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Find Fair Fares With No Hassle

Booking Travel Online

Find Fair Fares With No Hassle

Just about everyone who uses the Internet is aware that you can book your travel reservations online, but some of us can still use a little help with figuring out how to plan efficiently and how to avoid costly or irritating mistakes. Here are some tips and hints that can make booking travel online a pleasant and timesaving experience rather than a frustrating venture into the unknown.

Who's the "fare-est" of them all? Don't limit yourself to using a single online site to book your travel. No matter how good a travel-booking site is, no single site always has or knows about the best rate or fare that is currently available. Besides that, the agreements between airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, and the like often vary among travel sites. For example, one travel site may have an agreement with a specific hotel chain that lets it offer you greatly discounted rates, while another site has no such agreement with a hotel but instead offers a free rental car for a weekend.

Therefore, you should find and bookmark (or register with) at least three travel-booking sites and check with each before you book a trip. Try this site Bookingwiz and compare atleast 3 sites for getting the best.

ONLINE BOOKING VERSUS TRAVEL AGENT BOOKING........ WHICH IS GOOD?

It all depends on the situtations. Both have Pro's and Con's. Here is what one should look at before finalising which suits you the best:

• Use online site for the following:
• When you just want a plane ticket.
• When you want a chain motel.
• If you want a last-minute travel package where you're not picky about the hotel or a basic car rental .
• You are looking for a basic trip.
• You want the cheapest price available.
• You are making a simple booking.
• You want maximum control over your itinerary.
• You don't mind spending hours on travel research.
• You are reasonably savvy about travel.
• You want to avoid paying an agent fee.

Use a travel agent for the following:
If you're looking for experience, convenience and personal service.
If you are going to off the path locals.
If you are booking a tour or a cruise.
If you have a complicated itinerary.
If you want upscale flights and lodging, special amenities or out-of-the-ordinary experiences.
If you want a customized experience.

So should you use a travel agent or use the Web? What it boils down to is this: Online, it's cheaper, but it is buyer beware. With an agent, you've got somebody on your side, but for a price.It's your call. Figure out what you want from your trip, how you want to travel and how much you want to spend, and take it from there.

TOP 10 US VACATION SPOTS

Do you wonder what USA vacation spots are most popular with couples who travel?
Based on traffic to this site, which reveals the destinations most often researched on Honeymoons/Romantic Getaways, these are the leaders, in order of popularity:
TOP 10 US VACATION SPOTS
1. Hawaii
2. Las Vegas
3. Florida
4. California
5. Texas
6. Georgia
7. Virginia
8. New York
9. North Carolina
10. Colorado

MORE ABOUT THE TOP US VACATION SPOTS

Despite the fact it's expensive to fly and lodge there, Hawaii ranks as no. 1 in honeymoon desirability — and deserves its first-place status. Beautiful beaches and hidden coves; world-class hotels; fresh, inventive cuisine; watersports galore; extraordinary natural beauty; and perfect weather make this an ideal vacation spot year after year.

Coming in second, Las Vegas is America's adult fun capital, with 24-hour excitement. The fact that it's so easy to get married here — and again, so much fun, is another reason couples flock to this desert oasis.

Third in popularity among romantics, Florida offers coast-to-coast beaches. From the festive atmosphere of Miami and the Keys, to upscale Palm Beach and Boca Raton, to Walt Disney World in Orlando, to the action in Daytona and Cape Kennedy, to the gentle beaches and great sunsets on the Gulf Coast side, to the affordable accommodations of the Panhandle, it's one state that offers something for all couples who enjoy warm weather.

