Viator Viator Travel Blog

On the hunt this year for foam and pot stores.

This time last year I posted a list of the top and bottom searches of 2007 that occurred on Viator.com, and in keeping with this new tradition, I’ve updated the list for 2008.

The Viator.com search box gained a ton of searches over 2007’s total - we had more than 1.35 million searches in 2008! Once again, the one-off crazy searches were in many cases truly mystifying, and there were some new surprising gainers in the top ten.

So again in the spirit of Viator’s List Mania! I bring you the bottom 10 and top 10 searches from Viator.com’s search box for 2008.

Viator 2008 Travel Searches: The Bottom 10

We had a ton of searches that only happened once, in effect a big tie for last. I handpicked 10 favorites, and like last year, your guess on why people searched for these is probably as good as mine.

1. fieworks - You and I both know this is just fireworks mistyped, but wouldn’t it be funny if it really was Shakespearean. Fie! A pox upon your works.
2. miraculous events - I contend this is all a matter of perspective. Does me finding candy I forgot I had in my desk when I really needed a sugar boost count? It seemed magical at the time. Or are we talking more the Virgin Mary face’s appearing on a wall? If Viator can find a way for you to skip the line to see the Virgin, trust me, we’ll be all over it.
3. tattoo venice - Viator has lots of great things to do in Venice, but getting a tattoo had not yet made it to the list, we’ll definitely have to look into this. Any suggestions?
4. princesses - Again I’m surprised this only has one search, apparently people love having breakfast with princesses.
5. foam - You’ve stumped me on this one.
6. why do people live in london - Since I don’t live in London I’m not presuming to totally answer this one, but I think people who live there probably have good reasons for it. London is nice, have you been?
7. chincuatera - The most creative spelling for Cinque Terre I have ever seen. It is phonetically accurate.
8. for kid - Just one search? Viator’s got oodles of family friendly activities, check ‘em out.
9. pot stores - While Viator has some great tours in Amsterdam, you’re currently on your own in this regard.
10. raging - Of course everything on Viator is raging! That’s what all the kids are saying for cool now right??

Viator 2008 Travel Searches: The Top 10

If you’re curious about the Viator search results, you can click on the link to see them.

1. buckingham palace - A big mover, up from #3 last year.
2. pompeii - People love ruins.
3. changing guard -Short for “changing of the guard”, a corollary to Buckingham Palace searches.
4. New York Waterfalls - Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson’s public art display for New York was a big hit in 2008, sadly it closed in late October.
5. washington dc new york - Squeezing in a second city while on a trip gets more and more popular every year, and the New York - Washington DC combo got very popular in 2008. I’ll hazard a guess that the US Presidential election created some enthusiasm to visit the capital.
6. rome - Why does it not surprise me that Rome, one of our top destinations in 2008, gets searched for a lot?
7. roman catacombs - One of the most popular attractions in Rome, so no surprise its on the list.
8. santorini - I’m amazed to see this Greek Island made such a strong showing in 2008.
9. singapore zoo - One of the top things to do in Singapore, and the Night Safari gets especially high marks from travelers in their reviews.
10. discount - Fallen from #1 last year, I have a feeling discount will make a comeback in 2009. This search is still the easiest way to see everything on sale on Viator.com.

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Viator 2007 Travel Searches: The Bottom 10

We had a ton of searches that only happened once, in effect a big tie for last. I handpicked 10 favorites, your guess on why people searched for these is probably as good as mine.

1. kahn - A misspelled Chaka or Wrath of? I vote for William Shatner yelling “Khaaaaaaan!”.
2. chiquittita - As far as I can tell this is misspelled ABBA song, and not their best one at that.
3. why is the tower of pisa tipping - Good question! Apparently it tips because of some very soft soil (technically called “loose substrate”) and a very poorly built foundation.
4. desyniland - The worst misspelling I have seen in our search logs, and that’s saying something. I’m not even going to tell you the correct spelling. M-I-C-K-E-Y…
5. blackberry - Leave the pda at home! You’re on vacation!
6. finish marriage - I like to think this was supposed to be “finnish marriage” which is much happier than a finished marriage.
7. hot babe -It was only a matter of time before something like this graced the list.
8. traveling tips - Just one search for this? We offer tons of traveling tips! Check out our suggested itineraries, or sign up for our newsletter to get some.
9. air guitar - Rock on!
10. invader spices - I see a great movie concept here. The pitch could be Snakes on a Plane, but with rosemary and paprika. And maybe a soundtrack tie in with the Spice Girls?

Viator Travel Searches: The Top 10

1. discount -Many people have figured out that this is a really easy way to see everything on sale on Viator.com, hence why its so popular. And also, who doesn’t like a good deal?
2. rome - Why does it not surprise me that Rome, our #1 destination for 2007, gets searched for a lot?
3. buckingham palace - If its good enough for the Queen, its good enough for our search list.
4. vatican - Again, what a surprise that the #1 thing to do in Europe gets a lot of searches?
5. kennedy space center - Out of this world.
6. chichen itza - Actually I am impressed this many people are spelling it correctly. I think the bottom search list skewed my view of spelling competency.
7. versailles - Another home fit for a king, and not surprising given how popular France was as a destination in 2007.
8. paris - Didn’t I just say France was popular?
9. grand canyon - A helicopter flight to the Grand Canyon was the #1 activity for the USA and Canada in 2007.
10. swim dolphin - Every year more and more people love to swim with dolphins.

-Kelly G