Behind the Numbers: How We Score Destinations with the TripWorthIt™ Index Tool

Do You Find The Same Thing?

We visited two islands in Trat Province, Thailand, stayed at the best hotel on the best beach on these different islands, with both described as 5-star resorts. One left us with enduring memories, energised and fulfilled for our Thai adventures. The other left us flat and disappointed with no desire to return. Same budget, wildly different experiences.

That’s when we became convinced that traditional travel reviews and ratings weren’t measuring the things that we valued most on holiday. The hotels were as follows with the main ratings showing that one might just edge the other.

The Problem:

• Hotel Stars aren’t consistent and don’t measure enjoyment
• Tripadvisor / Booking.com / Google Reviews are subjective without context
• Everyone’s idea of “value” is different
• “Budget” vs. “Luxury” is a false contradiction: Each may have a better outcome for the traveller

According to every major review platform, both hotels should have provided everything we wanted for an island escape. The both scored the same on Google, although both Booking.com and Tripadvisor put High Season Pool Villa & Spa slightly ahead.

For us, we found the same, but the actual gap was far greater. We would go back to High Season in a heartbeat. For KC Grande, we couldn’t wait to leave!

What were the ratings missing?

Everything that actually mattered to us!

The ratings told us about thread counts and breakfast buffets. They measured cleanliness and Wi-Fi speed. But they couldn’t capture the feeling of kayaking through mangroves at dawn, or stumbling upon a hidden beach bar where locals actually outnumbered tourists. They didn’t account for the fact that one resort felt like a soulless compound, while the other became a base camp for adventure.

More importantly, the ratings couldn’t tell us that we – as Explorers who prioritise experiences over luxury amenities – were always going to love High Season more, regardless of its slightly higher scores.

The Solution:

This is why we created TripWorthIt™: a scoring system that measures what actually matters. How much you ENJOY a destination is relative to what you SPEND.

The Problem with Traditional Travel Reviews

This wasn’t an isolated incident. The more we travelled, the more we realized the entire travel review industry was measuring the wrong variables:

• ⭐ Hotel stars tell you about amenities, not enjoyment
• 📊 TripAdvisor rankings blend every traveller type into meaningless averages
• 💰 “Budget” vs “Luxury” creates a false choice that misses the entire point
• 🎯 Review aggregators can’t distinguish between a Relaxer who wants a spa and an Explorer who wants a sea kayak

A 5-star resort can leave you bored. A 3-star guesthouse can change your life. Traditional ratings can’t predict which is which or for you specifically.

The Costa Rica Turning Point

The seeds of TripWorthIt™ were planted years earlier, when we made the leap from packaged tours to planning our own Costa Rica adventure. We had never been to Costa Rica, don’t speak Spanish but wanted a big adventure. We reached out to several tour operators – Trailfinders, Audley Travel, KimKim and others – but the sums didn’t add up.

When we costed the itineraries ourselves, using the same hotels and checking the cost of guides in National Parks, there was a huge markup in the pricing that didn’t seem to match the value. In addition, we didn’t want to travel in a van with people we weren’t sure we’d get on with, not be able to stop when we wanted, and then be stuck with them for days on end.

In the end, we booked EVERYTHING ourselves, including a car hire to make our own self-guided tour.

We spent less per day than the tour companies charged, but experienced far more: more wildlife, more authentic moments, more freedom to linger where it mattered.

But how could we explain this value to others? How could we communicate that the tiny hotel in Manuel Antonio (The Falls Resort) delivered more “worth” than the expensive resort just down the road (Hotel Costa Verde). And at a fraction of the cost!

We needed a framework. Not to rank destinations against each other, but to help travellers understand which destinations match their travel DNA.

It’s not about CHEAP or LUXURY: It’s VALUE Travel!

We weren’t just looking for a cheaper way of doing things. And we love staying in luxury resorts too. Life is very short and sometimes it’s worth pushing the budget, especially if you only plan on travelling somewhere for a special occasion.

We were looking for high-value travel: experiences that deliver maximum enjoyment regardless of cost.

So we built a system. Here’s how it works.

