Travel

ONLINE TRAVEL SITES

ONLINE SHOPPING TIPS

FLIGHTS OF FANCY
Some tips for booking airline tickets

Sure, ordering your own airline tickets on the Net is now a breeze, but if you follow some of the following advice, you can ensure a safer, more enjoyable trip:

- Always try for a Saturday stayover; you'll save some significant dough.

- Some of the cheapest flights leave late in the evening or around the midmorning.

- If possible, book your flight at least 3 weeks in advance.

- If you don't mind the hassle, taking at least one connecting flight on your trip can save some serious cash too.

- If your travel date and time are pretty flexible, you can get some major discounts on tickets by purchasing last-minute deals. They're usually only good for the next few days, so you'll have to be prepared to pack your bags and fly at a moment's notice.

- Once you figure out an airline and a flight, if you book your tickets through the airline's official homepage you may just earn some bonus frequent flyer miles. It's definitely worth taking a look.

- Check out some major auction Websites -- you never know what kind of sweet deals you can find on travel packages.

Wanna know one of the biggest shopping items on the Internet these days? Nope, it's not underwear, it's travel! Thanks to literally hundreds of online travel sites, you no longer have to make your way to a stuffy travel agent's office, wait around for an appointment and then make your flight, hotel and rental car accommodations. With the mere touch of a button, you can now do it all yourself!

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Travel sites not only save you money, but they can help plan everything from a minor weekend getaway in the Berskshires to a major two-week honeymoon in Maui. It's like having your very own personal travel agent at your disposal 24 hours a day.

So what's so great about these travel sites?

Well, for starters, they can save you a ton of money. You'll find plenty of discount fares, daily hot deals and super competitive prices. Best of all, thanks to all sorts of fare watcher programs, you can have a site e-mail you directly when a trip drops down to a value you're happy with. But these sites also offer instant flight/gate information, maps, destination guides, safety tips, local attractions and even a list of ATM machines.

Are airline reservations the only ones you can make?

Nope. You can book just about anything travel related including airline tickets, hotel reservations, rental cars, cruise packages and train passes. And if you do a little searching, you can do 'em all at one site.

But aren't there all sorts of hidden fees?

Just like everything else on the Internet, you should always know exactly what you're getting before spending a dime. Most travel sites won't charge you any extra fees, but they do have all sorts of cancellation penalties. So make sure you're aware of any and all such fees. The better, more-reputable sites will usually have this information clearly marked before you make your purchase. So just use your head and you'll be laying back in the sand in no time.

To check out the best travel sites on the Web, please visit our Travel section.

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