Hi Pete!
What scope are you using?
A good start is always
http://www.stellarium.org/
Often when I star hop I just pick a section of the sky and just slowly cruise using my mounts hand paddle. When I find something I dont recognize I use Stellarium to locate it and find out what it is.
Stellarium is also a great little program where you can pick an object, find its location and magnitude the go outside and see if you can find it in the eye piece.
Have fun!