Airline Credit Cards

By Christina Laun

The Internet has made getting a great deal on any part of your travel easier than ever. Websites will do the work for you, searching hundreds of hotels, airlines, or car rental agencies to get you the lowest prices and best deals possible, allowing you to satisfy your urge to travel without emptying out your bank account. Here are 50 sites that do just that, so be sure to check them out before booking your next trip.

General

These sites can provide deals for every leg of your travel, from your flight to hotel stays and beyond.

1. TripAdvisor: TripAdvisor is a great place to read reviews of hotels, vacation packages, resorts and airlines with millions of user submitted reviews on the site. Users can also compare rates from the biggest hotel and airline brokers online to find the best deal for a city or time of travel.
2. Orbitz: Orbitz can find you great rates on hotel rooms, flights and car rentals or any combination of those three. The site finds the rates of the product you are searching for and displays them in an easy-to-read grid so you can compare to see where you’ll get the best deal.
3. TravelZoo: TravelZoo offers special deals on airfare, cruises, lodging and more. The site’s real value is in its top 20 deals for each day which can save you a substantial amount of money. Sign up on the site and have them delivered right to your inbox.
4. Expedia: One of the big names in online travel, Expedia offers discounts on hundreds of flights, hotels and vacation pacakges worldwide. You can even sign up for Fare Alert, which will send the latest updates on trips you’re interested in to your desktop.
5. OneTravel.com: Search through rates for flights, hotels, rentals and even last minute packages on OneTravel.com. You can also find discounts on activities like tours, attractions, and shows and book an entire vacation from one site.
6. TripMania: Find listings for travel discounts with TripMania. Get information on hotels, flights, vacation packages, cruises and more and even find some last minute deals.
7. SmarterTravel: Check this comprehensive site for the best information on discounted flights, hotels, car rentals and vacation packages. If you don’t have time to browse the site, you can sign up to recieve weekly emails about the best deals.

Airfare

Finding cheap airfare these days can be a real challenge, so check out these sites before you book your next flight to see if you can’t cut costs.

8. Kayak: Kayak is one of the best sites to find national fares. The site draws from more than 140 sources to help you find the best deal. You can’t buy the tickets directly on the site, but Kayak is more than happy to direct you to the site where you can. Features include the ability to search for fares up to 3 days before or after your chosen travel dates to see if there is any substantial discount.
9. Farecast: Before you book any flights domestically, give Farcast a quick check. Farecast predicts whether or not rates will go up or down using past fare trends to make its estimations. You can use this information to know if you should purchase your tickets immediately or wait a few days for a better deal.
10. Airfare Watchdog: Find listings for fire fares, fare wars and blooper fares on this site that gives you access to some of the most ridiculously low fares, provided you’re prepared to book immediately and have some flexibility in your destination and travel dates.
11. LowesTravel: Find some of the cheapest international fares for over 60 airlines worldwide on LowesTravel.com. While you’ll get the best deals on airfare, you can also book hotels and rental cars from this site as well.
12. WebFlyer: Frequent fliers will find WebFlyer a great help in making the most of airline miles. Users will find how they can best use their miles or points to get upgrades, free flights or even how to combine different programs to get the best deals.
13. dohop.com: Search over 660 airlines everywhere in the world to find the best deals and fastest routes on airfare on dohop.com. The site remembers your departure city and displays cheap domestic flights on the front page every time you visit.
14. Qixo: Users can find everything they need to travel on Qixo, but they’ll find the greatest selection and value on airline prices from the site. One of the largest airfare search engines, Qixo scours 28 online airfare retailers to bring you the cheapest prices for your travel dates.
15. Farechaser: Use this online search engine to find the best deals on flights, where to find ticket brokers, and how to find and book travel packages.
16. BestFares.com: This site is one of the best places to look for discounted airfare. Browse through destinations or check out the top 30 cheapest fares departing from your home city.
17. Southwest.com: Southwest is one of the best airlines to visit when looking for travel bargains, but many of the larger fare search sites don’t include it, so it can be a good idea to check the airline directly to see if there are any deals to be had before purchasing tickets elsewhere.
18. Sidestep: Sidestep is a great price aggregator for finding airline deals. A matrix gives you the results with prices from over 600 different airlines on 200 sites across the Web.
19. FlyCheapo: While the name might not inspire the greatest confidence, this site is a great way to get the lowest rates on flights from discount carriers within Europe. Enter your departure and destination cities and you’ll find a listing of the airlines with connecting flights between them.
20. CheapTickets: Use CheapTickets to find a bargain on your next flight. Search the site for prices or take advantage of the special partner deals on the site’s main page.
21. SkyAuction: If bidding on low airfare doesn’t put you off, then try out this Internet airfare auction site. You can find deals on tickets going to almost anywhere worldwide, and if you’re lucky, you can score them for considerably less than you would have paid elsewhere.
22. TicTrip: Search through prices from the biggest online ticket retailers with this site. Simply put in your departure and destination cities, click on one of the 12 sites TicTrip searches and get results which you can easily compare to find the best deal.

Lodging

Think you can’t stay in luxury hotels for motel prices? Think again. These sites will help you find those killer bargains.

