So you have decided to go on a long hard earned holiday and are looking through your brochure to see what sort of great deals you can get. After days of searching through pages and pages of hotels you finally turn the page to see your dream location a great 5 star hotel with a luxurious pool and activities throughout the day. You quickly grab the phone and book your trip.

A few months pass by, and the date of your trip is finally here. So you pack your suitcases, get the family ready and head for the airport. All the anxiety and excitement kicks in and your right for it to do so, you have been waiting a whole year and working hard to fund this trip. You then step off the aeroplane or boat and head for your hotel. The coach driver pulls over to one side and you wonder what is happening, he then announces we have arrived at our destination you look out of the nearby window and see your so called 5 star hotel. The building looks as if it has not had a renovation for years and then you enter the hotel and be asked to go and get some food before the buffet finishes, you notice that there are bugs and bees landing all over your food.

So you are asking yourself how can this be a 5 star hotel. Then you think back and remember, while looking through the brochure that you had never heard of the tour operator in question. You quickly go to find the local rep but there is not one, you soon start to realise that you are trapped in a holiday from hell.

So what can you do to help this problem so it does not occur in the future again? Firstly you should research well before booking any sort of holiday with a tour operator, check to see if they are APTA regulated, if they are not you should steer well clear. Check to see if there are any reviews both in the brochure and online. The internet is a user generated world and people speak there minds so if something is good or bad you are sure to hear about it.

A lot of people every year get tricked into holidays from hell, all because something looks great it does not mean it will be a bed of roses. The only way to avoid disappointment is to research and then research some more. There's nothing worse than to be stuck in a foreign country with no help and no money.