Everywhere Ratings

What is the rating system used on this blog?

For every place I’ve visited that’s included on In Search of Everywhere, I have given it a rating; you’ll see it at the top of the blog and in the text as well. Think Tripadvisor, if it were commandeered by me and applied to certain locations alone!

I apply ratings for every place I visit. You’ll also see them applied to tourist hotspots and activities, alongside things like festival reviews.

Why do I rate every place?

You may wonder: why do I bother adding ratings into each post?

The main benefit for the ratings system is comparison. I hope that it’ll be an easy snapshot into what a place is actually like, cutting through all the other text on the page, and giving a summary score so that you can immediately see what I think.

Of course, someone else would likely rate each destination differently to what I would. There are some places that I loved and others thought overrated; other places, I despised where others thought they were amazing. I’ve tried to remain impartial and capture a range of experiences on things like safety, but in terms of rating my enjoyment of a place, it’s hard to stay unbiassed.

What are the ratings I use for destinations?

I assess each destination using four criteria – accessibility, enjoyment, safety and value:

• Accessibility: how easy is the location and its attractions to access? Can international and disabled visitors access it easily? Are there suitable facilities, e.g. toilets?
• Enjoyment: is the destination fun to visit? How much did I enjoy my trip? Are there a lot of attractions? Is the location particularly innovative, exciting or beautiful?
• Safety: how safe, comfortable and respected did I feel?
• Value: is the location value for money? Was it expensive and, if so, was it worth it?

I rate each criteria from 1 to 5, with 1 being an awful score and 5 being an excellent one. These are then averaged to give an overall score.

What are the ratings I use for festivals?

For music festivals, I have a slightly different ratings system. I’ve done this because the system for destinations doesn’t quite capture all the different elements of a festival.

The criteria are:

• Music: how good is the lineup (in my opinion)? Did I enjoy the music side of the festival?
• Activities: is there a lot to do outside the music? Are other activities well-organised and fun?
• Audience and atmosphere: what is the audience like? Am I happy in the crowd? Does the festival have a good atmosphere?
• Site: are the arena and campsites set out well? Are they cramped or uncomfortable? Are they easy to navigate?
• Accessibility: is the festival in a location that’s easy to access? Can international and disabled visitors access it easily?
• Facilities: what are the toilets like? Are showers and other hygiene facilities available?
• Value for money: is the festival value for money? Is it expensive and, if so, is it worth it?
• Volunteer experience: where I’ve attended a festival as a volunteer, you’ll also see this score, which relates to the quality of the volunteer campsite, crew perks and shifts available.

As with the destination ratings, I rate each criteria from 1 to 5 and then average them to give an overall score.

View by ratings

Rating: 4.5 or above

The top scoring destinations have done themselves proud in my opinion. To score 4.5 or higher, at least two ratings must be 5/5 – a feat in itself!

Rating: 4 to 4.5

These destinations aren’t too shabby, with a decent overall score. They might have slipped in one category, but even then they didn’t do too badly.

Rating: 3.5 to 4

The destinations ranked below 4/5 don’t look as shiny and brilliant compared to their predecessors. However, it’s worth remembering the scores are influenced by my personal opinion – and if you aren’t so bothered about things like safety or ease of access, they don’t always look so bad.

Rating: 3.5 or below

I don’t give a rating beneath 3.5 that regularly, so when I do, you can see that I wasn’t super crazy about the destination. For whatever reason, multiple categories are beneath 3, which isn’t a good sign…