Travel

24 Best Travel Sites to Save You Money

Find the best deals online for plane tickets, hotel rooms, vacation packages and car rentals, both at home and abroad.

By Stacy Rapacon, Channel Editor, Kiplinger.com

March 11, 2011

Rising oil prices and increasing travel demand mean higher costs for your next vacation. But you can still find good deals -- if you know where to look online. Here are the best travel sites we've found to help you bag the best bargains on airfares, lodging, car rentals and all your other travel needs. Note: All but one of the following sites are free to use.

SEE OUR QUIZ: How Far Can You Stretch Your Travel Dollar?

AIRFARES

1) Kayak.com scours hundreds of online sources for the cheapest fares available. The more flexible you are on time and destination, the better your chances of finding a great deal. Search for dates up to three days before and after your ideal travel dates, or use the Buzz tool to search for flights that leave within a calendar month, in the six upcoming weekends or just anytime. If you’re flexible on destination, Buzz lets you search a region, such as the Caribbean, Europe or Asia. And with the site’s Explore tool, you can scan a world map for all the destinations you can reach within a specified price range.

2) Bing Travel gives you a recommendation to either buy a ticket now or wait for a fare based on its "price predictor." The price predictor forecasts whether fares on major domestic routes will go up or down. Enter your desired itinerary and the site will return a list of flight options, along with a recommendation to buy now or wait.

3) AirfareWatchdog works best for travelers ready to take off at the drop of a deal. The site has workers lurking on airline Web sites in anticipation of fare sales. They sign up for rewards programs to snag promotional codes and discount offers that can be passed on to AirfareWatchdog users. Bonus: The site includes fares from Southwest, JetBlue and other small airlines that may not appear on bigger search sites, such as Kayak and Bing.

4) WhichBudget.com will help you build an inexpensive overseas flight plan by using local, budget airlines -- a great way to save on international travel. It's based on a comprehensive list of airlines servicing 170 countries. To start, select your overseas starting point, end point or both, and the site will list airlines you've probably never heard of that service each route. For example, if you search for flights from Bangkok to other Asian destinations, you'll get options from AirAsia, Jetstar and Nok Air. Click on an airline's link and you will be redirected to its home page to book a flight.

5) Yapta.com will track a flight's price for you after you buy your ticket. If the costs drop below what you paid, most airlines and online travel agencies will refund the difference, usually in the form of travel credits or vouchers. Yapta will alert you to falling fares via e-mail or tweet. And if the change in price dips below the cost of any "re-booking fees" some airlines charge in these situations, the site will explain how to collect your refund. Note: Yapta does not currently track Southwest flights.

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