Meet Britain's most prolific TripAdvisor reviewer: 1,934 and counting...

Stephen Kelly has written 1,934 TripAdvisor reviews. That’s no mean feat in itself, but knowing that he only joined the site in February 2015 makes his effort even more heroic.

Kelly is Britain’s most prolific TripAdvisor reviewer – in December, the travel review site rewarded him with the titles “UK Review Contributor of the Year” and “Restaurant Expert of the Year”. The latter is probably because, of his 1,934 reviews, 1,529 are about bars and restaurants.

As well as writing reviews, he takes photos – 15,426 of them are on TripAdvisor so far.

And Kelly is no sloppy critic. His reviews – for which he’s had 577 “helpful” votes – are packed with information, as well as his views. “I always include a bit of history of the place, and how to get there on public transport, because that's what I want to know,” he says. Helpful fella.

By day, Kelly, 51, is a porter at Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool. But off-shift, he’s a one-man review machine. He sets aside time to write every day: one review in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening, taking up to half an hour on each one.

During his work breaks, he checks over his published reviews and plans the next ones. He travels about once a month, and writes up to 30 reviews on the back of each trip. Writing them, he says, reminds him of the good times he’s had, and starts the countdown to the next weekend away.

It’s an addiction, he says, but “quite a pleasant one to have”.

Kelly’s reviews may be overwhelmingly positive – of the 1,934 reviews, all but three are four or five stars – but that’s because he meticulously plans his trips to make sure he’s going to places he’ll like.

He looks for new openings, cross-references TripAdvisor with RateBeer and restaurant sites, and plots his movements so he stays in one area, helping him to cover more venues.

For his five days in Brussels next week, he has a list of 30 places in the Old Town, all within 800 yards of each other – he’ll visit them all, plus add in any extras that he happens to walk past. For his first visit to Rome, in May, he’s already started the research. “There’s a big craft beer scene there,” he says. “I’m fitting in the planning on my breaks.”

open image in gallery

Along with horse-racing, travel is Kelly’s big love – and as he’s single, all his disposable income goes towards it. He’s been to every country in Eastern Europe, and makes multiple visits to places he likes (he’s been to Brussels so many times, for instance, that he can’t remember whether this next trip will be the 11th or the 13th).

Kelly’s favourite place? Moscow, where he was taken aback by the friendliness of the locals against all expectations. His least favourite takes some thought (“A lot of reviews are negative but… most staff are trying their hardest, so I like to give them a chance”, he says), but he plumps for Tenerife, though is at pains to say he probably went at the wrong time of year.

Does he feel pressure now that he’s officially been rated Britain’s most prolific reviewer? Not at all.

“I hadn’t even looked at my ranking or number of reviews before I got the award,” he says. “That’s not why I do it at all. I haven’t got a competitive bone in my body.”

Kelly says he’ll continue to travel despite the dwindling pound, not least because he wants to visit every brewpub in Europe.

“I think I’ll always do it,” he adds. “I can’t see me ever getting bored by it, because if I’m stuck in work, looking at my reviews just brings me back to where I was. There’s no pressure – it’s just a nice thing to do. It makes me want to go to new places, too.”

After Brussels, he’s on to Ostend; after that, it’s Bratislava. “I have nine holidays sorted so far for this year,” he says. If anyone wants to topple him from the rankings, they’re going to have a fight on their hands.

Although he does have one tough competitor – his twin brother, with whom he often travels, is also on TripAdvisor. However, his twin tends to review the sights, so there’s no clash. They’re identical – “except he’s got more hair than me,” says Kelly – so even where they can’t speak the language, travelling together helps break the ice.

So, after 1,934 reviews, what has Kelly learned?

Plan your trip: “I have a list of what I want to see for every trip. A big advantage of TripAdvisor is that it’s really up to date, but you should cross-reference with other sites – I like RateBeer.”

Choose your targets carefully: “It’s very rare that I end up in a duff place, because I do so much research. Find places you know you’ll like. If you’re looking on the spot, avoid anywhere that doesn’t have prices on the menu. I got caught out in Prague recently, and it was a bit of a rip-off.”

Buy a public transport pass: “You can get around on public transport everywhere in Europe, so buy a pass, whether that’s for 24 hours or five days.”

Explore by area: “I used to go to a place and stay around the same area the whole trip. Actually TripAdvisor has helped me discover different areas and go to more local places than I used to. Also, Europe’s incredibly safe, but check in advance which areas are best.”

Assume the best of people: “Be positive. Maybe it’s not bad service – maybe they’re really busy and trying their best.”