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but several bad reviews suggest that you may want to choose another vendor.

SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITES

Once you've made some preliminary choices about your travel and accommodation, social media websites are a great way to find out what other travellers think about the vendors you've chosen. If you don't spend a lot of time online, social media websites are set up to allow people to share information in a reasonably unrestricted way (there are generally moderators who will delete offensive or inflammatory posts). Some social media websites, like MySpace and Facebook, are well organized and regulated. You can search these sites for groups related to your topic and connect with others who have travelled where you intend to go. You can also post a note to your friends asking for travel suggestions.

Other sites are small, user-operated, online bulletin boards. Don't discount these smaller sites, since it's often easier to find information about a specific hotel, for example, on sites like these. Recently, I found a budget hotel in London that looked really interesting, so I did two Google searches: one with the hotel's name followed by the word "review" and the other with the hotel's name followed by the word "complaint." Both searches helped me locate social media websites where the hotel had been discussed and reviewed. The reviews were overwhelmingly positive, so I made reservations and had a great time. Doing this kind of search will help you connect with smaller social media sites that have information you can use.

Now that you know the sorts of websites that are out there, here are some last-minute tips to help you make the most of the Internet and your precious time. 1) When searching a phrase like "Bates Motel complaints," be sure to put quotation marks around the phrase. If you don't get any hits, remove the quotes and try again, but most of the time this will help guide you to the best sources. 2) Take some time to read any "About Us" messages or general comments from users to get an idea of the type of customer the site is geared toward. For example, 21-year-old backpackers may give a particular hotel four stars, but you'll still hate it if you are a 50-year-old art teacher who wants a nice quiet retreat at the end of your vacation day. 3) If a deal seems too good to be true, look deeper before committing your money. With the growth of budget airlines, it's not uncommon to see extremely cheap airfares, but these airfares are only a deal if you know what you're paying for. Many charge separately for luggage, in-person check-in, meals and other "extras." They can still be an excellent way to travel somewhere you wouldn't be able to reach otherwise, but you could end up paying the equivalent of a full fare if you don't research the company's policies before buying the ticket.

Okay, now you're ready to get out there any find your dream vacation online. Bon voyage!

Learn more about this author, Jayden Harlow.
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