Editorial Policy & Review Standards

Effective date: September 3, 2026
Last reviewed: September 23, 2026
Owner and editor: Ellie Simons

Ellie’s Travel Tips publishes practical travel guidance covering cruises, destinations, road trips, packing, budgeting, accommodations, transportation, attractions, itineraries, and trip-planning decisions. This policy explains how content is researched, written, reviewed, corrected, and monetized.

Editorial independence

Editorial decisions are made by Ellie Simons. Affiliate relationships, advertising, complimentary travel, press trips, discounts, sponsorships, tourism-board support, products, or other commercial relationships do not guarantee inclusion or positive coverage.

When a material commercial relationship is connected to a specific article, the relationship should be disclosed clearly on that content.

Firsthand experience and researched guidance

Ellie’s Travel Tips distinguishes among different types of editorial work:

  • Firsthand reporting: Ellie personally visited, sailed, stayed, traveled, photographed, purchased, or tested the experience or product being described.
  • Desk-researched guidance: Information compiled from official and reputable sources without claiming a personal visit or test.
  • Updated or editorially reviewed: An existing page checked against current sources and revised when needed.

Articles should never imply personal experience that did not happen. When personal experience and research are combined, the distinction should remain understandable to the reader.

Source standards

Sources are prioritized in roughly this order:

  1. Primary sources: Government agencies, immigration and customs authorities, cruise lines, port authorities, transit agencies, airlines, hotels, tourism boards, parks, museums, official operators, schedules, written confirmations, and direct interviews.
  2. Strong secondary sources: Established news organizations, academic or industry research, and reputable destination reporting.
  3. Community sources: Forums, reviews, social posts, and traveler discussions used to identify patterns, questions, or experience-based context rather than as the only source for consequential facts.

Time-sensitive facts involving safety, entry requirements, cost, transportation, schedules, accessibility, cancellations, documentation, or the ability to make a cruise or flight connection should be checked against a current primary source whenever one is available.

Fact-checking workflow

  • Confirm names, locations, operators, routes, categories, and terminology.
  • Check transportation, distances, operating hours, ticketing, accessibility, entry rules, and other practical details against current sources.
  • Date prices or clearly identify them as examples when they are likely to change.
  • For cruise content, verify ship names, venue names, cabin categories, inclusions, fees, policies, schedules, terminals, and itinerary details with cruise-line or port sources where practical.
  • Link important claims to authoritative sources when the source helps a reader verify something consequential.
  • Check internal and external links before publication or material updates.
  • Review titles, headings, descriptions, images, alt text, and structured data for accuracy and consistency.

Updates and recency

Review priority is based on how much a stale detail could affect a reader, not simply on how old a page is. High-traffic pages and articles involving entry rules, safety, transportation, cruise operations, accessibility, fees, schedules, or other time-sensitive information receive higher review priority.

Events such as route changes, major price changes, closures, government advisories, cruise-line policy changes, new terminals, changed entry rules, disasters, or credible reader corrections may trigger an earlier review.

A displayed updated date should reflect a real editorial review or meaningful revision. Dates should not be changed simply to make an article look newer.

Corrections

Readers can report an error through the Contact page or by emailing [email protected]. Corrections involving safety, entry requirements, major closures, cruise operations, or other consequential trip logistics receive priority.

Small spelling, formatting, or clarity fixes may be corrected without a public note. When a correction materially changes a reader’s understanding, the article may include an update or correction note explaining what changed.

Recommendations and commercial content

Recommendations for hotels, cruises, tours, products, destinations, transportation, or other travel services may consider traveler fit, location, value, convenience, accessibility information, reputation, cancellation flexibility, firsthand experience, official information, and current availability.

Affiliate commission is considered only after the editorial decision to include an option. A recommendation is not a guarantee of price, availability, quality, safety, or suitability for every traveler.

AI assistance

AI tools may assist with research organization, drafting, substantial rewriting, editing, data handling, quality-control checks, and creating illustrations or infographics. Ellie Simons remains responsible for the site’s published content; AI output is not an authoritative source or proof of firsthand experience.

Material travel facts require verification against appropriate sources, regardless of how the text was drafted. An AI-created image is an illustration, not evidence that Ellie visited a place or that a particular room, ship, or property looks exactly as shown.

Originality, quotations, and images

  • Writing should be original, and direct quotations should be attributed.
  • Original photography is preferred when available. Licensed, commissioned, public-domain, and appropriately permitted photographs may also be used.
  • A photograph labeled with a named ship, cabin, hotel, or attraction should accurately show that subject. The source and usage rights should be recorded before publication.
  • AI-generated and other conceptual images should be identified as illustrations where readers could mistake them for documentary photographs. They must not be presented as proof of a personal visit, a tested product, or a specific property’s actual appearance.
  • Maps, diagrams, and infographics require factual checks of their labels, geography, measurements, and comparisons. An attractive design does not establish accuracy.
  • Alt text should describe what an informative image actually shows. Image edits must not remove context that materially changes a traveler’s understanding.

Accessibility and inclusive coverage

Accessibility information is included when it can be sourced responsibly. Depending on the article, that may include walking distance, steps, ramps, elevators, surfaces, transportation, restrooms, heat, shade, mobility limitations, sensory considerations, family needs, or step-free alternatives.

Accessibility needs vary significantly. Readers should confirm critical arrangements directly with the responsible operator, property, cruise line, venue, or transportation provider before travel.

SEO and structured data

  • Titles and meta descriptions should accurately represent the visible page.
  • Headings should organize information for readers, not mechanically repeat search terms.
  • Internal links should help a reader continue planning and should not be used to manufacture thin or near-duplicate pages.
  • Structured data should reflect the visible content and appropriate page type.
  • Author and organization identities should remain consistent across the site.
  • Publication and modification dates should represent real editorial events.

Policy review and records

For new guides and substantive updates, the editorial checklist calls for a record of the responsible editor, the basis of the advice, critical sources, image provenance, and unresolved questions. A visit date, a source-check date, and a content-update date should be recorded separately when they describe different events.

Review priorities should reflect the consequences of an error, with particular attention to health, entry requirements, accessibility, cancellations, and major booking costs. An article should name a specialist reviewer only when that person actually reviewed the relevant material, with their qualifications and the scope of that review made clear.

This checklist is a standard for ongoing work, not a claim that every article in the archive has received a fresh review. Reader corrections and material changes to official information may trigger additional checks.

Related policies

Contact

Questions, corrections, or concerns: [email protected].

How these standards apply in practice

The evidence needed depends on the decision a reader is making. These examples explain the distinction.

  • Cabin location: In a guide such as Sun Princess cabins, an official deck plan can establish what is above or beside a room. It cannot prove how noisy every cabin will be, so a possible risk should not be presented as a measured result.
  • Itinerary scope: A Great Lakes route should say which lakes it actually covers and distinguish a practical core itinerary from optional extensions.
  • Packing and policies: A Disney packing guide should separate optional packing suggestions from the cruise line’s rules and link consequential restrictions to the official policy.