Europe Vacation # 1

Vacation Destinations in Europe #1
Paris
So you've finally considered to spend a few weeks in an exotic location. Europe is a great option for your vacation, and planning holidays in France can end up being the best option.Visit tour operators and airline websites to get the best travel rates possible. As with any destination, there are peak times to travel to different locations, and be sure that your vacations in France don't end up costing you a fortune because you pick the wrong week to fly. Compare prices from airline to airline, and ask travel agencies to search for the best rates for vacations in France.When going on vacation in France, you'll find that a good chunk of the most important attractions and architectural structures there are in Paris the capital of France.The single most important attractions in Paris you must have seen:If you could see only one museum in Europe, The Louvre Museum should be it. The Venus de Milo and The Mona Lisa alone are enough reasons to brave the crowds here but the Louvre is houses priceless Egyptian, Oriental, Etruscan, Roman, and Greek artifacts.Next is The Eiffel Tower, constructed in 1889 for the International Exposition of Paris and named after Gustav Eiffel. That's the same engineer who constructed the Statue of Liberty. The Eiffel Tower stands at 317 meters. At the time of its opening it was the most marvelous construction in the world. You can find three observation platforms open to the public and each with sensational views of Paris.

Alexa Top Online Travel Sites

Top Online Travel Sites

There are a lot of great travel sites out there and if I neglected to include yours, let me know in the comments. The list below is comprised of flight aggregators, where you can find flights from multiple airlines. Single airline sites like JetBlue or SouthWest are not included, nor are sites that are focused on hotels or reviews.

1. Expedia - www.expedia.comThe big grand-daddy of online travel aggregators is Expedia. With an Alexa Rank of 351 and climbing, Expedia is cruising through the downturn with ease. With services for flights, hotels and car rentals this one-stop shop should be on your list of sites to visit when booking tickets for your Summer travel.Alexa Rank: 351

2. Trip Advisor - www.tripadvisor.comNipping at the heels of Expedia we have Trip Advisor with an Alexa Rank of 376. Historically Trip Advisor has been a site focused on travel reviews. But with the addition of flight and hotel booking, and more, Trip Advisor has grown into a serious Expedia competitor.Alexa Rank: 376

3. Travelocity - www.travelocity.comYou may know travelocity from its garden gnome mascot, seen on many television commercials. Currently at number 3 on the list of top online travel sites with a rank of 682, Travelocity is not faring as well in the downturn with traffic to the site showing a slight downturn.Alexa Rank: 682

4. Orbitz - www.orbitz.comAnother site that has done quite a bit on online advertising is Orbitz, whose commercials might be confused with Orbit gum, both of which use 50's stylizations and a blue color scheme. Orbitz at Alexa Rank of 693 is still one of the most popular online travel sites, but has seen some decline over the past two years. Like Expedia and Travelocity, Orbitz is a full-featured online travel aggregator.Alexa Rank: 693

5. Priceline - www.priceline.comYet another site with funny television commercials is Priceline, whose commercials feature William Shatner egging people on to make low bids. Priceline is quite unlike the other travel aggregators and allows people to make offers/bids on travel packages which may or may not be accepted by the provider. As you can see from the graph, Priceline has been experiencing some significant growth over the past year, which is an impressive feat in this economy.Alexa Rank: 782

6. Kayak - www.kayak.comKayak, while lesser known than many of the sites higher up in this list, has a loyal user base that continues to come back for the Kayak's innovative features such as price histories and advanced searching tools. While Kayak hasn't experienced much growth over the last 12 months, its two year growth has been impressive. This site is a must for folks who are comfortable with their advanced interface.Alexa Rank: 915

7. Travelzoo - www.travelzoo.comYou may have noted that the other sites in this list show a fair amount of seasonal variation. Travelzoo, strangely, does not. Travelzoo has been around for ages and their site looks very much like it did in 1998. Despite their old-school design, it remains a popular destination.Alexa Rank: 1,312

8. HotWire - www.hotwire.comAt number eight on our list we have HotWire with an Alexa rank of 1,519. Hotwire, which started with an odd business model, where you would book flights with vague flight times on unnamed airlines, is now very similar to the Expedia and Orbitz sites. While not as popular as the biggest players, Hotwire has been experiencing some growth over the last two years.Alexa Rank: 1,519

