When I need a mechanic, a new doctor, a good tailor, or a handyman, I ask my friends and co-workers for their tips and advice. When I'm researching vacations I go to IgoUgo.com.

I love IgoUgo.com for lots of reasons, but primarily because it allows me quick access to comparing results across websites if I get a wild idea about a place I would really like to go - like London, for instance. When I get to IgoUgo.com, I simply hover over Destinations, and the list of options lays itself out in front of me - US and International destinations, plus the candy of the drop-down menu - Travel Photos. It is travel nirvana.

IgoUgo.com instantly offers travelers the option to compare a host of websites for great travel deals to anywhere that has an airport code. With a few keystrokes and mouse clicks, I get to look at vacation packages that include airfare and hotel instantly. With some locations, it even displays all-inclusive deals, some of which are definitely on the list for 2011. But after dreaming of a worldwide excursion, the next thing I can do is take a sneak peek at other traveler's photos.

There are 881 photos to date as the best of IgoUgo.com for London, which has been on my bucket list since I was old enough to understand that the land underneath me was connected by a mass of molten rock to an island thousands of miles away where a good deal of my ancestors came from. Casually flipping through them, I instantly get a top 10 list of must-see places, and a few places that I would probably avoid, too.

But IgoUgo has one extra going for it that other websites can't compare with - and that's its huge library of travel experiences straight from the intrepid travelers who have ventured there. And there is also a section at the bottom of the page specifically for hotel reviews worldwide - so not only can you check out vacation packages and see what other travelers did when they were there, you can also review the hotels they stayed in. It's brilliant.

So if you have a travel itch, scratch it with IgoUgo.com. It can satisfy your virtual travel needs, and point you in the right direction for the vacation of your year.

Safe Travels.