Would You Take a Road Trip on a Motorcycle?

The shelves of the Palate Gourmet Kitchen Store (W12102 Hwy. 35, thepalate.net, bottles of olive oil from $20) in Stockholm, Wis., are lined with the kind of specialty items only a true foodie would love (or know how to use): Asaro-brand orange-flavored olive oil, La Perruche cane sugar, Comptoir de Famille cheese knives, etc. "If we carry it here, then we've tried it, we've cooked with it, we've tasted it," says Nancy Fitzsimons, a former home-ec teacher who owns and runs the Palate with her daughter, Shana Finnegan. "Of course, you could buy all these things at a lot of other places. But some people want a little service and advice from someone who really knows the products—those are my people." That a small, family-run shop like the Palate can survive here, in the Upper Mississippi River Valley just south of Minneapolis, is no small feat. Not because the Twin Cities are lacking for foodies, but because the area has a sweet tooth for big-name stores. The first shopping center in the country debuted in 1956 in sleepy Edina, a Minneapolis suburb, and the 520-store Mall of America opened its doors in nearby Bloomington in 1992. Today, the Mall alone attracts more than 40 million visitors a year. The population of Minnesota: 5.3 million. But a funny thing happened in the shadow of all those superstores. An easy drive south of the Twin Cities, old-fashioned boutiques like the Palate are thriving. Of course, you have to get out of your car every so often to get to them. But what you lose in convenience by escaping the mall is more than made up for by what you see along the way: the rolling farmland and lost-in-time towns that converge upon the Mississippi River. The 140-mile-long corridor straddling the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin is especially beautiful, with towering limestone bluffs and deep, verdant valleys—sights unseen in the otherwise pancake-flat upper Midwest. Day 1 MINNEAPOLIS TO STOCKHOLM, WIS. 80 MILESLured by the promise of spectacular countryside and homespun charm, I set out from Minneapolis on Highway 52, past exurban outposts like Amish Furniture Store and Jake's Totally Exotic Dancers. Before long, the freeway gives way to cornfield-lined roads, and I pull into Red Wing, a treasure trove of late-19th- and early-20th-century architecture. A stroll in almost any direction will lead you past handsome examples of Victorian, Italianate, and Gothic structures, such as the 1876 Pratt-Taber Inn and the 1909 First United Methodist Church, both made from river-bluff limestone. Red Wing's shopping options are equally varied. At Hallstrom's Florist & Greenhouses rows of potted petunias vie for space with canisters of black licorice and freezers full of Door County cherry ice cream, a local favorite (317 Bush St, hallstromsflowers.com, Door County cherry ice-cream cones from $2.25). The nearby Uffda Shop specializes in Scandinavian imports, such as aebleskiver pans (for making Danish apple pancakes) and textiles, including brightly colored dishcloths (202 Bush St, uffdashoponline.com, Scandinavian dishcloths from $26). There's also the original Red Wing Shoe Store, founded in 1905, which carries heavy-duty footwear that's sold around the world (315 Main St, redwingshoes.com, factory-tour admission free). They display what they promise is the world's largest boot, a comically outsize model—16 feet tall, 20 feet long, seven feet wide, and size 638.5-D, for the record—that's become something of a roadside attraction. Between May and October, you can also tour the Red Wing Shoe factory, slightly west of town. "It's not like a car plant, where you'll see a bunch of huge machines simply rolling out parts," explains Red Wing spokesman Peter Engel. "This is true craftsmanship. There are 239 steps in the process of making every single shoe, and a lot of the procedures and the machines are the exact same today as they were 100 years ago." That preservationist spirit is even more evident in Old Frontenac, a former trading post on the river, a few miles south of Red Wing off of Highway 61. Old Frontenac was preserved almost by accident, after the railroads built in the mid-1800s bypassed it. Even today, the Civil War-era village is served by only one paved road; all the others are gravel. There's not a single street-light, stoplight, or chain store in sight. Instead, you'll find idyllic white clapboard churches and rambling Italianate-style homes, typically painted white with green shutters and offering knockout views of the river. This is the kind of postcard-worthy place that inspires real-estate