What are people looking for in a "trip report?"

[drvillarejos]

Pictures definitely. Seeing the little things that others miss. Hearing about the magical moments. Just following along, felling like a little part of you is right there in Disney too.

[thrasher543]

for me it’s learning how people are feeling about the trip, beyond just list of what attractions they experienced- which ones were the most fun, what was the best memory for each park/day/trip… those kinds of qualitative assessments that go beyond the quantitative data I am also subscribed for It helps me remember to put some things on my ‘stop and smell the roses’ list for next time.

[JJT]

I appreciate little observations and tips people discover, a nice photo or three.

When I wrote my first trip reports, I went in to lots of details - which I know can be daunting to read (and earned my forum nickname.)

Last summer on our Coronado summer trip, I found just posting short funny or cool things as they happened sparked fun conversations.

For myself, doing mine both ways lets me re-experience those trips in different ways. So, I don’t think there’s a wrong way - and we all at home just like to have the vicarious experience when we can’t be on site.

[GreyingMouser]

@RotR

What makes a trip report a great trip report?

@Jeff_AZ 's children.
He could probably sell cut outs for those of us who are cuteness-deficient to pose with.

[Shmebulock]

Photos and banter.

[bebe80]

This post reminds me of this thread:

What Do You Like to See in a Trip Report?

There have been so many great trip reports lately, it made me wonder … what do you like to see in a trip report, and what tips do you have for those writing one? Here are a few I thought of: Include lots of photos, especially photos of your family if you are comfortable doing so Personalize with stories, humor, or other glimpses of your personality If you must write a block of text, break it up with bullet points, paragraph breaks (a full line in between), bold text, headers, etc. Start off w…

[feep]

I came here to post that!

Pictures get people’s attention. Interaction and data keep readers engaged. Also meals. Food is always popular.

[Jeff_AZ]

At the risk of repeating what I said in the thread @bebe80 shared …

There are lots of great trip reports, but those that I enjoy the most share the following attributes:

1. Personality - something that helps us see what makes this person different or unique
2. Photos - Both of Disney and of YOU (+ cute kids / the pets back home, etc.)
3. Readability - Short spurts of text that get to the point are best. You can include longer stories occasionally, but you have to break it up somehow - formatting, paragraphs, humor, emojis, photos, lists with bolded headlines (), whatever it takes!

[bebe80]

When I saw this thread title, I actually thought someone had bumped the previous one.

Adding: I loved sharing in my reply and reminiscing about my own TR. Great memories!

[sanstitre_has_left_the_building]

@Jeff_AZ

Photos - Both of Disney and of YOU (+ cute kids / the pets back home, etc.)

These are the posts that get the most likes on my trip reports.

[feep]

Not everyone is comfortable posting pictures of themselves or their family and I wouldn’t want to pressure anyone to do so. Pictures of food can work well if you don’t like to post pictures of people. I personally don’t post pictures of myself or my family (unless it is under the guise of Baymax).

[QwertySC]

1 - If I feel like I can relate to the author - similar sized family, etc.
2 - If they are people I have gotten to know.
3 - Photos and stories. I don’t need a play by play, but do like the highlights.

[Jeff_AZ]

@feep

I wouldn’t want to pressure anyone to do so

Me neither! While I think it’s a fact that people do prefer seeing pics of the people, there should be no pressure to do so. As you said, that can be made up for with photos of the parks, food, sights, etc.

[Alewis678]

This is why I don’t do trip reports. I don’t post pictures of my family’s faces for privacy reasons.

I like some photos in ones I read, but people don’t need to be in them. I also like tips and food reviews.

[drvillarejos]

@Jeff_AZ

you have to break it up somehow

Badges

[Dreamer]

@GreyingMouser

@Jeff_AZ 's children.
He could probably sell cut outs for those of us who are cuteness-deficient to pose with.

Or maybe he will rent the kids out. He could make money and the kids could go on more Disney trips. Win win.

[drvillarejos]

I generally don’t care about posting family in photos because it’s available somehow, somewhere. But I totally get it. Any photos I post of my DGS on FB are for friends only (and my FB friend list is fairly short to people I know well).

[Jeff_AZ]

@drvillarejos

I generally don’t care about posting family in photos because it’s available somehow, somewhere.

This is how I feel as well, obviously. I’ve just come to terms with the fact that there is no such thing as privacy in an online world. I try to keep specific identifying information out of it - address, etc. But I think the feeling of community is worth whatever risk there is to sharing here specifically.

[trnickell27]

Live reports are my favorite. Love seeing peoples thoughts and seeing their personality come through their posts. Photos are fun too, especially of the food. The planner in me loves the breakdowns of their strategies and hearing about all the stuff they accomplish in a day I’ll read any trip report though b/c I love living vicariously through those that are at my happy place!

[unintegral]

I’m just getting started here. I went to MK at a toddler, so I’m effectively a first timer. I’m taking DD for her 4th birthday. All of my comments should be filtered as someone who doesn’t know anything about Disney.

The great trip reports that I’ve read include the misses. The things that just didn’t work or were outright mistakes. Especially when the people are still having a great time. Not only does it take the pressure off to plan the perfect trip, it’s a good reminder that something will go wrong and it isn’t the end of the world.