Get the Most out of Travel Booking Websites - Part 2

Tips for Using Travel Booking Websites - Part 2

by Andrea Eldridge

Over the last few weeks we’ve been exploring online tools to plan a great summer vacation.  From finding the best deals to doing Disney to cruising, the Internet offers a wealth of resources to get you where you want to go with fewer headaches.  Now that we’ve covered deciding where and when to go, we wrap up our travel series with sites that can help stretch your travel dollars.

Twitter (https://twitter.com/) has become the place for travel companies to announce insider sales that seem too good to be true.  Followers receive first-dibs on fare cuts before they hit the web, most often for last-minute getaways.  For example, Spirit Airlines (@SpiritAirlines) recently offered tickets from Washington, D.C. to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for $54 each way.  JetBlue (@JetBlueCheeps) is known to offer noteworthy deals on its airfare.  Hotel specialist Quickbook (@Quickbook) informs followers of discounts on hotel stays in major cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago.  Follow your favorite airline or hotel to get first crack at special offers.


Wondering if the best time to book your getaway is now or if you should wait a few weeks?  Nothing saps the glee from finally booking your trip like seeing the price drop significantly a week later.  Bing (www.bing.com/travel) search results include a "price predictor" that tells you whether the price is likely to increase, stay the same, or decrease depending on how fares are trending.  Keep in mind that the hotel "rate indicator," which tells you whether a rate you've been quoted is typical for the hotel, is limited to certain cities in the U.S.

After hours of scouring the net for the best flight deal, there are few things more frustrating than discovering that the flight that saves you $40 adds six hours to your travel time.  Hipmunk (www.hipmunk.com) searches return a list of air and train travel options by cost, duration, departure and arrival times, showing results on a quick-scan graph.  But we love the included "agony factor."  Hipmunk sorts trips so the best options for both price and your sanity appear at the top of the list, moving the most painful flights (like red-eyes and those with multiple or long layovers) to the bottom.

Car rental prices fluctuate constantly, but who has the time to keep searching for deals in the weeks leading up to your trip?  Reserve your rental through AutoSlash (www.autoslash.com) and they'll continuously check prices after you book.  If the price drops, your rental will be automatically re-booked for free, with the confirmation details sent to your email.  Sometimes you can even garner a free upgrade from a smaller to a larger car.

If you're trying to decide whether to fly or drive, or determine if it’s worth it to drive farther to an airport with a cheaper flight, AAA can help.  Before you try to calculate the combination of distance + fuel costs + number of people driving (and possibly hurt your brain with the higher math), check out their "cost to drive" calculator at http://fuelcostcalculator.aaa.com/.  Simply enter the starting and ending cities and some details about your car, and it'll do the math for you.

A few notes about bundle deals and consolidators:

Shop each component separately so you can price compare with the combined price.  Some hotels and airlines save the best deals for those who book directly with their site and making changes to reservations can be easier than when you’ve booked through a third party.

Some airlines (like Southwest) don't list their tickets with the big bundle sites like Travelocity and Orbitz, so make sure you check “discount airlines” separately.

Don't forget to include those pesky baggage fees when comparing prices.  The $100 you save on a cheap ticket may be outweighed by the charge for checking bags.

Flights by low-cost foreign airlines such as EasyJet (based in the UK) don't show up on Expedia either.  Book a ticket to a hub like Paris or Rome on a major carrier, then use Skyscanner (www.skyscanner.com) or Momondo (www.momondo.com) to reserve the low-fare airline to a smaller city abroad.  You can save a bundle flying like the locals.

If you’re buying airline tickets for the whole family, consider purchasing tickets individually.  When you buy tickets together, the airline reservation system sells everyone in your party the same highest price tickets, even if there are individual tickets available for less.  If you end up seated separately you may be able to call ahead to consolidate seats or rearrange seating when you get to the airport.

Happy trails!