lust. You know you're in Cheesehead territory when you drive across the Wabasha-Nelson truss bridge and walk into the Nelson Cheese Factory (S237 Hwy. 35, Nelson, Wis., nelsoncheese.com, "traveler's chubs" from $3.50). It's a dairy lover's dream, selling "traveler's chubs" (half-pound chunks) of dozens of cheeses, both typical (pepper jack and Colby) and artisanal (including Amish Gorgonzola and Valdeon, a Spanish-style blue). From there, meandering Highway 35 snakes around limestone bluffs and leads to Pepin, home to a Laura Ingalls Wilder museum. The author was born near here, and the town now hosts the Laura Ingalls Wilder Days every September, a two-day festival with bonfires, fiddle concerts, and a Laura Ingalls Wilder trivia contest (306 Third St., lauradays.org). Open from May through October, The museum's artifacts include her needle-work, metal stocking stretchers, and school records. Pepin is also home to the area's most renowned restaurant, the 31-year-old Harbor View Café (314 First St., harborviewpepin.com, open mid-March through first Sunday before Thanksgiving, entrées from $14). In the summer months, you'll often find a line out the door for dishes such as Alaskan halibut in a black-butter caper sauce or braised pork in a seasonal-fruit glaze. Six miles farther, in the town of Stockholm, I check into the Spring Street Inn, a charming but somewhat tattered 1879 cottage with a sunken butterfly-and-bird garden in the yard (N2037 Spring St., 651/528-9616, doubles from $100). The walls of the house are two feet thick and made entirely of stone, and except for the occasional whoosh of a Twin Cities-bound train on the tracks nearby, it's utterly silent. Day 2 STOCKHOLM, WIS. TO MINNEAPOLIS 60 MILESThe next morning, I'm tempted by Spring Street's complimentary breakfast, but I have bigger plans in mind, namely a visit to the Bogus Creek Café & Bakery, just down the street (N2049 Spring St, 715/442-5017, breakfast from $7). The restaurant serves breakfast all day on a sunny garden patio, and I'd heard good things about their Swedish pancakes with lingonberries and bacon. Ultimately, though, I give in to their signature dish, the "Bogus hash": grilled hash browns mixed with eggs, peppers, scallions, sausage, and cheese. Set beneath picturesque Maiden Rock bluff, tiny Stockholm (population: 97 or 82, depending on which sign you read) has better shopping than a lot of towns 10 times its size. (Spring Street, for instance, has eight shops and galleries alone.) But what really sets the retail here apart is that many of Stockholm's boutiques go beyond selling wares. They serve double duty as Scandinavian cultural centers. The town was founded by Swedish immigrants some 160 years ago, and the Scandinavian influence is still prevalent. Not far from the Palate Gourmet Kitchen Store, the Stockholm Pie Company sells a veritable smorgasbord of baked goods, from classic fruit-and-nut pies like apple pecan to savory options like spinach-and-mushroom quiche (N2030 Spring St., Stockholm, Wis., stockholmpiecompany.com, desserts from $2). Nearby, Ingebretsen's av Stockholm is chockablock with Scandinavian imports, such as Swedish wooden candleholders, hand-painted bright red with floral accents, and gray hand-knit mittens from the Arctic Circle (W12092 Hwy. 35, ingebretsens.com, hand-painted, wooden candleholders from $26). The family-owned, third-generation shop also offers Scandinavian-themed classes on crafts (a recent series highlighted Swedish folk painting, or dalmalning) and cooking. "A lot of people in Stockholm grew up with Swedish recipes in their family," says Carstens Smith, the class coordinator. "But you know, Grandma doesn't always write down each and every step, so we help them fill in the blanks." The tutorial on baking kransekake, an intricately constructed iced almond cake, is particularly popular with locals, Smith says. "It's not the kind of thing you can just pick up in any bakery," she points out. Or-for that matter-in any of the 520 stores at the Mall of America. Shops like Ingebretsen's are worth the drive indeed.   SEE MORE POPULAR CONTENT: 12 Best Places You've Never Heard Of 13 Things You Didn't Know About Hawaii The Dirty Truth About Hotel Ratings World's Most Amazing Hotel Pools Top 10 Most Shocking Mummies    