9. CheapTickets - www.cheaptickets.comThe economic downturn has not been kind to cheaptickets, whose traffic is off by almost 50% over the last two years. But don't let that stop you from visiting the site, which has all the features that you would expect from a travel aggregator.Alexa Rank: 2,014

10. CheapoAir - www.cheapoair.comCheapOAir is a relative newcomer whose traffic has grown significantly over the last two years and is now running neck and neck with Cheap Tickets. No special features here to recommend cheapoair, but it does have all the features that you would expect, plus it has the word "cheap" in the name, which is bound to garner a few extra clicks.Alexa Rank: 2,580

For more online travel sites give Alexa's Site Finder a try (Travel), or take a look at the Top Travel Sites in the Directory.

30 Best Travel Sites

Find the best deals for plane tickets, hotel rooms, vacation packages and car rentals, domestic or abroad, without leaving your desk.
By Stacy Rapacon, Reporter, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
December 2008
The bear market is putting the squeeze on the travel industry and travelers are reaping the benefits. As customers cut down their vacation budgets, airlines, hotels, and cruise lines are extending incredible deals to try and entice them back into traveling.
To help you find the best bargains, we personally surfed the torrent of travel sites flooding the Web and chose our favorites.You can satisfy your wanderlust without overspending -- and these top travel Web sites will help you find the best values in travel bargains. We've personally used each of these sites and found them superior to others.-->
For airfare, lodging and car rentals, we identify which links are best for three different types of traveler. So whether you're pressed for time, looking for the best deal or traveling internationally, you'll find a site to fit your needs. We also identify the best sources to find bargains on cruises and vacation packages.
Airfares
Lodging
Car rentals
Vacation packages
More resources

