How We Decide What to Suggest

Every article on Wacfest Weekends is, in the end, a list of suggestions: things to do, places to go, pieces to pack, questions to ask before booking. Choosing what goes on those lists is the most important part of the job, so here is how we decide.

The questions every idea has to pass

1. Does it fit into a real weekend? Two days, often with chores, children or a Monday deadline in the background. Ideas that need a week of preparation rarely make the cut.
2. Does it work on an ordinary budget? We include free and low-cost options wherever possible and say plainly when something costs more.
3. Does it suit more than one kind of person? We favour ideas that work for different ages, abilities and tastes, or we say who they are best for.
4. Can it be checked? If we cannot confirm how something works from a reliable source, we keep the suggestion general.
5. Is there a back-up? Weather, queues and tired legs change plans. Good suggestions come with an alternative.

What we leave out

Some things never appear on our lists, however popular they might be:

• activities that put safety at risk to get a better photo;
• advice that should come from a qualified professional, such as structural, legal or medical guidance;
• claims about results, savings or benefits that we cannot support;
• anything that depends on getting round an organiser's or operator's rules.

How we treat products and services

Many weekend plans involve buying or hiring something, whether it is a photo booth, a set of chairs or a train ticket. When we mention a type of product or service, we explain what to look for and what to ask, so you can compare options yourself. Some articles were prepared together with businesses that offer those services. Their links sit where they are relevant, and the advice around them is written to stay useful whichever provider you choose. Our post on avoiding mistakes with table and chair hire shows the kind of checklist we like to give.

Balancing the familiar and the new

Good weekend ideas are not always new ones. A walk in a park you have never visited, a picnic on a train or a capsule wardrobe built from clothes you already own can feel as fresh as any trend. We try to mix the tried and tested with something a little different, as in our staycation ideas.

Listening to readers

Suggestions improve when people tell us how they worked. If one of our ideas made your weekend, or fell flat, let us know through the contact page. The full editing process is described in How Our Guides Are Made.