'Overrated': The travel habit you need to drop right now

There are many reasons people love to travel, but one of the best parts about venturing across the globe has to be the food.

Trying new foods in new places has to be one of the most invigorating and exciting activities to partake in, but how do you know where to start?

This is what was going through my mind when I landed in Paris, a city that has built a reputation on mouthwatering food and bougie bakeries.

I wasn't travelling alone however and luckily, my friend knew – or thought she knew – exactly what to do.

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Pulling out her phone, she jumped straight onto TikTok and within seconds we had thousands of suggestions.

No matter whether you wanted breakfast, lunch or dinner, someone on TikTok had a suggestion for you with the photos and videos to back up their reviews.

Everyone who had a phone and happened to be in the city suddenly became a self-certified food critic.

All the suggestions we found looked incredible but ended up having one thing in common – they were predominantly overrated.

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We visited at least three restaurants that had been reviewed and recommended on TikTok and although the food looked amazing, unless you were planning on eating with your eyes, you were bound to leave unsatisfied – and often much broker than when you walked in.

There would also be long wait times and huge queues because social media has become every tourist's new hot spot for food suggestions.

All the promises of the "best food in Paris" were empty and eventually my friend gave in to my suggestion that we create our own experience by walking around and picking random places to eat.

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At the end of the day, at least with my plan, you either leave full, happy and satisfied, or unsatisfied but with good memories and a unique story to tell.

Oddly, there's also something easier about being disappointed on your own accord than disappointed by someone else's suggestion.

Shortly after, we discovered a bakery right underneath our apartment that was incredible, and guess what, no queue!

Straying from taking online recommendations, our travels led us to fabulous, random patisseries with the most beautiful treats.

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Now this isn't to say all TikTok suggestions are bad, but rather a precaution not to take them as gospel and just allow yourself to have a unique experience of your trip, whether that be in Paris, London or Beirut.

If you are going to use TikTok, at least check accounts created specifically to critique food.

Yelp reviews or online written reviews also seemed to be much more accurate – especially because they don't allow you to be swayed by the look of the food.

Wishing you happy travels and good food, Bon Appétit!