TRAVEL TIPS: Use the Web to save $$$, time

We all know that planning and paying for a trip can be
a real pain the keister.

But Jeremy Caplan of TIME magazine, in its May 1,
2006, edition offers some tips to make the process
easier and hopefully a little more affordable. If you
subscribe, check out page 69. For the rest of you,
here are the highlights:

Kayak.com
*a new way to search for bargain flights
*covers fares on about 300 airlines
*lets you adjust search parameters without having to
start from scratch
*also offers hotel and car-rental deals

Travel.yahoo.com/trip
*gives you a Web folder to store online research about
museums, restaurants, etc.
*after gathering Web pages about places you'd like to
visit, you can print your itinerary, save it or share
it online

Triphub.com
*useful for planning reunions or weekend getaways with
friends
*this site is described as "like a traveler's version
of Evite.com"
*you can book group tickets
*facilitates group discussions
*TIME warns, the site is only two months old, so it's
still working out the kinks

Bnm.com
*cheap rental cars

Biddingfortravel.com
*offers bidding help

Turnhere.com
*see free short videos of destinations around the
world

Tripstalker.com
*instead of checking on prices several times a day
until you find one that works for you, let this site
do the work for you
*the site will alert you by e-mail or text message
once a flight, hotel, or rental car matches your
criteria