What does Top 5 Score mean?
Top 5 score is a list of the five registered users who have most contributed to the EcoTrotters community.

Can I be included on this list?
Of course. You just need to open an account, upload your avatar and start taking part in the community. If you are one of the five users who most contributes to the site, you’ll automatically appear on the list.

How can I improve my score?
Once you’ve opened an account, you can improve your score by sending comments about a city or hotel, or by taking part in the topics. Every time you contribute to the site, your score will increase.

Do I need to register?
Yes, in order to contribute to the site you must be a registered user.

Do I need to upload a picture of myself to register?
No, you don´t need to upload a picture of yourself to register. You can upload any picture that you would like to represent yourself in our community.

What can I review ?
You can write and send us reviews for hotels or cities.

How do I send a review?
First of all, you need to be registered in order to send a review.
Search for and find a hotel or city. Click on the "Add Review" button.



And write your message:



Once you’ve written your message, click on the "Send" button to submit your review.

I want to review a hotel. What do each of the review points mean ?
When writing a hotel review, you can rate a hotel based on the following criteria:

Service
The level of service and staff attitude in general during your stay at this hotel.
Recycling
The level of recycling you saw at this hotel. Take into consideration glass, paper, metal, textiles, plastics, and also composting of kitchen materials and waste water recycling.
Atmosphere
What was the general vibe at the hotel? A higher rating indicates a positive experience.
Carbon Offset
Does this hotel participate in a carbon offset program? Does it offset its own emissions, or does it offer an offset program for guests?
Facilities
The general level of the facilities you experienced at this hotel, including all buildings, grounds, and gardens.
Sustainabiliity
How sustainable is this hotel? What kind of fuel is used? Are ingredients for the restaurant grown on site? A higher rating indicates a better level of sustainability.
Impact
The level of impact this hotel makes on the environment. Here, a higher rating denotes a lower impact.
Environmental Education
Does this hotel offer programs to educate its staff and guests on how to better treat the environment?

Do I need to rate each point?
No, you can rate the points you choose and leave the rest unmarked. This means you’ve decided not to rate those particular points.

What does "EcoTrotters Ranking" mean?
EcoTrotters Ranking is a daily average of our users’ ratings. We average all the points rated by our users when making a review (Service, Recycling, Atmosphere, Carbon Offset, Facilities, Sustainability, Impact and Environmental Education) to come up with the EcoTrotters Ranking. The results are determined by the public, not by us.

Can I review the same hotel or city more than once?
Certainly, you can write as many reviews as you’d like.

When will you post my review?
Your review will appear on our site instantly.

How long do the reviews stay posted?
Your reviews will remain on the site regardless of when you posted them, and will not be taken down.

Can I edit my review once I’ve sent it?
We’re sorry, but once you’ve sent a review, topic, or post and it appears on the site, it cannot be modified or taken down. You can, however, write a response to your comment expressing any change of views.

The review I wrote is attached to the wrong hotel, how can I fix this?
If your review appears on a different hotel, please send us an email here

Why can’t I comment about other reviewers? What if I don’t agree with them?
The purpose of reviewing is to write about a hotel or city. If you wish to interact with other users, you can do so by going to the Topics section, where you can discuss, ask, and answer questions from other users. There, you can express your disagreement in a friendly manner, without insults, for example: “I disagree with the previous comment because I went there and had a great time.”

Can I add pictures to my review?
We’re sorry. That service is not available at the moment, but we’re working on it. We’ll inform our users through our site once the service is ready to use.

Can I use HTML?
Unfortunately, users cannot include HTML in their comments.

Do I need to pay to take part in the EcoTrotters Topics?
No, our Topics section is completely free. All you need is an account to join in.

Do I have to register to view the contents posted?
You do not need to register to view the contents of this section. However, you do need to register as an EcoTrotters user in order to create a new topic or respond to an existing one.

How do I create a topic?
To create a topic you need to go to the city’s page and its Topics section. Then click on the "Add Topic" button.



You will see a screen where you can add a title to your topic and a message.



Once you click on the "Send" Button, your topic will have been created.

How do I send a post?
To send a post you must first click on a topic and then click on the "Add Post" button.



Once you’ve written your message, click on the "Send" button to submit your post.

I find a topic offensive. Can you take it down?
If you believe a topic, post, or review contains objectionable content, click on the "Report abuse" link within the topic, post, or review. You will be able to write a message explaining why you think the comment is offensive. This message will be sent to a moderator, who will determine whether or not the comment should be removed from the site. If you find that a user has posted a comment including commercial or promotional material, please let us know using the "report abuse" link.

Will I be notified if you change or remove a message of mine?
We’re sorry, but we cannot notify you personally if we change or remove one of your comments. However, you can always check the website to see if a comment has been removed.

I forgot my password. How do I sign in?
If you forgot your password, when you try to log in click on “Forgot Password” link. Write your email address and click on the “Send” button to receive an email from EcoTrotters with your account information.

How can I edit my profile?
Just log in and click on the "My account" icon on the upper right of the page. You will find a User Profile Menu and the option “Edit Profile,” where you’ll be able to edit your profile as you wish.

How can I subscribe to the newsletter and what are its benefits?
By subscribing to our free newsletter, you’ll receive the latest updates to help you plan your ideal ecovacation. To receive a subscription email from EcoTrotters, just go to our home page, write your email and click on the "Sign Up" button.

Users should take all the reviews posted on this site as individual opinions. The opinions expressed are those of EcoTrotters members only. We do not endorse any of the opinions expressed by reviewers nor hotels. EcoTrotters reserves the right to remove a review for any reason.

Please ensure the response is written exactly as you would like it to be posted on our site, as we will not make corrections for spelling or grammar. Keep in mind that traveler reviews can be read by all EcoTrotters users. All replies should be written using standard email etiquette (No ALL CAPS or excessive typographic symbols such as exclamation points.) All traveler reviews must be written in English.

Members may write as many reviews as they wish on any given hotel or city. We will not, however, post reviews including questions for other reviewers or comments about other reviews.

We will not post comments directed to EcoTrotters staff or commenting about EcoTrotters policies, though we welcome all comments here

In order to post your traveler review, it must be:

“G” rated
All traveler reviews must be written by EcoTrotters users over the age of 13 and should be appropriate for all readers. This means no insults, threats or prejudiced content or other content that could be considered inappropriate for all readers. Reviews should not intend to coerce another reviewer for his or her opinions. Replies of this nature will be automatically deleted from reviews. Comments posted should also include material relevant to other travelers. We are not a forum for religious, ethical, or political opinions.

Non-commercial
All promotional material or statements will be automatically deleted from reviews.

Original
No quoted material from other sources, no material published elsewhere, no hearsay. The review must be based on the traveler’s actual experience, and not on rumors from other people.

Respectful of Privacy
Any personal information of any individual, including first and/or last names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, or other information that may be used to identify a person will be automatically deleted from reviews.