AIRFARES
Time-Pressed TravelerKayak.com fetches the best fares on the web from more than 140 sources. Click on the best deal, and Kayak.com will send you to the site where you can buy the ticket. Boost your chances of finding a deal by searching for dates up to three days before and after your ideal travel dates. Or you can use the Buzz tool to search for trips that leave within a calendar month, in the six upcoming weekends, or just anytime. And if you don’t have a specific destination in mind, Buzz lets you search by region, such as the Caribbean or Europe.
Tip: Book directly with the airline's Web site to avoid additional booking fees for buying tickets in-person, by phone, or through an online travel agent.
Best-Deal TravelerFarecast.com predicts whether fares on major domestic routes will go up or down. Enter your itinerary and the site will return a list of airfares with a recommendation to either buy a ticket now or wait for a better fare. Depending on how flexible your travel plans are, you can score the best deals using the site’s Flexible Map/Graph, which searches departures up to six months after your selected date.
Tip: Try departing on a Tuesday or Wednesday and returning on a Saturday. These less-traveled days often score the best deals.
From time to time, airlines will offer unbelievably low fares, often referred to as "fire sales," on selected flights and itineraries. In our experience, Airfare Watchdog posts these travel bargains faster than other Web sites and includes fares from Southwest, JetBlue and other small airlines that might not show up on bigger sites like Kayak or Farecast.
International TravelerEven for international flights, Kayak usually finds the best fares. But if you head overseas often, we recommend signing up with cFares. Platinum membership is $50 a year, but can be recouped in savings after a couple flights, especially on trips to Europe or Asia. Just like Kayak and Farecast, cFares aggregates travel fares sold through other providers; however, some travel deals require you to return to cFares.com after purchasing your ticket to apply for a rebate.
LODGING
Time-Pressed TravelerTripAdvisor is the most comprehensive and easy-to-use hotel review site, offering 20 million professional and amateur reviews of hotels in the U.S. and overseas. Photos and maps are provided for most property listings, adding to the usefulness of this site. TripAdvisor doesn't sell rooms but lets you compare and book rates sold by Web travel agencies, such as Expedia, Travelocity and Hotels.com.
Tip: When booking a hotel, try picking up the phone. Talking to an actual person (ask for the manager) may find you better deals, especially with the larger chains. Be sure to call the local number instead of the chain's toll-free listing. Note that calling is not advised for booking plane tickets -- airlines charge extra fees, up to $25, for processing phone orders.
Best-Deal TravelerPriceline.com offers the best bargains for luxury hotel lodging. Users specify a star class, the duration of stay and a neighborhood in a metro area, then submit a bid. (The site also sells airline tickets and rental cars this way.)
Bids less than $100 a night on luxury lodgings are often successful. There are three catches, though: Priceline doesn't disclose the name of the hotel you're booking until you buy; it doesn't refund your money if you cancel and it may place you in a hotel outside your selected neighborhood.
One more hitch: We don't recommend booking a hotel in an overseas city without knowing its precise location beforehand, so look to other sites to book a room abroad.
Priceline and TripAdvisor are most useful for booking big chain hotels. To find smaller inns and B&B's, try Bedandbreakfast.com. It lists extensive details on even the tiniest inns, plus "hot deals" in your desired location. And you can search for specific amenities, including pet- and family-friendly features.
Consider an alternative to hotels: Condo-apartment rentals. Vacation rentals generally offer more room and amenities for the same price as hotel rooms. Plus, their kitchens can spare you from having to dine out for every meal. The best selection of rental lodgings we've found is at HomeAway.com.
International TravelerVacation rentals are especially more desirable options when going abroad. Through Villas International, you can find cottages and apartments starting at as little as $25 per person per night throughout Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico and a few other places.
If you're even more adventurous, you might consider a home exchange. HomeExchange.com is the most well-known site for this type of transaction. As the name implies, you swap homes with someone else, usually for a one- to three-week vacation. Annual membership runs about $100 for unlimited transactions in the U.S. or abroad.
LateRooms.com emphasizes last-minute bargains at international hotels. The site lists retail room rates in the currency of your choice alongside discount rates charged per night. We recommend calling to book a hotel, whenever possible. LateRooms.com makes that easy by providing the number to call and a reference code for the rate it found you. The site also provides international city guides including recommendations for restaurants and activities for kids.
Another tip: When you pay your hotel room bill on checkout, beware if the clerk offers to convert your bill into U.S. dollars. Decline this offer because hotels usually charge higher exchange rates than banks charge through ATMs or credit cards. What's worse, if you're credit card issuer charges a currency conversion fee for international purchases (typically 1% of the bill), that fee may still apply -- even if the hotel provided a currency conversion. In essence, you'll be double charged.
CAR RENTALS
Time-Pressed TravelerOrbitz aggregates rental-car rates from seven of the most affordable car rental companies in the country, including Alamo and Budget. And Orbitz does not charge an extra booking fee for car rentals, though it does for plane tickets.
But beware, extra fees run rampant among rental-car retailers. Tip: if possible, avoiding renting at the airport where you can get slammed with hefty fees.
