With the launch of little-known new routes on Buzz - notably Gerona, Murcia and La Rochelle - and a clutch of obscure destinations on Ryanair, travellers looking for a cheap deal may well ask: where on earth is that? And why would I want to go there? So here are the best places to research Vasteras (Sweden), Esbjerg (Denmark), Pescara (Italy), and Knock (Ireland), using the Danish town as a test case.
Very knowledgeable about Esbjerg, but the other destinations fare badly. The search doesn't work in most versions of Netscape.
* Esbjerg: Generally thought of as being gloomy and run-down, but in the process of massive redevelopment. Plenty of hotel, museum and restaurant recommendations.
If you haven't heard of it, then probably OAG hasn't heard of it either. Esbjerg: Not found.
Columbus is a directory rather than a search engine, so you'll need to know which region to look for. Lacks the forthright opinions of the Rough Guides, but a better choice than OAG outside the major resorts.
* Esbjerg: An historically interesting port with a number of fine beaches.
If Google isn't already your first-choice search engine, then you're probably wasting time.
* Esbjerg: Directs searchers to Esbjerg's online tourist office.
A US-based forum to which anyone can contribute recommendations and photos. Ploughing through the unselfconscious rambling is a bit like eavesdropping on stoned guests at a party. Occasionally enlightening.
* Esbjerg: "There is a great monument of four men looking at the sea - you can sit there the whole day gazing along."
Tourism Offices Worldwide Directory
Most national tourist boards now maintain large sites with their own search engines. Expect detailed and invariably enthusiastic results.
* Esbjerg: Vastly detailed directory listing everything from hotels to the Andrew Lloyd Webber Musical Gala next month.
Occasionally more remote destinations are mentioned in the Travellers' Reports, but Lonely Planet is stronger on rural regions outside Europe than within it.
* Esbjerg: Possesses a small airport and a railway station.