Nothing triggers wanderlust quite like a classic American road-trip movie. The best of these films evoke the feeling of a place in such a way that the scenery becomes a character in its own right. With that in mind, we started our search for great American drives at the movies, where we watched reel after reel until we found five films that feature U.S. highways and landscapes as prominently as the protagonists. From the vast soundstage of the Southwest to the Technicolor magic of the Alaskan wilderness, each of these drives captures the spirit of the film that inspired the route. See the Drives for Yourself California's Other Wine Country (Sideways) Experience one of our nation's cinematic wine regions. Film Synopsis: This bromantic comedy by director Alexander Payne follows friends Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Jack (Thomas Haden Church) on a tour through one of the less-trafficked areas of California wine country, the Santa Ynez Valley. The film is one of the first to celebrate American wine. Destination Highlights:The six communities of Santa Ynez Valley, Calif., are mainly located along or near U.S. Route 101. Plan your trip: Santa Maria to Buellton to Santa Ynez; 41 miles. Stick to the Script: To trace the duo's ramble through the region, start at Foxen Winery & Vineyard in Santa Maria, where Miles and Jack sneakily refill their glasses to the brim when the pourer's not looking. Drive south to Buellton so you can dig into Miles's favorite smoked-then-grilled duck breast with apricot-ginger sauce ($25.95) at the Hitching Post II restaurant. After dinner, stroll to the Days Inn Buellton and bunk like the boys did—breakfast is always free (from $90). Finally, scoot over to Santa Ynez, a gateway village for Los Padres National Forest, where you can preempt a Giamatti-style wine belly by hiking the famous trails. How to Go Deeper: Santa Barbara Backroads can help you discover the best Sideways highlights with their Deluxe Backroads Wine Tour that visits four vineyards and wineries, including those featured in the film (tours from $149). And when it's time to stretch your legs, make like Lance Armstrong (who used to train in these hills) and hit the road on two wheels. Santa Barbara Wine Country Cycling Tours offers a number of itineraries (from $70 for a half-day tour). The Great Alaskan Wilderness (Into the Wild) Embrace the pioneering spirit that has led Americans to explore new frontiers for centuries. Film Synopsis: Emory University grad Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch) donates all of his possessions and life savings and sets off on a two-year journey that ends in a remote part of Alaska's wilderness. Destination Highlights: After traveling through western U.S., McCandless's last great adventure took shape on Alaska's Stampede Trail, near Denali National Park & Preserve. Plan your trip: Fairbanks, Alaska, to Denali's Wonder Lake; 204 miles. Stick to the Script: "I now walk into the wild,"wrote Chris McCandless in a final postcard from Fairbanks. To explore the Alaskan wilderness yourself, make the scenic, two-hour drive down the George Parks Highway to Denali National Park & Preserve—6-million-plus acres that are home to grizzlies, caribou, Dall sheep, and Mt. McKinley. After orienting yourself at the park's main visitor center, hop a bus to the Wonder Lake area ($43 per adult). There, you can hike in the midst of North America's most awe-striking views. How to Go Deeper: McCandless's adventure has sparked interest in the Stampede Trail, where visitors have sought to discover Bus 142, the abandoned bus where he took refuge and later died. If you'd rather not go it alone, join City Discovery's Stampede Trail Into the Wild Adventure, a four-hour guided tour on your own zippy little ATV (from $175). Utah's Canyon Country (Thelma & Louise) Set out in search of freedom in the wide open expanse of Utah. Film Synopsis: Friends Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) break from their everyday lives and hit the road, where their journey turns into a flight from the law—and they end up choosing freedom on their own terms. Destination Highlights: In the final, iconic freeze-frame, Thelma and Louise float suspended above Arizona's Grand Canyon, having driven their 1966 Thunderbird convertible off a cliff—and into film history. But director Ridley Scott actually shot all of the desert scenes in Utah, including at Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park. Plan your trip: Bryce Canyon to Dead Horse Point, Utah; 287 miles. Stick to the Script: Following T&L's itinerary through bitty Western towns could make for a dull trip…unless you plan to rendezvous with a young Brad Pitt type, of course. Barring that possibility, pay tribute to the duo's destiny by road-tripping between two of Utah's unforgettable canyons. Start at Bryce Canyon National Park in southwest Utah. Bryce is home to otherworldly orange rock formations that seem to morph in color and shape throughout the day. Take a ranger-guided hike into the canyon for the full effect. From Bryce, drive northeast, bypassing Canyonlands, to visit Dead Horse Point, where Thelma and Louise's final flight was actually filmed. Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point offer opposing views of one gorgeous chasm. It feels a lot like the Grand Canyon, but without the hordes of chattering tourists and smog from L.A. How to Go Deeper: Throughout 2011, events across the country are celebrating the film's 20th anniversary. In D.C., for instance, the nonprofit organization Women in Film & Video will host a September 14 screening with Geena Davis in attendance. Route 66 (Easy Rider) Follow the highway that gave birth to the American road trip as we know it. Film Synopsis: The South and Southwest come alive as Wyatt (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Dennis Hopper) discover themselves and America in this 1960s counterculture classic. Destination Highlights: Follow the old U.S. Route 66 from California to Amarillo, Texas. Then head southeast to New Orleans, via Dallas. Plan your trip: Death Valley, Calif., to Flagstaff, Ariz., to Taos, N.M., to New Orleans; 2,017 miles. Stick to the Script: Much of Easy Rider takes place along Route 66, which today overlaps much of I-40. If you begin where the twosome hit the open road, in Death Valley, then, like the boys, you'll be ready to refuel by Flagstaff. Try Brix, a restaurant and wine bar, where the chef obsesses over local ingredients from around the Four Corners region (wine from $21 per bottle). Taos and Las Vegas, N.M. (not to be confused with Sin City), are the sites of several scenes (including the debut of fellow traveler George Hanson, played by Jack Nicholson). As you pass through, carve out an afternoon to tour the Taos Pueblo. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is an impressive village of multistory adobe structures that has been home to a Native American community for over 1,000 years. Next, head to the Big Easy. Whether or not you time your trip with Mardi Gras, you can soak up the Creole culture any time of year with visits to Pitot House (the only Creole colonial house open to the public), the Presbytere (part of the Louisiana State Museum), and St. Louis Cemetery No. 1—where the guys' infamous bad trip went down. How to Go Deeper: Looking to fine-tune your Easy Rider tour down to the detail? Follow this blog written by superfan Mr. Zip66. It chronicles the entire movie and its route in Google Maps glory, with accompanying photos, movie stills, and videos. Cross-Country: Chicago to L.A. (National Lampoon's Vacation) The itinerary for the classic family road trip. Film Synopsis: "Why aren't we flying? Because getting there is half the fun. You know that." A family vacation goes amusingly awry when Clark W. Griswold (Chevy Chase) and clan embark on an epic road trip to Walley World. Destination Highlights: The film traces the Griswolds' route from their home in Chicago to St. Louis, Kans., the Grand Canyon, and Los Angeles—2,408 miles, according to Clark's primitive PC. Plan your trip: Chicago to St. Louis to the Grand Canyon to Anaheim, Calif.; 2,221 miles. Stick to the Script: The Griswold route is a quintessential cross-country tour that hits some of the top sites and cities in the U.S. Start in Chicago, where the Skydeck at Willis Tower will afford you an eagle-eyed view of Lake Michigan from atop the western hemisphere's tallest building. Next, drive down to St. Louis for a look at the Gateway Arch and its Museum of Westward Expansion. Keeping with that "westward ho" spirit, it's off to the Grand Canyon. Check into El Tovar Hotel (where Clark couldn't pay for the room; today, it's $178 per night), then take in the view from the South Rim, where the Griswold fam paused for a millisecond before skipping town. Finally, make your way to Anaheim, so that the kids can experience that real-life inspiration for Walley World that's never "closed for repairs"—Disneyland. How to Go Deeper: Chevy Chase breaks up the long haul between Missouri and Arizona with a detour to see tacky Cousin Eddie in Kansas. In that spirit, we suggest you visit roadsideamerica.com to choose among numerous kitschy pit stops. In Kansas alone, there's Truckhenge, the Underground Salt Museum, and, of course, the World's Largest Ball of Twine. —Additional reporting by Jerry Soverinsky

