Updated: 7/24/2008

People always ask me what travel sites I use. Here are my favorites:

Airfare Search Engines:

Kayak.com - Kayak is the best search engine around right now. Not only can you search specific routes on specific dates, but you can also do flexible searches in their “Buzz” section if you set up a free profile. The “Buzz” feature lets you find the lowest fares to a specific place or you can do a broader search by continent or popular cities. You can also sign up for e-mail alerts and have the lowest airfares to the destinations you choose during the time period you select sent to you daily or weekly. When you find a fare you want to book on Kayak, you can click on it to be taken directly to the website offering it. I prefer booking with an airline directly so this works out great for me.

Deal Alert Newsletters:

Airfarewatchdog.com - Sign up with your home airport and you will get the best flight deals e-mailed to you daily, weekly or 2-3 times per week.

Travelzoo Top 20 - A weekly newsletter sent out on Wednesday of the top 20 travel deals. I’ve found many of my trips here. The site itself is updated with flight deals daily so I visit regularly.

Flight Information:

Seatguru.com - This site will tell you the best (and worst!) seats on over 50 different airlines with information they collect from travelers and flight staff. When you have to fly for 10 hours or longer in coach, you are going to want to be sure you get the best seat possible!

Hotels:

Tripadvisor.com - Hands down, this is the best resource for hotel information out there. Travelers like you and me review hotels all over the world and tell us the good, the bad and the absolutely horrifying. I use this site every time I travel to find the best hotel in my price range.

Travelzoo - In addition to their weekly newsletter and the best airfares, Travelzoo also posts the latest hotel sales and promotions. At the top of the page, just click on the “Hotels Only” link, type in the city you are interested in and search. I routinely find 4 and 5 star hotel deals at up to 50% off.

Miles/Points Information:

FreeFrequentFlyerMiles.com - This site will tell you everything you need to know about earning free travel with various miles and points programs. It’s updated constantly so visit often!