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The Internet has changed the way travelers do business. We no longer have to place ourselves at the mercy of a travel agent. Not that I have anything against travel agents, I love them, but in order to be sure they are working in my best interest I need to be an informed traveler and the Internet has made that easy. Finding the best travel deals is an art and with these sites you too can become an artist.

kayak.com This is my favorite website for a first look at airline prices. You just enter where you are leaving from and where you are going and they will tell you which website is offering the best price for that flight and on which airline. .

After the preliminary look I then usually will try to book the flight through the airline with the best rate. Airline travel is one thing I prefer to do directly with the airline if at all possible. If you have issues with that flight later it cuts out the middle man.

Kayak doesn't include every airline so if I am traveling within the US I always check if Southwest Airlines flies into the city I plan to visit.

Bedandbreakfast.com I am a big B&B fan so this is one of my favorite sites. There are lots of B&B's who won't appear on this website but the really good thing about them is that they sell gift certificates and you can plan ahead. There are user comments here too, I enjoy reading what people are saying.

Tripadvisor.com I have to admit I use this site often but just to see which are the top listed hotels and B&B's in their market. Before I visit somewhere I like to find out what a variety of people are saying. This is all opinion so I take it with a grain of salt but if a lot of people have problems with a particular lodging it is worth noting. No hotel site is going to tell you that they are infested with bed bugs but someone on Tripadvisor might.

Igougo.com I use this site to find out what to see when I visit a city or an area. This site uses the journal format to give full reviews including hotels, restaurants and things to do. They also include photos which gives you a good visual idea of what a place is like.

Skyauction.com If you enjoy a good auction this is your site. Among the great things that I have purchased on sky auction have been luxury hotel rooms, restaurant certificates,timeshares, and theater tickets. There is a small fee but the prices usually justify it.

ecruise.com I can't say enough good things about this site. They handle a good selection of cruise lines and offer prices that even the cruise lines themselves can't beat. I don't know how they do it, but they do and I for one am very grateful.

Kemwell.com When I am booking a rental car in Europe this is my favorite site. You can book with or without insurance and you pay up front so the exchange rate is not going to affect your price. It is always easier to budget when you pay things before you leave.

Hotwire.com I have found some truly extraordinary hotel room rates on hotwire. Not always but often. Four star hotels for just over $100 in a major US city. I always check them out.

Priceline.com Another site where great prices are sometimes available. You don't know up front what you are getting, it is a blind bid but if you do your research you can have a pretty good idea which hotel it is. They only tricked me once, in DC , I was sure it was going to be the Omni and it was the Hilton but for $95 I wasn't disappointed.

Expedia.com; Travelocity.com ; Orbitz.com; I use these sites for research purposes. Though I have used all of them at one time or another to book a hotel or a flight and have never had any problem.

luxurylink.com If you are looking for an upscale getaway but want to spend less than the going price, this is your site. There are some great deals but not inexpensive.

Among my favorite websites when researching a vacation are the local CVB (Convention and Visitor Bureau). Just go to google.com and search the city and the CVB. If that doesn't bring up what you want try the city name and tourism.

You have the world at your finger tips. Go out there and plan a fantastic vacation and get the best value for your money possible. All it takes is a few clicks of your mouse.

Learn more about this author, Belle Starr.
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