Why We Suggest What We Suggest

Articles on this site often end with a suggestion: try this kind of device, start with this sort of puzzle, visit this region in that season. Readers sometimes ask how those suggestions are made. This page answers honestly, so you can weigh our advice with the right amount of salt.

The questions behind a suggestion

Before something goes into an article as a recommendation, it has to get past a short list of questions:

1. Does it fit the reader we are writing for? A beginner's jigsaw is not the same as an expert's, and a first trip north is not the same as a fifth.
2. Would we do it ourselves? If none of us would spend our own evening or money this way, it does not belong in the piece.
3. Is it still true? Services, apps and rules change. We prefer advice that holds up over time to tips that will be stale next season.
4. Is there a simpler option? If a free or low-effort route does the job, we mention it first.
5. What could go wrong? Every suggestion should come with its limits, not just its upsides.

Types, not brands

Where we can, we describe a type of thing rather than a particular product: a puzzle with bold color blocks, a soft pencil, a lamp that can be aimed. That keeps the advice useful long after a model has been discontinued, and it leaves the final choice with you.

Reading mentions of businesses

Our archive goes back years and covers a wide spread of subjects. Some older articles mention specific businesses, services or products, and some link to them. Treat those mentions as starting points for your own research rather than endorsements. Check reviews, current prices, terms and local rules before you buy or book, and contact the business directly with questions about its offer.

What we will not do

• Rank things we have not looked at closely.
• Invent figures, test results or customer quotes to make a pick look stronger.
• Suggest ways to dodge the terms of a service, a licence or the law.
• Present a general tip as personal medical, legal or financial advice.

When we change our minds

Sometimes a suggestion stops being a good one. A device ages badly, a destination changes, a reader shows us a better way. When that happens we update the article. You can tell us about a pick that did not work for you on the contact page, and you will find more about how articles are made on a look behind the pages.

A few picks we stand behind

If you want to see the approach in action, start with how to start journaling, which recommends almost nothing you need to buy, or questions to ask bathroom fitters, which is all about checking before you commit.