon? Were you on a whale trip, and if so sea or land? Now there's a "contrary" trip -- except we've done it six times!

Monique

There is nothing to "fit" in to here, or anywhere for that matter. If that were true, we'd all just be robots with no feelings at all. Obviously some have more travel experience than others, but you never know who is going to post something you can use. I think we all have felt like you at one time or another about certain posts where our opinions don't mesh with the majority. My example is Yellowstone--it was a great visit for us in 2002--but I certainly didn't feel the need to spend a week in the park nor stay inside the park, as most others do--three days sufficed for us and we don't need to go back. This is the first time I've posted that opinion, mostly because I know most others don't agree, but also it's something I didn't feel the need to share.

Not too long ago, someone posted a question about visiting a place near my home, and myself, along with other posters who obviously lived in this same area, posted entirely different places and preferences for the person to stay and visit. So, alas, we locals couldn't even agree on the places to stay, visit and eat in say a 50-60 mile radius of where we lived. Is that bad? Heavens no! That person can then take it upon himself/herself to research the areas.

I like this forum for the bits of information you aren't looking for. For a post on the Florida gulf, where someone mentions an island that I haven't heard of and I can research on my own and come back and ask questions. For a post a few years back when taking an Alaskan cruise and someone told me which side of the White Pass Railroad to sit on for the best views. And last summer, for a visit to Quebec I found information in an archived post about visiting the Ile de Orleans which was one of the highlights of our trip. This board is like any thing else in life, you take away the bits you can use, and toss the rest. But don't toss it too far, you may come back searching for it another time as an archive when your tastes change

Monique there must be something that attracts you to this board despite the fact that you may not "fit in." Otherwise, why continue to read it for "several years?"

While I agree with some of what you say (ie the furvor & furor over Hawaii) you must admit that having those posters who adore it & go back over & over again allow you & me to reap the benefit of their experience. Would you rather have advice from someone who feels neutral about a place or someone who loves it??? And while you may chose not to go to the theater in NY, for those who want to go there's not only info on what's good & bad but how to avoid paying $100/seat. Your comment about the Grand Canyon (which I wish I'd been smart enough to see when I was in Las Vegas years ago-BF-before Fodors) reminds me of the debates on the Europe board about Stonehenge (worth it?) or the leaning tower of Pisa. It's worth it to some & not to others.

Taking advice from anyone-even a friend-always involves some degree of risk. They may love a movie-you go & you hate it despite the fact that you may agree on other things. How much harder to follow advice of strangers. But as Neal said, there's a wealth of information here, some of it very esoteric. And by the way...some of the funniest, cleverest, folks I've ever had the pleasure not to know post here. I've laughed, I've cried and I've learned a LOT-and not just about travel.

Marily, yes that Rocky Point. But I never got on a boat to see the whales.
We have been 3 times down there and just marvel there aren't more people and you can still find shells on the beach.
We have stayed once in town which is nice but the 2 times we have stayed way out at this new resort called Mayan Palace it was like a whole other world.
Not more then 30 people on a beach that went as far as the eye could see.
Buckets of shells and no broken glass on the beach so you could walk barefoot and just enjoy the view

Monique - you do fit in for one very important reason - you obviously love to travel and you are interested in other people who like to travel. When I post a question, sometime all I want is to get an idea of what is out there, and maybe get a new perspective on what I want to do. My favorite example of this is San Fransisco. We were on a city bus and started a conversation with someone who pegged us as tourists. We were planning to continue our journey south, he said go north, you won't regret it. We took his advise and I have wonderful memories of that trip. If we had gone south it would have been fun, but sometimes you just go with the flow. This board let's us do that. So keep posting, you may be the person who gives someone a special memory

MU, What have you got against a hole in the ground?

Can you imagine if everyone all liked the same thing just how long all the lines would be!?!?!? :-"

I'm just curious, if you've been to NYC three times and have never seen a Broadway show, how do you know that you would be bored with them? Certainly there are stinkers out there, but there are also some shows that can knock your socks off. How would you know if you don't try it once or twice?