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Best travel search engine
Pros: Compiles results from 400-plus travel sites, fare alerts and fare-comparison tools.
Cons: Few travel-planning tools, limited destination information or guides.
not avail.
Meta search engine
Air, hotel, cruises, car rental, packages
No
Yes
Round-trip, weekend, one-way, multiple stops, flexible dates, nonstop, nearby airports
Address or city.
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Best for hotel discounts
Pros: Easy to use, good deals, especially for hotels and cars, no fees for airline bookings.
Cons: Hotel locations might not be ideal.
not avail.
Blind/open travel agency
Air, hotel, cruises, car rental, packages
Air: no; hotel: yes
Yes
Round-trip, one-way, multi-city, flexible dates
City or airport code, specific dates or address (exact location not revealed)
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Top site for airline travelers
Pros: Low-fare alert system, helps users to obtain refunds or credits on price drops.
Cons: Not a booking service, change fees may apply.
not avail.
Meta search engine
Air, hotel
No
No
Round trip, one-way, time of day, class
Destination, specific dates, hotel name, hotel chain, rating, amenities
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Best travel bidding site
Pros: Bidding for rooms/air travel can produce savings, no booking fees for price-published flights.
Cons: Best rates are for nonrefundable blind bookings, not the best choice for inflexible travelers.
not avail.
Blind/open travel agency
Air, hotel, cruises, car rental, packages
Air: Open - no, blind - yes; hotel: yes
No
Open: round-trip, one-way, multi-city, airline, class. Blind: specific date.
Destination, specific date
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Best for reviews of hotels and attractions
Pros: Millions of reviews available for hotels and attractions, includes maps, photographs, and recommendations, allows users to search and compare rates from other travel sites.
Cons: Navigation can be challenging at times, quality and usefulness of reviews varies.
not avail.
Destination review site/meta search engine
Hotel
No
Yes (flights)
Round-trip, one-way, multi-city, class
Destination, specific date