Remember the days when a fanny pack and a "game face" could protect you from getting your money stolen? We don't either! Vacationers have always been targets for smart, enterprising crooks, and the farther you get from home, the easier it is to fall for popular vacation scams like the dropped baby, the fake fight, and the I-need-five-euros-to-replace-my-lost-train-ticket. But these days, you are at risk for more than just some lost bills. Watch out for these scams from around the world that can put your personal safety—and even your very identity—at risk. Orlando Here's a scam so bad even Mickey Mouse took a stand. Guests in hotels around Disney World have been finding pizza delivery menus conveniently slipped under their doors, but place an order—and make the mistake of giving your credit card number—and you'll really pay. The phone number isn't connected to a pizza parlor but to identity thieves. Disney World supported a law designed to crack down on the people handing out the fliers, but Orlando police say the problem persists. Solution: If you're craving a slice, get a recommendation from the hotel. Vietnam In Vietnam, open-ended bus tickets are the best way to travel at your own pace between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, and the Sinh Tourist line is widely considered the best. So widely considered, in fact, its many impostors call themselves Sinh Tourist, too. Because of Vietnam's lax intellectual property laws, it's difficult to know which Sinh is the real deal. Take the wrong carrier, and you'll get iffy service or, worse, an unexpected overnight stop at an overpriced hotel in cahoots with the bus line. "In summary," said Stuart McDonald of travelfish.org, a travel advice site that covers Southeast Asia, "it is a snake pit!" Solution: Always use the bus company's official website: thesinhtourist.vn. New York City New Yorkers are famously pushy, but Times Square's so-called CD Bullies take the stereotype to a whole new low. A guy on the corner barks, "Check out my music!" and hands you what seems to be a free copy of his CD. He's so nice, he'll even offer to autograph it. But once the disc is in your hands, the aspiring rapper—suddenly surrounded by friends—refuses to take it back. You need to pay $10 or so to stop them from menacing you. Solution: If the rapper won't take the CD, gently place it on the ground and walk away. Las Vegas You go to Vegas to gamble, but you don't want to risk your luggage, too. Sin City's cab drivers are notoriously sketchy; one common scam involves a cabbie who insists on unloading your bags at your hotel or the airport. He says he's in a rush, slams the trunk, and speeds away. Only later do you notice that one of your bags is missing. "When you're coming to Vegas, you gotta be on your A-game with your stuff," says Sergeant Jerry MacDonald of the Las Vegas PD. "Trust me when I tell you, they'll snatch your luggage up faster than you can blink an eye." Solution: Note the driver's name, cab number, and company when you get in; that way, if anything should happen, you have recourse. United States Some criminals who want your money are brazen enough to come right out and ask. An increasingly common scam involves hotel guests who receive a phone call in the middle of the night from someone claiming to work at the front desk. There's been a problem with your credit card, they say. Could you read the number back one more time? The scammers are banking you'll do something while half-asleep that you never should—give out credit card info by phone. Solution: Hang up and call the front desk directly to make sure the request is legit. Egypt The pyramids around Cairo are one of the world's best photo ops, and some tourists up the ante by posing on the back of a camel. Often, there are trainers standing by to coax the eight-foot-tall, 1,500-pound animals to lie down passively in preparation for riding. Once you've paid your $15 and mounted the beast, though, some touts will insist that you pay again to disembark and hold you hostage on the hump until you do. Solution: "Never just get on a random guy's camel," says Kara Lucchesi of STA Travel. It's safer to stick to rides arranged via an established tour company. Bali Bali has an altogether unexpected kind of crook—the monkeys who are so beloved that they have their own sacred forest and temple, where they're allowed to roam free. These monkeys can have sticky fingers, going after food if it piques their interest—and, worse, valuables. Some enterprising locals are usually on-hand to coax the monkey to give back its plunder, though they'll ask for a small tip of up to $3.50. Solution: Seek out a staff member for assistance if a monkey snatches something from you. Better yet: hold on tightly to purses and backpacks and remove and secure glasses or anything else that