Publication QA

Final verification plan

A prioritized local QA path for turning researched Getaway Brief drafts into application-grade representative pages without publishing or inserting partner links.

Getaway Brief Final Verification Plan

Purpose: convert the current researched local drafts into application-grade representative pages without confusing demand-backed drafts with publish candidates. This plan is for local QA only; it does not authorize publishing, affiliate applications, spending, or partner-link insertion.

Start with research/SOURCE_RECHECK_QUEUE.md or /source-recheck-queue.html during the final pass so every current source note is reopened against the exact rendered page before status promotion.

Gate rule

A guide may move from researched to publish_candidate only when the exact rendered page has a dated verification note covering:

Current official factual sources opened and checked manually.
Time-sensitive claims removed, caveated, or updated.
No prices, schedules, pet rules, attraction hours, shuttle frequency, or availability claims unless source-checked the same verification day.
Affiliate CTAs remain placeholders until the site owner approves partner accounts and link insertion.
Disclosure, privacy, contact, and editorial pages are final for the deployed domain.

Recommended verification order

Prioritize pages that best represent affiliate intent while minimizing hard-to-verify claims.

Priority	Page	Primary affiliate fit	Why now	Exact checks before publish_candidate
1	`/articles/things-to-do-in-gatlinburg-when-it-rains.html`	tours, hotels	Strong activity-ticket intent and only 3 source notes with no metadata blocker.	Reopen Ripley's, Gatlinburg CVB attractions, and NPS Smokies conditions pages; confirm copy contains no exact hours/prices; add venue/ticket wording only if current.
2	`/articles/rainy-day-things-to-do-in-asheville.html`	tours, hotels	Strong tour/hotel fit and existing source notes are comparatively clean.	Reopen River Arts District, Biltmore, and Explore Asheville brewery pages; verify no exact hours/prices; keep venue-specific indoor/pet/accessibility claims out unless checked directly.
3	`/articles/weekend-trips-from-nyc-without-a-car.html`	hotels, tours	Broad high-intent no-car guide and strong internal-link hub.	Reopen MTA, Amtrak, NYC Ferry, Dia Beacon, Visit Hudson, and Visit Philadelphia pages; remove or caveat seasonal/ferry/beach assumptions; keep fare/frequency claims out.
4	`/articles/where-to-stay-near-zion-without-a-car.html`	hotels, tours	Major national-park lodging/tour intent.	Reopen NPS shuttle, fees, and directions pages; manually verify Springdale shuttle/tour-pickup assumptions; do not imply year-round shuttle convenience.
5	`/articles/dog-friendly-weekend-trips-from-dallas.html`	hotels, vacation rentals	Useful pet-friendly lodging/rental page with good source coverage.	Reopen Fredericksburg, Hot Springs NPS pets, Visit Austin dog-friendly, TravelOK Beavers Bend, and TravelOK Broken Bow pages; verify heat caveats and avoid blanket dog-friendly claims.
6	`/articles/where-to-stay-in-charleston-without-a-car.html`	hotels, tours	Good lodging-area affiliate intent.	Reopen Explore Charleston visitor, tours, transportation pages and NPS Fort Sumter; manually verify CARTA/DASH details if mentioned; map-check lodging-zone claims before adding specificity.
7	`/articles/where-to-stay-in-savannah-without-a-car.html`	hotels, tours	Good hotel-area intent but has prior official-source blockage caveats.	Reopen NPS historic district, CAT dot shuttle, Savannah waterfront, and Forsyth Park sources; manually verify any city/visitor pages that automated checks blocked; map-check areas.
8	`/articles/warm-weekend-trips-from-chicago-in-march.html`	flights, hotels, car rental	Strong commercial travel intent but volatile climate/flight claims.	Reopen official destination pages plus NOAA/NWS climate pages; keep route/fare/temperature claims qualitative unless supported by current data; avoid cheapness promises.

Verification note template

Copy this into research/{slug}.md or a dated note under research/daily/ after the final page check.

## Final verification note — YYYY-MM-DD

- Page checked: `/articles/SLUG.html`
- Intended status after this check: researched / publish_candidate
- Official factual sources reopened:
  - [ ] Source name — URL — result / issue
- Time-sensitive claims reviewed:
  - [ ] Transit/shuttle/ferry schedules
  - [ ] Attraction hours/tickets/prices
  - [ ] Pet policies / venue rules
  - [ ] Climate/weather/seasonality language
  - [ ] Hotel-area walkability/accessibility claims
- Copy changes made:
  - ...
- Remaining blockers:
  - ...
- Affiliate state confirmed:
  - [ ] No live affiliate links
  - [ ] No tracking IDs
  - [ ] Disclosure visible

Do not do during verification

Do not submit affiliate applications.
Do not insert live partner links or tracking IDs.
Do not publish or deploy publicly.
Do not make claims about guaranteed savings, exact prices, availability, or firsthand experience.
Do not mark any page publish_candidate unless all remaining blockers are either resolved or explicitly removed from copy.