Know before you go: travel planning online

googler@evpl — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:50:00 GMT

Wow. There are a LOT of travel websites out there. This is the time of year when blogs and magazines start rounding up some good sites for booking, researching, and deciding on your travel plans, which is a really good thing, because I think most of us would be lost without recommendations in this area.

Lifehacker published a post in April about the basics of buying airline tickets, figuring out the right time to buy, setting up a few passive tools for making the best deals come to your doorstep, and in general highlighting how to go about finding great deals on airfare. It includes information on

RetailMeNot : a source of coupon codes
Sidestep's list of current airline fees
Wikitravel's article on how to fly discount airlines

Booklist just published "Know Before You Go" (April 2010), focusing on sites that reach a particular niche in the world of travel. They include

Eurotrip : an online travel planner for European destinations, covering rail and air travel, lodging, activities. Especially recommended for backpackers.
MomsMinivan : ideas to keep kids entertained on those long car rides.
RoadsideAmerica : a guide to weird and wonderful roadside attractions

Kiplinger's "28 Best Travel Sites" (published in Augest 2009) presented what they felt are the best sites for airfares, lodging, car rentals and other key areas. They recommend many of the sites you've already heard of, like Kayak, Priceline, and Trip Advisor, but some others they cover are

Laterooms : for snagging last-minute bargainss on lodging
US Parks : for stretching your dollars while taking advantage of our amazing national parks system
CruiseComplete : where more than 300 travel agents vie to give you the lowest prices for dates, ports and ships you specify.

Happy travels! And if there are other sites you swear by, leave a comment!

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Know before you go: travel planning online