www.holidaycomplaints.com
Rather like Watchdog, holiday complaints.com accentuates the negative and eliminates the positive, making it a rather depressing read. However, it's encouraging to learn that the hapless tour companies involved are taking an interest in the site and even (in the case of Thomas Cook) posting a response.

Note that only the major package operators are covered: this is not the place to come if you simply want to complain about a Spanish beach or a crime-ridden town.

VirginNet Resort Finder
Virgin's brochure-style front page gives no hint of the uncompromising write-ups beneath it, which were originally written for travel agents.

We learn that Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt "has lots of genuine Arab bazaars and local shops... which may all be too 'ethnic' for some delicate Western tastes". (Smelly butchers, one assumes.) More usefully, the hilltop to the east "is an absolute mayhem of building sites".

Greek Island Postcards
Probably best avoided if you have already booked a fortnight on Skiathos, Greek Island Postcards is unmerciful in its judgments on the major islands. The round-up of other views (from Cadogan, Which? and the Rough Guides) and the author's penetrating verdict on each beach make interesting reading: "The sands were strewn with plastic bags and bottles while an obnoxious film of turd-yellow scum anchored itself along the shoreline..."

Travel with Bicycles
If you want to take a bike on holiday, this forum, set up by contributors to a cycling newsgroup, reviews their experience on various airlines, train networks and explores the various shipping opportunities.

Fodors.com miniguides
Fodor's own guides can be a little pompous and predictable, but their city coverage is much more wide-ranging than Time Out's and their bulletin boards are extremely helpful. Particularly useful if your accommodation and food budget is generous.

Gapyear.comWith the rare phenonomenon of lively bulletin boards and very useful features (including visa information and advice on insurance), this is probably the best source of help for students planning a gap year.

Foreign Office travel advice
Perils lurk everywhere for the British tourist - from volcanoes to bandits - and this site is the best place to anticipate them.

World Health Organisation disease outbreak news
Uganda's ebola epidemic may not affect your holiday plans, but WHO's site reports plenty of other outbreaks of disease this year - including cholera in South Africa and Micronesia, West Nile fever in Israel and yellow fever in Brazil, as well as food poisoning in France. Worth a look if you are travelling off the beaten track.