can be easily purloined. Rome While some pickpockets make their living on not being noticed, others do it by getting aggressive and in your face—then ripping you off while you're distracted. Rome is home to the infamous "fake baby" ruse, which sees a woman trip and throw a bundled doll into your arms, or just drop it on the ground, in an attempt to draw your attention away from pickpockets, often children, nicking your wallet or making away with your camera bag. Solution: Beware of women who "throw" their babies or any other unusual distractions. Bolivia The cramped and congested passageways of Cochabamba's famed La Cancha—the largest market in Bolivia—make it the perfect staging ground for "the squeeze." Overwhelmed by the chaos and distracted by the overflowing stalls, you might find yourself suddenly pressed among a group of burly men, unable to move your arms. By the time the surprise wears off, the thugs have already rummaged through your pockets and disappeared. Solution: Pay extra attention at cross-streets, which lend themselves to fast approaches and easy escapes. Colombia It costs nothing to spend the day at Barú Island's Playa Blanca, which with its white sands and crystal Caribbean surf might be Colombia's most beautiful beach. Lying on your towel, you might feel a pair of warm hands on your shoulders, and hear the soothing voice of a woman saying to accept this massage as a gift. Tempting, but if you aren't prepared to part with at least $10 in pesos, the price will be an especially histrionic fight. Solution: Remember, there is no such thing as a free massage.

When Americans think of "five star" hotels, they conjure up images of on-site spas, white-gloved service, and pillow menus. That's no surprise, given that the dominant rating systems in the U.S. are two of the most trust-worthy on the planet—Forbes and AAA. In order to snag Forbes's highest ratings, for example, a hotel's staff must meet criteria such as greeting arriving guests curbside within 60 seconds and offering tasting samples to drinkers ordering wine by the glass. In Italy, on the other hand, where the rating system is government owned and operated, all it takes to score five stars is a 24-hour reception desk, receptionists that speak three foreign languages, and double rooms starting at 172 square feet. There are more scoring systems than most folks realize, and they vary from country to country (and, in some cases, from city to city). That said, most ratings fall into one of four main categories: those operated by private companies such as AAA, those run by hotel booking sites such as hotels.com, user-generated systems, and government-run agencies. Bottom line: Consistency is an issue. In the past two years, several governments including Switzerland's and Germany's have overhauled their systems to be more uniform, and Brazil is following suit this year. Plus, in 2009, Europe's Hotelstars Union launched with the goal of establishing common classification criteria across the EU. Despite the improvements, figuring out which hotel will provide the best value can still feel like cracking the Da Vinci Code. To help you make the most informed decision possible, we scrutinized criteria across the globe to suss out the meaning behind the stars. No matter where you're going, here is what you need to know before you book.   No. 1: Private-Company Rating Systems VERDICT: Independent ownership, consistent criteria, and anonymous inspectors make companies like AAA and Forbes (formerly Mobil) Travel Guide reliable and unbiased. Both AAA and Forbes have been rating hotels for more than half a century and provide regular, in-depth reports on what consumers can expect, from how many soaps in the bathroom to bedsheet thread counts. Every 12 to 18 months, for example, Forbes inspectors make incognito visits to up to 5,000 properties and complete a checklist of 525 questions: Are guests arriving in a taxi greeted curbside within 60 seconds? Does wine-by-the-glass service include a tasting sample? Findings are relayed in a 110-page report. Five-star spots feature virtually flawless service—if you only eat the cantaloupe off the breakfast-buffet fruit tray, for example, expect extra melon delivered to your table. Diamonds are the currency in the AAA system, where inspectors pay unannounced visits to 32,000 North American properties annually and rank them on a scale from one diamond (lowest) to five. But even single-diamond hotels have standards: In order to be AAA-rated, properties must adhere to a basic set of benchmarks relating to cleanliness and management (bathrooms must have mini soaps, for example), but don't expect a business center or even an elevator. On the other hand, in five-diamond hotels you can bank on a full on-site spa, 24/7 room service, choice of pillow filling (pick from goose down, silk, cashmere), even a personal butler. Outside of the U.S., Australia is one of the few other countries in the world with a private rating system, which also happens to be called AAA. The system is operated by the Australian Automobile Association, an organization similar to (but not affiliated with) North America's AAA.   