23. Bed and Breakfast.com: Most major hotel booking sites don’t have listings for bed and breakfasts, so your best bet for finding deals on a quaint B and B in the countryside is on this site. Sign up for their weekly emails and you’ll get details about discounts on bed and breakfasts in the region you want to visit, usually 20 percent off or more.
24. HomeAway: If hotels aren’t your thing, consider renting out an apartment or condo while you’re on vacation. You’ll get more room for the price and have access to a kitchen, which can save you big time on meals. Find the best deals and selection on HomeAway.com.
25. LateRooms.com: Get last minute bargains on rooms abroad on LateRooms. Prices are quoted in the local currency, but the site offers a currency converter to help you figure out the cost in your home currency.
26. Priceline.com: Priceline offers bidding not only for hotels but for flights, cars, and vacation packages as well. However, you’ll find the best deals on high end hotels on this site. Submit a bid on a hotel by specifying the dates of your stay and the city you want to stay in and wait to see if your offer is accepted. You can often get luxury accomdations for under $100 a night. Of course, this kind of bargain doesn’t come without a few strings attached. You won’t know the name of the hotel you’re staying at until you purchase the rooms, you can’t get a refund if you need to cancel, and you might get booked in a hotel not near the central parts of the city. Still, if you’re willing to take the risks, you can save yourself a pretty penny.
27. LickityTrip: For those who need to whip up a trip quickly, this site can be a lifesaver. Vaction rentals on this site are for the next two weeks and you can contact the owners of the vacation properties directly for a more personal experience and possibly negotiate a deal while you’re at it.
28. LastMinuteTravel.com: If you’re not the planning ahead type, this site can save you a bundle on last minute reservations. Search by city or rating to find deals on the biggest and best luxury hotels with discounts up to 23 percent.
29. HotelsCombined: This site brings together rates from the top hotel booking sites and makes it easy to compare and contrast on one page.
30. Places to Stay: Find great lodgings all over the world with this site. Enter your destination city and the dates of your travel and it will search through hotels to find you the best rate, location or whatever is that’s most important to you.
31. EuroCheapo: For travelers on a tight budget, this site makes it easy to scour budget hotels in Europe to find one that will work for you. You’ll not only find prices, but also information and reviews on the hotels, so you’ll know what you’re getting into before you ever book a stay.
32. Karen Brown’s Guides: Find listings for hotels in Western Europe and North America on this site. You’ll find listings of the best bargain places to stay, reviews and loads of travel advice.
33. Concierge.com: This site, brought to you by Conde Nast Magazine, is full of great travel tips and articles, but you can also use it to search for bargains on hotels. Check out the magazine’s lists of top hotels for some ideas of where to stay.
34. HotelDiscount.com: As if you couldn’t tell by the name, this site is dedicated to listing the best hotel discounts. You’ll find reviews and suggestions of the best bargains for lodging as well as a special promotions search feature.

Cruises and Vaction Packages

Booking a cruise or vacation package can be a confusing prospect for those who haven’t done it before, but you can get guidance as well as access to some great deals on these sites.

35. CruiseCompete: Cruise lovers will enjoy the discounts of up to 25 percent found on this site as major cruise companies compete to get your business. You can even find last-minute bargains.
36. CruiseMates: You can’t buy cruise packages directly from CruiseMates, but you can find listings for special deals as well as tons of information and reviews on cruises.
37. Cruise.com: This site brings together one of the largest collections of cruise discounts and information. Find weekly special deals as well as the occasional cruise clearance sale.
38. CruiseDirect: CruiseDirect allows users to search for cruises by length, destination, or cruise line to find prices and deals. Users can also browse last minute deals or book group cruises as well.
39. Cruise411: Get all the information you need on booking a cruise with this site. Users will also find special deals and bargains listed through the site in the best deals section.
40. LuxuryLink: Find bargains on luxury vacation packages with this auction site. You must, however, have some flexibility about your travel dates as you can only choose the dates after you pay.
41. LastMinute.com: Formerly known as Site59, this site provides the best deals on those last minute vacation packages. The site offers package deals anywhere between 14 days before departure to as little as 3 hours.
42. CruisesOnly: On CruisesOnly, you’ll find photos, virtual tours and more as well as great last minute deals on over 124 different cruise lines.
43. TravelWorm: Users can make travel arrangements for almost any kind of travel on this site, but it’s particularly useful for booking cruises. With almost all major cruise lines listed, users only need to search for their desired specifications to bring up special deals.

Car Rental and Transportation

Whether you’re renting a car for the weekend or taking a train across the Alps, these sites are your best bet for savings.

44. RailEurope: Book your European rail travel before you leave home with this site. You’ll find single tickets, but the best deals to be had are on multiple-use European rail passes, which can often provide cheaper rates and more options than air travel.
45. Hotwire: Hotwire allows users to search through the top rental companies Budget, Hertz and Avis to find the best rates for any given date. You won’t know which company your rental will be with until after you’ve paid, but you can have more confidence knowing it will be one of the big names. You can also find rates on flights and hotels which are sold in the same way.
46. Auto Europe: If you’re planning a trip to Europe and want to rent a car, you might want to check out Auto Europe, a rental car wholesaler that specializes in pre-paid rentals. You’ll get some of the lowest prices on international rentals as well as access to a 24 hour a day customer service hotline.
47. AirportDiscountParking: If you’re planning on leaving your car at the airport while you’re away, then check out this site to make sure you’re not overpaying. Simply enter your airport and your travel dates, and it will direct you to the cheapest lots available.
48. Breezenet.com: Get some of the best domestic rental car prices to be had with Breezenet. The site gathers rates from the major car rental companies at US airports as well as special deals from Internet sites.
49. Amtrak: If you don’t have a car, taking the train within the US can actually be a good way to save money. American trains have made an effort to improve service and quality in the past few years, so you may find yourself pleasantly surprised at the level of comfort you’ll get on your journey.
50. Car Rental Express: Save big on your next car rental by going through this rental site. You’ll be able to search over 300 rental agencies to find prices discounted from 15-30 percent.

If you enjoyed this article, please bookmark it at del.icio.us »