by M Ottersen is the author of tripplanningguide.net
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=M_Ottersen
The Best Travel Sites
A Google search for travel will return nearly 8 millions results. But how can you know which travel sites will truly assist you in your trip planning, and how can you figure out which ones you should visit first?
If you know where you want to go, your first step is probably finding out how much it will cost.
Airfare comparison travel sites have come a long way in the past few years. With fares from virtually all domestic carriers, Kayak.com is one of the best. A flexible-date feature makes it easy to see how much you could save by shifting your dates. And once you find a fare you like, clicking on it takes you to the airline's website to make reservations.
Sidestep scans more than 600 sites for fare information. It's another good place to look for cheap domestic flights.
European airlines like EasyJet and RyanAir offer really cheap airfares that aren't available in the United States. You have to be careful about all the hidden charges, but with fares of $2 one way from London to Rome or Paris, they're hard to resist.
The best place to find these fares is on Dohop.com. If you can, don't take any luggage to speak of. And read the fine print carefully. These low-price carriers are notorious for bait-and-switch tactics.
British Airways and several other international carriers recently started charging for advance seat assignments. If you're going to pay for an aisle or exit-row seat, you'd better make sure that it's worth the extra cost. Seatexpert.com or Seatguru.com can help you find the best seats on your flight.
Once you know how much your flights will cost, you can start looking for places to stay.
A lot of people start their search at Tripadvisor.com. With more than 25 million user-generated reviews, it's one of the most popular travel sites. But take it all with a grain of salt. The travelers who give a hotel rave reviews may have lower standards than you do.
We'd be careful about booking a hotel based exclusively on user-generated reviews. Fodors.com and Frommers.com both provide objective reviews from travel professionals. Check them out before you make a commitment.
For European hotels, Venere.com is an excellent travel site that includes lots of smaller properties you won't find listed on Travelocity or Expedia.
Oyster.com is a terrific new site with videos, photos and in-depth reviews by journalists who travel anonymously. But so far, they only cover a few destination.
Once you've settled on a hotel, don't waste a lot of time comparing prices. Since most of the hotel booking sites are owned by the same two or three parent companies, there's not much difference in price. If you find a rate that's a lot better than another, make sure it's for the same room type.
If the best price requires you to pay in advance, contact the hotel directly to see if they will match it without prepayment. If you do prepay to get the best rate, read the terms and conditions carefully. Most of the time, these rates are nonrefundable and once you book, you can't make any changes.
Hotels with low occupancy rates are often willing to negotiate, so if you're traveling at the last minute, call the property. And if you know occupancy is way down, consider showing up without reservations. A hotel with few guests will make you a very good deal if you appear on their doorstep.
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So how can you make sure that you get a room that has everything you want and still get a good deal? Here are our tips for finding the perfect hotel room:
1) First of all, do a little research to figure out what there is to do in your destination. Visit sites like Fodors.com or Frommers.com for ideas. Then make a short list of the things you want to see and do. If you’re going to Rome, your list might be: Sistine Chapel, Colosseum, Roman forum, Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, and dinner in Trastevere.
2) Next, take a basic map of Rome and highlight those places. You’ll see that the Vatican and the Colosseum are a bit out of the way, but the rest of the attractions are pretty close to each other. Now, think about how you’ll get where you’re going. Do you love to walk? Do you hate public transportation? Do you think taxis are an extravagance or a terrific convenience? The closer in you stay, the more expensive your hotel will be. But when you compare prices, remember that if you stay close to all the attractions, you won’t pay much in transportation costs.
3) Every city has a vibrant center where the locals come to enjoy the good life. If you can, stay there. In Sydney, it’s near the Rocks. In Paris, it’s Saint-Germain-des-Pres. In Buenos Aires, it’s Palermo. And in Rome, it’s near Piazza Navona and the Spanish Steps. The only downside is that cheap hotel rooms in these neighborhoods can be noisy at night, so read hotel reviews from travelers before booking to determine if that’s a problem.
4) Now that you have a pretty good idea of where you’d like to stay, you can start looking for hotels in those neighborhoods. Most hotel sites let you find hotels by area, so at this point, it’s really just a matter of how much you want to spend.
A note on hotel star ratings — they’re different in every country, and they may not mean what you think. The number of stars usually corresponds to specific amenities, things like an on-site restaurant, or an elevator, etc. So a two-star hotel without those things may actually be a lot nicer than a four-star hotel that has them. Don’t pay too much attention to the stars.
But do figure out which amenities are important to you and make sure the hotel you’re thinking about staying in has them. If you want a cocktail when you get back from sightseeing, can’t live without CNN, or want breakfast delivered to your room, don’t assume they’ll be available. Confirm with the hotel first.
5) Never book the least expensive room at a hotel. Standard hotel rooms aren’t standard at all. They’re sub-standard rooms that hotels have to discount in order to sell. Even the best hotels have undesirable rooms and you don’t want to be in one. When you’re comparing prices, always look at superior rooms or better.
6) Come up with a short list of two or three hotels that are in the right neighborhood, have all the amenities you want, and are in your price range. Then use a hotel site like Hotelscombined.com to find the best rate. If all things are equal, book directly with the hotel. That way, if you have a problem, you’re more likely to find them responsive. And they’re more likely to upgrade you. If you find a better rate online than the rate the hotel is quoting, email the hotel and ask them to honor the rate.
7) Take your confirmation to the hotel. If you booked via email, take a copy along and present it when you check in. Confirm any special requests with the front desk at check in. Then check out your hotel room carefully. If it’s not everything you thought it would be, ask to be moved to a better room.
8) These days, hotel occupancy rates are very low in many destinations. If you’re traveling off season, or going some place where tourism is down, consider going without making reservations ahead of time. A hotel with lots of vacant rooms can give incredible deals to walk-ins.
resorch from http://tripplanningguide.com/category/travel-advice/
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