There are two types of travellers – there are the ones that research to find out everything they need to know to make their trip successful, safe and cost effective. They use sites like TripAdvisor, a great resource that currently averages 390 million monthly unique visitors and has amassed 435 million reviews and opinions covering close to 7 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions.
Then there are the ‘book and go’ travellers – these guys are risk takers, they arrive at their destination and can sometimes find out the hard way that it was cheaper to book ahead, that the attractions they thought would be great end up being unsuitable and sometimes even a little alarming! By not investigating or researching a couple of reviews before they arrived, they risk wasting money and time on a trip that could have been a whole lot better.
Now what does this have to do with background checking? Well, by investing in a little research into your candidate, you find out what you need to know before you’ve invested the time and money in the onboarding and training of a new employee. Just like a traveller’s research can make booking that leave and plane ticket worthwhile.
Don’t get me wrong; I love to travel to a destination blindly with minimal knowledge, but what I’ve learnt is you need to accept any consequences that may arise from lack of preparation. When travelling, this level of risk is ok if it only affects you. But what about when you have a family to consider, or you are travelling with a group of friends? Similarly, if you have a work place full of employees that you’re responsible for, then the level of acceptable risk changes instantly. Employing new staff without undertaking appropriate research of their background can have consequences that may affect your employees and their safety is paramount.
Learning how to filter travel reviews appropriately is important too, just like interpreting background checking results – but we can talk more about that next year, go enjoy your festive holiday period!
Here are some ‘old but gold’ real TripAdvisor reviews to laugh you into 2019!
SPANISH IN SPAIN
“The street signs weren’t in English. I don’t understand how anyone can get around.”
SEA & HEAR
“I went on your cruise around the Med [Mediterranean Sea] and the sea was so loud outside I couldn’t get any sleep.”
PASSAGE TO INDIA
“I was disgusted to find that almost every restaurant served curry and I don’t like spicy food at all.”
PLENTY OF FISH IN THE SEA, WAIT WHAT? ITALY
“No one told us there would be fish in the sea — the children were surprised and upset.”
TURKEY HEIGHTS
“There was no sign telling you that you shouldn’t get on the hot air balloon ride if you’re afraid of heights.”
MR LAVA LAVA – CENTRAL AMERICA
“You said the town was next to a volcano, but we went and there was no lava. I’m pretty sure it was just a mountain.”
THAILAND, MORE LIKE THAISAND
“The beach was so sandy that sand got into my clothes and was hard to wash off my skin.”
MONACO TASTE, BALI BUDGET
“We bought designer sunglasses from the market and later found out they were fake.”
For more funny reviews news.com.au
Written by Layla Tilley (our Design & Marketing Lead)