Savvy Traveling

Before you sit down at the computer to research your family getaway, take some advice from consummate traveler Tim Leffel, author of Make Your Travel Dollars Worth a Fortune (Travelers' Tales Guides, 2006).

Stick with reputable sites. Information-oriented guidebook sites should offer tons of articles about where you're going, not tons of ads. Also, click on the About Us section to ensure that the company producing the site has good credentials.

Get a fair fare. When researching U.S. flights, Leffel recommends visiting kayak.com and mobissimo.com, which pull info from 10 or 12 different airline sites, allowing you to compare prices easily. For international flights, vayama.com is a good source, says Leffel. Often, though, the best rate can be found by booking your tickets through a local airline. To find out your destination's domestic carrier, go to whichbudget.com, plug in any two cities, and it will tell you which airlines connect those cities. Then you can go to the airlines' individual sites to make your purchase.

Don't abandon the print guidebooks. The best time to buy a book? While you are planning the trip – not the day before you leave, says Leffel. “I sit with one beside me while I'm on the computer,” he says. Not only does his strategy allow you a chance to approximate how much time you'll need to see the sights, it will also help you determine how much sightseeing will cost.

Post a Tip or Comment