It's Still the Same Old Story

If you've prepaid -- a common practice at such online booking sites as Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia and Hotels.com -- you're most likely stuck in the dump, unless you want to forfeit the money. Avoid the problem by employing due diligence in advance. Just because you requested "downtown Rome," don't assume that every hotel that comes up on a booking site is actually centrally located. And if the initial description says "near the Vatican," don't take that literally. Click through. Read the nitty-gritty. Most sites will even tell you exactly how far away a major attraction is. Also, check other travelers' reviews at an independent review site such as TripAdvisor ( http://www.tripadvisor.com/).

If the booking site's facts are way off, there is some hope of recourse.

8. Not being able to book frequent-flier award trips on the dates and times wanted.

Example: I've saved frequent-flier miles for years and finally have enough for three free tickets, but there are no seats available on any of the flights I want.

If you're trying to travel to a popular destination at a peak time, you might just be out of luck as more people compete for fewer seats. But try a few tricks before giving up:

* Check availability on partner airlines.

* Call an airline agent; they can sometimes figure out routings that the computer can't detect. If they find you a match, you'll pay the fee the airline charges for booking paid tickets by phone -- typically $15 to $30 a ticket.

* If you're searching for multiple free tickets, give up and try for one or two. The more seats you request on a given flight, the lower your odds of hitting pay dirt.

* Be flexible. Check alternative dates or nearby airports. Or approach it backward, and find out what destinations have availability. You may find a great destination you'd otherwise never have considered.

9. Being charged for rental car insurance unnecessarily.

Example: I reluctantly bought insurance at the rental-car kiosk, but when I got home I found out the car was covered both by the credit card company I used to pay for the car and by my own car insurance. Shouldn't I get my money back?

No, but be grateful the problem didn't work the other way: You didn't buy the insurance, you have an accident and then discover you aren't otherwise protected. You need to carefully read the fine print of whatever policies you have. For example, even if your credit card provides adequate coverage in most cases, it may exclude certain countries, notes Neil Abrams of Abrams Consulting Group, a rental-car research and consulting firm. An American Express card's coverage, for example, will vary depending on whether your card is gold or platinum.