Editorial policy

1. Original, useful writing

Every guide is written for this site. We do not copy, scrape, rewrite or spin other publishers' articles, and we do not publish pages whose only purpose is to hold advertising. If a page has nothing practical to add beyond what an official source already says clearly, we do not publish it.

2. Use of AI tools

AI tools may be used for routine support tasks such as spotting spelling errors or suggesting a clearer structure. They are not used to generate guide content that is then published as human research. Every published sentence is written or rewritten and verified by a person on the editorial desk, who takes responsibility for it. Some illustrative images on the site are commissioned AI illustrations; these are labelled as such in the image credit.

3. Sourcing and verification

Anything time-sensitive — fares, ticket prices, visa requirements, opening hours, safety guidance — is checked against the operator, tourism board or government department responsible for it, and that source is linked at the foot of the guide. We tell you plainly where a figure came from and when we checked it, and we ask you to reconfirm before you rely on it.

4. Dates on every page

Each guide shows its publication date, the date it was last updated and the date it was last reviewed. A review means a person re-read the page against its sources, whether or not anything changed.

5. Honest attribution

We attribute every guide to a real byline. We do not create fictional writers, fake credentials, invented personal anecdotes or made-up reader quotes. Where a guide is desk research rather than a personal visit, the page says so. See who writes RealTripGuides.

6. Independence from advertising

Advertisers and ad networks have no influence over our coverage or our conclusions, and no advance sight of guides. Ad units are labelled and kept visually separate from article text and navigation, and we never place them where they could be mistaken for editorial content or clicked by accident. See our advertising and disclosure policy.

7. Content we will not publish

• Copied, scraped or lightly reworded content from other sites.
• Bulk-generated destination pages with no real research behind them.
• Paid links, link exchanges or advertorial presented as editorial.
• Adult, violent, hateful, or dangerous content, or anything promoting illegal activity.
• Medical, legal or immigration advice — we point to the official body instead.
• Images we do not have the right to use.

8. Images and rights

Photographs are either our own, commissioned illustrations, or licensed for the use shown. Each image carries a credit and licence note. If you believe an image here infringes your rights, contact us and we will remove it while we investigate.

9. Corrections

We correct errors promptly and record substantive changes. See the corrections policy.

10. Accessibility

We aim to meet WCAG 2.1 AA: meaningful alternative text, logical heading order, visible keyboard focus, sufficient colour contrast, and layouts that work at 200% zoom. If something on this site is hard to use, please tell us.