The TripWorthIt™ Framework

Four Personas, Five Pillars, One Score

PART A: The Four Personas

Why Your Score Might Differ From Ours

The TripWorthIt™ Framework is unique because it reflects the type of traveller you are. To keep it simple, these are grouped into four “personas” that describe the type of trip you are planning to make.

🧭 The Explorer (Comfort & Ease of Stay, Value Score)

• Prioritises: Unique experiences, adventure, discovery
• Cares less about: Accommodation luxury as you’re going to be out and about a lot
• Example traveller: Active, curious, wants to DO things

🏖️ The Relaxer (Accommodation excellence, Value & Inclusions)

• Prioritises: Comfort, tranquillity, beautiful surroundings
• Cares less about: Packed itineraries
• Example traveller: Spa-goer, beach reader, slow mornings

💼 The Road Warrior (Location, Value & Loyalty Points)

• Prioritises: Efficiency, convenience, time optimisation
• Cares less about: Off-beaten-path adventures
• Example traveller: Business + leisure, maximising short trips

🎭 The Hybrid (Flexible Accommodation & Local Exploration)

• Prioritises: Everything in moderation
• Balances: Adventure with rest, budget with splurge
• Example traveller: Flexible, adapts to travel companions

PART B: The Five Pillars

For each persona, we’ve developed unique “pillars” that describe the five most important attributes of the trip.

🏨 1. ACCOMMODATION / COMFORT & EASE OF STAY

• Why it matters: Where you sleep affects your entire trip
• How: Room quality, points earned, amenities, location
• What we measure: Comfort, uniqueness, location, value for money
• Example: “A $150/night boutique with character beats a $200/night generic resort”

🚗 2. AUTHENTICITY / ACTIVITIES / WORK FUNCTIONALITY

• Why it matters: Time wasted traveling is time NOT enjoying the destination
• How: The small human touches, Wi-Fi speed, On-property activities
• What we measure: Ease, cost, efficiency, experience quality
• Example: “Direct ferry vs 3-bus journey for similar cost = different scores”

🍜 3. FOOD & DINING / ADVENTURE

• Why it matters: Food is culture, and great food doesn’t require Michelin stars; Discovery is what keeps the spirit alive
• What we measure: Variety, quality, authenticity, value
• Example: “Thailand street food scene vs expensive hotel restaurants”

🎯 4. SUSTAINABILITY & ECO-BALANCE / WELLNESS & SERVICE

• Why it matters: This is WHY you travelled in the first place
• What we measure: Uniqueness, accessibility, variety, cost-to-enjoyment ratio
• Example: “Private boat tour for $50 vs crowded group tour for $35”

💰 5. VALUE & INCLUSIONS

• Why it matters: Because value isn’t about the price you pay, it’s about the joy you receive. Intangibles that make you want to stay longer
• What we measure: Crowds, authenticity, natural beauty, “feel”
• Example: “Touristy paradise vs undiscovered gem with soul”

How We Calculate The Score

From Data to Decisions

Choose your Travel Style – Step 1:

• Select your “persona” from the four choices
• Confirm the Five Pillars match your trip / holiday type

Use the Radar Quick Visual Scorer – Step 2:

• Enter the Property Name to the Chart
• Use the sliders to rank your stay
• The overall TripWorthIt™ score is calculated for you
• This is a quick easy way to check whether a single hotel matches your values

Detailed Comparison Scorer – Step 3:

Staying at multiple hotels or want to compare in detail? Then use the Detailed Comparison Scorer.

Each category gets scored 1-5 based on the 5 Pillars chosen to match your Travel Style:

• The scoring is also based on the Persona Travel Style (Explorer, Relaxer, Road Warrior or Hybrid)
• Click the dropdown to select the number of properties you want to compare
• The categories are sub-divided into 3 sub-categories.
• Select the score from 1-5 that meets your values (5 being the best)
• Each Major Category is scored
• The total is also score based on the TripWorthIt™ weights
• Aim for a score higher than 3.5 / 5 overall if you can

Final TripWorthIt™ Score – Step 4:

• Scale from 1.00 to 5.00, where 5 = 100%
• 4.50 / 5 – 90+: Exceptional value and experience
• 4.00 / 5 – 80%+: Excellent
• 3.00 / 5 – 60%+: Good, with caveats
• 2.50 / 5 – 50%+: Fair – can do better
•  <2.50 / 5 <50%: Probably not worth it for this personaScale of 1-100