Best-Deal TravelerHotwire consistently offers lower rates because it doesn’t disclose which rental company you're working with until after you've paid. This approach might be risky for airline flights or hotels (for which Hotwire also applies this same blind-booking format), but with cars, you get the same sedan regardless of which company provides it.
International TravelerAuto Europe is a rental-car rate wholesaler that specializes in pre-paid international rentals. It returned better rates than other online booking sites (for comparable vehicles) when we recently searched for cars in England, Greece, Ireland and Spain. Plus, this company staffs its customer-service hotlines (toll-free internationally) 24-hours a day.
Be wary that the rental-car chains may, independently from Auto Europe, attempt to tack on hidden charges following your prepayment to Auto Europe. Carefully review your credit-card bill after an overseas trip. If unnecessary charges appear, Auto Europe will assist with disputing them. (You can also face this problem when you book directly with the rental-car company, particularly if the company is not headquartered in the United States.)
If it's worth paying a few extra dollars for a hassle-free trip, we recommend booking overseas car rentals with an American name-brand car company such as Avis or Hertz (through Auto Europe or direct). According to anecdotal staff experiences and reports from other media, foreign-owned car rental companies often bungle reservations for American travelers, either by not having the requested cars available or by adding undisclosed charges to the final tab.
Tip: When traveling overseas, consider renting a car with a GPS device that provides turn-by-turn driving directions using voice prompts. Hertz, for example, charges about $18 and has wide network coverage in Europe.
VACATION PACKAGES
CRUISESWith useful reviews and advice columns, CruiseMates.com explains the art of booking a cruise -- including how to select cabin type, theme and boarding port. (If you’re cruising for the first time, consider booking through a traditional travel agent who can walk you through the whole process.)
At CruiseCompete than 300 travel agents vie to give you the lowest prices for dates, ports and ships you specify, whether you're booking well in advance or at the eleventh hour. You provide an email address and they’ll send their best offers for you to compare. The site even staffs live agents to guide you through the process.
Quick TravelLastminute.com offers the best prices for booking an entire vacation as late as three hours before departure on domestic trips. Save time at the last minute by simultaneously booking airfare, hotel reservations, car rentals, activities and even airport parking.
Luxury Link offers discounted packages for high-end travel, including hotel nights, spa days, gourmet meals and sports activities, but usually not airfare. The site offers some "buy now" deals, but is really hailed for its auction packages (generally priced for two people). Some bidders boast savings of up to 65%. Flexible travel dates are required; vacation packages are subject to availability and black out dates apply. Luxury Link requires payment within 24 hours of an auction’s close and does not offer refunds.
Theme VacationsNational parks. For a value vacation, consider exploring a national park. You'll discover tips on how to stretch your dollars on your next stay by visiting the US Parks site.
Adventure travel. If you're looking for more thrills in your vacation, start by exploring iExplore.com. The site offers hiking and biking trips, as well as multi-sport tours. It also boasts expert advice on "experiential travel," such as a wildlife safari or culinary tour.
Green travel. Go back to BedandBreakfast.com to peruse specials for green getaways. And for a more in-depth search for eco-friendly accommodations, bookmark EnvironmentallyFriendlyHotels.com. The site lists more than 3,600 hotels worldwide, specifying green amenities such as recycling bins or energy-efficient bulbs. Each venue receives a green score of up to seven "evergreens."
RESOURCES & TRAVEL ADVICE
Airport parking. To save money at airport parking lots, visit the aptly named AirportDiscountParking.com, which will direct you to bargain lots and offers printable coupons for additional savings.
Currency conversion. Check rates at XE.com and try to exchange your dollars at a local bank. Along with an easy-to-read conversion rates grid on the homepage, this site offers a host of tools including a travel expenses calculator, credit card charges calculator and, obviously, a conversion calculator.
Eurail. Traveling to Europe? Note that trains are often the fastest and cheapest way to travel within and between European countries. Our favorite English-language Web site for checking timetables and booking tickets on European train lines is RailEurope.
Flight information. AvoidDelays.com, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) provides online updates for flight delays; you sign up for e-mail and phone alerts, too. If you haven't booked a flight yet, you can search for the best time of day to schedule a flight from a specific airport and find out which airports to avoid for connecting flights.
Frequent flier miles. WebFlyer is the most useful site for getting the best upgrade for the miles you've earned. See how your miles convert between programs, learn about changes to your frequent flier program and discover how to max out the value of your mileage awards when you redeem them for merchandise or services.
Also try the Global Points Exchange program at Points.com to trade points and miles between rewards programs.
Packing. Pack lightly to dodge baggage fees. OneBag.com offers packing tips, including updates on banned carry-on items.
Seating. At some airlines, better seats come at a price. SeatGuru.com indicates which seats cost a fee, as well as which have the most (or least) legroom and recline.
Travel insurance. Buying travel insurance from agencies and travel providers, such as cruise lines, is usually a crummy deal because of price markups and restrictions on how the policy claims can be filed. The best value policies we've found are those sold directly by the leading travel insurance company, Travel Guard.
Editor's note: The original version of this article was written by Sean O'Neil, however, Kiplinger's Best Travel Web Sites is updated every year.