USTOA puts travelers to the test

In the past, I’ve been hesitant to book vacation packages because I’ve heard the tall tale of a friend of a friend’s mother-in-law who booked an expensive trip to Paris, but instead ended up in Paris, Tennessee. The United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), with more than 130 top travel packaging companies as members, has recently released an online quiz, “Test Your Vacation Smarts,” to help dispel many of these types of myths, and hopefully educate travelers about the benefits of vacation packages.

The 10 true-or-false questions are an easy way for people to learn about last-minute planning, Internet travel agencies, legitimate vacation operators, and much more. Although some of the quiz felt a little more like an advertisement than an instructional tool, I found most of it very useful, especially for those interested in taking packaged vacations.

After visitors have finished the test and tallied their scores, they can also take a “Vacation Personality Quiz,” which uses travel preferences to decide types of personalities. From there, they can then choose vacations based on destinations or activities best suited to their personalities. These quizzes are an educational and fun way to explore different travel options, so hopefully that friend of a friend will finally get to his/her intended destination.