There are many discount travel sites out there that want your money but which one is the right one to look at? Take a look below to see what we think about our studies of these sites.

Despite the nonstop ads that popup on computer screens and blare across living rooms from our televisions, professionals in the travel industry say that going directly to a specific airline or hotel may result in better prices and convenience.

Remember that brick and mortar travel agencies have the best track record for dealing with any problems in regard to reservations, refunds, etc. Consider them even if it means a slightly higher price.

If you do go to a discount site, industry leaders advise you go to a meta-search site that searches the web for the best deals. Kayak.com is the leading meta-search site, according to most industry insiders.

Other meta-search sites, such as CheapTickets.com, are around, but no one gets the respect that Kayak.com does. Both Kayak.com and SideStep.com, which is owned by Kayak, often don’t charge a fee because they are paid by the hotel or airlines, other online agencies or through advertisements.

Taxi and other transportation information are available from Vayama.com’s Getting Around section. Vayama.com does, according to destination, charge a booking fee.

With a standard site, such as Travelocity.com, you can combine everything into a package. Travelocity offers a 24-hour guarantee, but it does charge fees, including one for telephone booking. Sometimes these fees are discounted or eliminated according promotional procedure.

Expedia’s awards program has no blackout dates. Although Expedia can charge a booking fee, it has a 24-hour guarantee on prices. Expedia also has a credit card associated with it, with generous rewards.

In regard to car rentals, such industry observers as Kiplinger Personal Finance reviewers are impressed with Orbitz’s car rental prices. Orbitz doesn’t bury their rates and service fees in the fine print, but lists them clearly.

Although Hotels.com doesn’t charge for cancelations, they recommend that you contact the hotel directly regarding confirmation of reservations or specifics in regard to room preference, etc.

Everyone is using these Vistaprint coupons for the first time and they are loving it.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 31st, 2010 at 1:26 pm and is filed under surfing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.