Real-Life Example: The Thailand Island Trilogy

Same Country, Same Budget, Different Scores

Case Study: Koh Chang vs Koh Kood vs Koh Mak

Setting the scene:

• Three islands, same region, similar budgets
• Why they scored differently
• What this teaches us about travel evaluation

🏝️ KOH KOOD (See our full video review)

• TripWorthIt™ Score: 3.68 / 5 or 74% / Good
• Why it scored high: Pristine beaches, authentic vibe, great value boutique stays, uncrowded
• Who it’s for: Explorers & Relaxers
• The standout: Comfort & Ease scored 4.2 / 5
• Embedded video: Link to your YouTube
• CTA: “Watch our full Koh Kood film here”

🌴 KOH CHANG (Video Coming Out: 15th Nov.)

• TripWorthIt™ Score: 2.08 / 5.0 Needs Improvement!
• Why it scored differently: More developed, better infrastructure, more activities but also more crowds
• Who it’s for: Hybrids & Road Warriors
• The standout: Property & Grounds 3.0 / 5, but Value & Inclusion poor at 1.50 / 5
• Teaser: Our Koh Chang film releases 15th Novemeber—subscribe to see why this island splits opinions
• CTA: Here’s a link to our YouTube channel

🏖️ KOH MAK (Coming in December)

• TripWorthIt™ Score: 2.5 / 5 You’ll see why in the movie…
• Brief teaser: “The quiet middle child of the three: surprisingly high beach scores”
• Who it’s for: Relaxers & Explorers who want uncrowded beaches
• CTA: Full film coming 6th December

Key insight:

Notice something? Koh Kood wasn’t the cheapest. It wasn’t the most convenient. But it delivered the highest enjoyment relative to cost, especially for our Explorer persona. Koh Chang had more to DO, but Koh Kood had more to FEEL. That’s the difference TripWorthIt™ captures that star ratings miss.”

What This Means For You

Using TripWorthIt™ for Your Next Trip

Practical applications:

🤔 – Step 1: Know Your Persona

• Take our quick persona quiz
• Or just read the descriptions and self-identify

🧮 – Step 2: Check Our Scores

• Browse our destination guides
• Filter by persona match
• Read the pillar breakdowns, not just the total score

🚨 – Step 3: Adjust for Your Priorities

• If you’re a Relaxer looking at an Explorer-scored destination, know what to expect
• Read the full review, not just the number

🗺️ – Step 4: Plan Accordingly

• High activity scores but low accommodation? Budget more for experiences, less for hotels
• High atmosphere but lower food scores? Pack snacks or plan for simpler meals

💭 Remember: A 3 / 5 for a Relaxer might be a 4 / 5 for an Explorer. Context matters more than the number.

What’s Next?

The Evolution of TripWorthIt™

Future enhancements:

• Ready Now: Interactive TripWorthIt™ calculator on this website
• Also Ready Now: Interactive TripWorthIt™ Persona Quiz: Find your Travel Style!
• Reader submissions: Share YOUR scores and experiences
• Expanded regions: Beyond Southeast Asia – we share our scores for other regions that we have visited
• Video integration: Every YouTube vlog now includes TripWorthIt™ analysis

Personal note:

We’ve scored over 10 destinations now since we first went to Costa Rica, and the pattern is clear: the best trips aren’t about how much you spend. They’re about how well the destination matches your travel DNA. That’s what TripWorthIt™ reveals.

Conclusion

Honest Opinion:

“Traditional travel advice tells you WHERE to go. TripWorthIt™ tells you IF you’ll actually enjoy it and why.”

Why Don’t You:

• ✅ Explore our destination guides with TripWorthIt™ scores
• ✅ Watch our Thailand Island Trilogy on YouTube
• ✅ Subscribe for new scores and travel insights

Final thoughts:

Because the best trip isn’t the most expensive one, or the cheapest one. It’s the one that makes you think: ‘I’d do this again in a heartbeat.’ That’s a 90%+ TripWorthIt™ trip.