No. 2: Hotel Booking Sites VERDICT: Online booking engines such as hotels.com use a combination of hired scouts and user ratings to review hotels, but generally reviewers aren't anonymous and the standards vary by country and company. These ratings are best used in conjunction with other review sites. Orbitz and Priceline each has its own rating system, though neither publishes their ratings criteria on their website. The standards vary by company and country—which means a hotel in London won't necessarily be rated by the same criteria as one in New York City. (One major reason is the difference in room size between Europe and America; rooms tend to be smaller overseas, even in hotels that would otherwise score high marks.) Hotels.com, for example, stations employees on every continent but Antarctica to suss out properties. While these scouts aren't anonymous—they actually work with hoteliers to improve hotels' star ratings—2 million unvetted consumer reviews provide another layer of feedback. Ratings are based on location, amenities, type of accommodation, and service. No. 3: User-Generated Rating Systems VERDICT: User ratings are more valuable en masse. The key is to focus on what the majority of reports seem to indicate about a property and to ignore extremely positive or negative reviews, which may be biased. Use these sites as a reference but not your sole reference. User-generated sites are built on feedback from the masses: TripAdvisor, for example, features more than 50 million traveler reviews sounding off on nearly 495,000 hotels worldwide. While the company, which launched in 2000, bills itself as having "World's most trusted travel advice," the sheer volume of sources—and TripAdvisor's inability to vet them all for accuracy—make these reviews something to take with a grain of salt. (A general rule is to ignore the ecstatically positive and totally negative reviews in favor of those in the middle.) While the site has stringent guidelines ("reviews should contain only original content and no quoted material from other sources…we do not allow quoted material from personal email correspondence with a property manager") and even has moderators to flag posts that seem fishy (like a hotelier giving his property rave reviews, for example), there's no way to catch every questionable review. Even with the caveat, peer reviews can be helpful, as they're often more detailed ("the room smelled of moldy hotel carpeting") and straightforward ("the check-in staff was great, but the hotel was on a yucky street") than those from third-party organizations or tourism boards.   No. 4: Government-Run Ratings Systems VERDICT: Government-run ratings systems may be self-interested—the better a destination's hotels, the more tourists it'll draw—and unregulated by a third party. Proceed with caution, and always refer to at least one or two other sources. Most European countries have their own government-produced ratings, as well as countries in Asia, South America, and Africa. (There's no standardized system across Europe, but in 2009, an organization called the Hotelstars Union launched a drive to establish a common system across the EU. So far, 11 countries, including Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, are participating.) In Europe, reliability varies by country—the U.K.'s system is uniform across Great Britain and fairly trustworthy, though tourist authorities have toyed with the idea of including user reviews. In France, on the other hand, ratings aren't based on quality but on the presence of certain features (air-conditioning and bathroom facilities, for example). In Italy, a hotel can earn a single star just for changing the sheets on the beds once a week (don't let the bedbugs bite!). Also low on the reliability scale: Asia, South America, and Africa, where national tourism boards have no standardized criteria or oversight.   SEE MORE POPULAR CONTENT: 10 Gorgeous Pools You Won't Believe Are Public 4 Most Common Reasons Airlines Lose Luggage Secret Hotels of Paris 15 Places Every Kid Should See Before 15 10 New Wonders of the World