I love review sites. Yelp and Trip Advisor…I can spend many hours searching and roaming on these sites contemplating where my next destination will be. I especially enjoy the photo gallery on these sites though some people take photos of the oddest things! You know what they say…a picture is worth a thousand words! Though I do look at the reviews and star ratings, I don’t rely solely on these 2 items. You never know why it was an off day for the hotel or restaurant. The hotel receptionist may have had a really bad day or the restaurant was in the works to get a remodel the very next day. Though I must say, using wise judgement, if a hotel/restaurant has 1-2 stars, it is worth reconsidering.
Now with a dog, I really wanted to find a good dog travel review site. I searched the web and came across BringFido.com. Being a top searched review site for travelers with pets, I was hoping this would be a one stop shop site. Though it has a lot of great information, for the photo loving enthusiast, I wasn’t impressed. Here are some of my thoughts on BringFido.com:
Pros:
- Interactive World Map – If you don’t have a set vacation destination yet, you can do a search by geographic location to find a dog friendly city near you. There are so many new dog friendly cities!
- Airlines and Policies – BringFido has a page that lists all major airlines and their pet policy. It may be wise to check with the actual airlines website just in case BringFido’s site is not up to date.
- Additional Resources – You can find dog friendly attractions, events, restaurants and services on this site according to your destination city
- Q and A Assistance – There is a forum where you can search questions asked by the general public as well as a Pet Expert that is on stand by 24/7 via phone to assist you with any questions you may have.
- Hotel Pet Fee – The most frustrating part when looking for a dog friendly hotel is finding the pet fee listed on the hotel website. On BringFido, it clearly states what the pet fee is. But again, check with the hotel for current pet fees because BringFido’s site may not be updated.
Cons:
- Low Customer Review Count – For a top searched review site, I was hoping that there would be more customer reviews on this site.
- Lack of Photos – As I mentioned earlier, I love scrolling through all the colorful photos on review sites. Though most of the photos for the hotels are pulled directly from the hotel website, there are very little photos for restaurants on BringFido. Now I understand this site is a customer generated site meaning it gets populated by the people so if people don’t leave reviews or post photos, there’s no content to show. It would be nice if BringFido staff would post pictures for the locations where photos are lacking.
- Limitations on the Mobile App – Unlike the website version when viewed on a computer/tablet, the mobile app on a cell phone will not allow for you to view a geographic map to see all the wonderful cities you have as options for your next dog friendly destination. Instead, it displays a search box where you have to enter a specific destination city in order to view hotels, restaurants, activities etc…in that area.
- Photos on Mobile App Not Great – When searching on the mobile app through a cell phone for a specific city, some categories only show a stock image uploaded by BringFido that says “Photo Coming Soon.” Remember how I love browsing photos? I’m not sure if the photo is actually coming soon or if its been that way for a while. It’s quite discouraging when you are looking for a dog friendly restaurant or activity when all you get, photo after photo is only a stock image.
The Bottom Line – BringFido is a great website to use but not on its own. I would advise you to use it in conjunction with Trip Advisor and Yelp. Both Trip Advisor and Yelp have great filters when doing a search allowing you to choose the perfect location that is dog friendly and enjoyable.
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