These are some of the best sites out on the internet. A word of warning. Many times a travel agent will get a better deal because many resorts will offer them just that, a better deal. It never hurts to ask an agent what is out there and it costs you nothing to do so. The big tour operators buy in blocks , whether an resort or cruise. After they have sold a certain number they are making money but they may have some that are unsold. They could literally give it a way for free and not lose money because they have already sold enough, that they have made a profit. So what they do with them is offer them to sites such as Travelzoo, Shermans Travel or big travel agencies, who in turn offer them to their clients. This is why a travel agent can sometimes get a better rate than if they went to the original source.
Auction sites Overall this is a, Caveat Emptor, let the buyer beware
www.SkyAuctions.com I used to really like this site but the term Caveat Emptor really applies. Read the small print and know what you are paying for. They do have deals to be found, you just have to find them. Notice I said I used too. That is because recently most of the deals can be had else where, at better prices. An example of this could be cruise ships. What starts out as a decent price has add ons that actually make it more expensive than going to the Cruise Ships web site and booking a cruise there, instead of bidding on one. Also one needs to look at the supplement fees. An example of this might be one of those seven day all inclusive resorts plus air far. First the is no guarantee that you will get the dates or times you want. Next, you will notice there is always an additional per day tax or supplemental charge and if you went to site such as Expedia and checked there, you may actually save money plus you get the dates that you want.
Cruises
http://www.vacationstogo.com/index.cfm which is Vacations to Go. Excellent site to get an idea on how much you should be paying for a cruise.
Sometimes here today and gone tomorrow. This site which we had used is the past is no longer running they were bought out by their competition and put out of business. Read what I said about them then understand this is business and when you can not compete what do you do, buy them out and shut them down. http://auctions.overstock.com which is Overstock.com This site has some fantastic cruise bargains and what I like best about it is when you book your cruise you can pick what cabin you what (depending on availability of course) Something else we have seen on Overstock is a better price than the cruise lines offer. Tour Companies will book groups, but unable to sell all of the cabins, they will offer them to Overstock rather than lose money.
Airlines; as you already know, travel agents do not get commissions from the airlines anymore so most agents do not think too highly of any of them. But that does not mean they can not get you a good deal although you can do it yourself almost as easily. Go to the major sites such as;
Here are two sites that can save you some money. If you use Booking Buddy, they will check all of the major travel engines but do notice that some are not the same and what looks cheaper may not be. Expedia always gives the total price, were as cheap tickets gives the air fare, then adds on the taxes and fees which usually makes Expedia cheaper. The best prices are on Tuesday and Wednesday night and Fly on Saturday, Tues-Thurs for the best deals
Hint: Sometimes you can get a hotel and the flight cheaper than just the flight. At least check it out.
Check each site as they will have different prices. This is because of the arrangements airlines have made with them. Airline X may offer Orbitz are special rate that was not offered to Expedia and visa versa. Smartertravel kind of combines them all for easier searching. Sidestep is sort of a consolidator of travel site. There are some sites we do not recommend simply because they list the lowest fair but then charge you 2-3 times the fees and taxes that other charge. An example of this is www.bookingbuddy.com which is an excellent site for travel, so you can compare travel rates. If you go there we recommend that you do not use Ultimate Fares or Cheap O air as the fees and taxes are ridiculous.
Vacations
http://top20.travelzoo.com/newsflash
http://www.resortvacationstogo.com
Check the prices. It is very simple. Then go to the website of the airline you like and get on the email list. Why? Because they always are sending out specials which never make it to the other sites so you lose out by not doing you homework.
One other caveat and that is flight tickets. I have seen tickets sale for more than if you went straight to the airline itself. For example if you want to go to Tahiti, try Air Tahiti Nui. Go to their web site and sign up for their email, http://www.flyatn.com/. Tickets which may cost you well over a $1000 on an auction you may get for $500-600 depending on the time of the year as Air Tahiti Nui always has deals sooner or later. (I should mention that a lot of airlines go to Tahiti, but I personally like Air Tahiti Nui best) Something else you should be aware of and that is Air Tahiti Nui as some fantastic trips (deals) to Tahiti. Imagine 7 days including air fare for about $1249 and up. Check SkyAuction prices because they make Air Tahiti Nui look real good. (© 2011 J Johnson)
Copyright 2010 KBLI TV & Radio, University of La Jolla.. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.