function validate()
{
	// assign variables
	var firstname = document.getElementById("firstname").value;
	var lastname = document.getElementById("lastname").value;
	var email = document.getElementById("email").value;
	var country = document.getElementById("country").value;
	var partySize = document.getElementById("partysize").value;
	var arrivalDay = document.getElementById("arrivalday").value;
	var arrivalMonth = document.getElementById("arrivalmonth").value;
	var arrivalYear = document.getElementById("arrivalyear").value;
	var departureDay = document.getElementById("departureday").value;
	var departureMonth = document.getElementById("departuremonth").value;
	var departureYear = document.getElementById("departureyear").value;
	var questions = document.getElementById("questions").value;
	
	// initalise error variable
	var error = 0;

	// find errors
	if(firstname == "") error += 1;
	if(lastname == "") error += 1;
	if(email == "") error += 1;
	if(country == "") error += 1;
	if(partySize == "") error += 1;
	if(arrivalDay == "") error += 1;
 	if(arrivalMonth == "") error += 1;
	if(arrivalYear == "") error += 1;
	if(departureDay == "") error += 1;
	if(departureMonth == "") error += 1;
	if(departureYear == "") error += 1;
	
	if(error > 0)
	{
		document.getElementById("required1").innerHTML = " *";
		document.getElementById("required2").innerHTML = " *";
		document.getElementById("required3").innerHTML = " *";
		document.getElementById("required4").innerHTML = " *";
		document.getElementById("required5").innerHTML = " *";
		document.getElementById("required6").innerHTML = " *";
		document.getElementById("required7").innerHTML = " *";
		
		// tell user required fields shown above
		document.getElementById("requiredMsg").innerHTML = "Required fields shown above";
		
		return false;
	}
	else
		return true;
}