Useful, verifiable, independent of payment
Editorial standards: how The Map selects places
The Map is a curated guide, not a directory and not a pay-to-rank list. These standards explain what an inclusion means, what it does not mean, and how information is checked and corrected.
Standards reviewed 29 August 2026
Selection is a human editorial decision
A place enters the public guide only when it gives a traveller a clear reason to choose it and enough practical information to act on that choice.
- A “best of” collection remains outside search until it contains at least 4 published places.
- Shortlists are displayed alphabetically. Position is not a score, award or ranking.
- Being popular, featured, mentioned by one source or commercially visible is never sufficient by itself.
Evidence is combined, not copied
Review can combine local knowledge, official or public information, updates from a venue and signals from distinct editorial domains. Source text is not republished as our own.
- Distinct domains are a prioritisation signal, not proof of independent media ownership.
- Automated checks can gather and compare facts, but they do not publish a venue without human review.
- Unknown facts stay unknown; a missing price, hour or service is not estimated to make a profile look complete.
Verification has an expiry
Operational status, location and other practical facts can change quickly. When a profile shows a “Verified open” month, that label comes from a recorded check and expires automatically.
- The visible verification label disappears when its recorded check is older than 183 days.
- A verification date is not a promise that opening hours, availability or service are unchanged today.
- Travellers should confirm time-sensitive details with the linked official venue or map listing before a special trip.
Commercial visibility stays separate
The Map can sell clearly identified visibility and work with distribution or content partners without selling editorial inclusion or relevance.
- An expanded “Featured on The Map” profile does not by itself prove payment or a commercial relationship.
- Paid placements are labelled where they appear.
- Commercial status does not determine inclusion, alphabetical order or recommendation relevance.
What our guide does not claim
- It is selective rather than exhaustive.
- It does not guarantee a booking, price, opening time, availability or service outcome.
- It does not imply that the team personally visited, stayed at or ate at every listed place unless the page explicitly says so.
- It does not treat a star rating, social following or partner relationship as editorial proof on its own.
Corrections are part of publication
A traveller or venue can flag a factual problem. The team reviews the evidence before changing public information; unreliable details can be corrected, hidden or removed rather than left online for volume.