In the Carry-On

— ABOUT THE JOURNAL

Reviews

The scale
5
Excellent
Would go out of my way for this
4
Good
Would return without hesitation
3
Decent
Fine, nothing wrong or special
2
Weak
Notable problems, caveats apply
1
Avoid
Not worth your time or money
Food
Food

[Restaurant Name]

[City] · [Cuisine] · [Price range $/$$/$$$] · [Date]
4 Good
[One sentence gut feeling — e.g. "Reliable spot with pasta that earns a return visit."]
How it scored
Food quality 4
Atmosphere 3
Service 4
Value 5
Noise 2
Dietary options 3

[Write naturally here — what did you eat, what landed, what didn't. This is the actual review. Mention the standout dish by name. Note anything that missed the mark. Give context: were you there for lunch or dinner, with one person or six?]

[Second paragraph if needed — neighbourhood context, how it compares to similar places, who you'd bring here.]

Highlights
  • [Best dish or moment]
  • [What surprised you]
Watch out for
  • [What fell short]
  • [Caveat for certain diners]
Hotels
Hotel

[Hotel Name]

[City] · [Star rating or tier] · [Price/night] · [Dates stayed]
3 Decent
[One sentence — e.g. "The location carries it; the room showed its age."]
How it scored
Room quality 3
Cleanliness 4
Location 5
Staff 4
Sleep quality 2
Value 3
Wi-Fi 4
Breakfast 3

[Write naturally — what was the room actually like when you walked in? What did the photos not show you? Mention if you were there for work or leisure, and whether that changed things. The location was genuinely walkable, or the street noise made sleeping difficult — say it plainly.]

[Second paragraph — amenities worth mentioning, breakfast quality, check-in experience, anything that made it stand out or drag it down.]

Highlights
  • [What stood out positively]
  • [Who this works well for]
Watch out for
  • [What fell short of expectations]
  • [Hidden costs or gotchas]
Flights
Flight

[Airline] — [Route]

[Flight no.] · [Cabin class] · [Duration] · [Date flown]
5 Excellent
[One sentence — e.g. "Best business class I've flown at this price point."]
How it scored
Seat comfort 5
Legroom 5
Food & drink 4
Crew 5
Entertainment 4
Punctuality 5
Boarding 4
Value 5

[Write naturally — describe the seat, the meal service, the crew interaction. Was it a day flight or overnight? Did you sleep? Was the cabin quiet or chaotic? How did it feel compared to what you paid or redeemed?]

[Second paragraph if needed — anything worth knowing about this specific route, configuration, or cabin that the booking page won't tell you.]

Highlights
  • [What made this flight memorable]
  • [Who this cabin suits best]
Watch out for
  • [Route or seat-specific caveat]
  • [Anything that didn't match expectations]
Tech
Tech

[Product Name] — [Model / version]

[Category: phone / laptop / earbuds / app / etc.] · [Price] · [Time used]
2 Weak
[One sentence — e.g. "Promising hardware let down by software that never got finished."]
How it scored
Build & design 4
Performance 2
Ease of use 2
Reliability 1
Battery life 3
Value 1
Ecosystem 2
Support & updates 2

[Write naturally — how long did you use this before reviewing? What's your actual use case? What worked on day one that stopped working by week three? Be specific: a genuinely great feature is worth calling out, as is a recurring bug that the manufacturer ignored.]

[Second paragraph — who is this actually for? What's the better alternative at this price? What would make you reconsider?]

Highlights
  • [Standout feature or design choice]
  • [Who might still buy this]
Watch out for
  • [Core issue holding it back]
  • [Better alternative at this price]