These
are the favorite travel planning websites as compiled by Millie Ball, former travel editor of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Johnnyjet: Scroll down to Johnny's Travel Portal links to
just about everything. This is one of the most comprehensive travel
spots online.
Tripadvisor: I always look here before I book a hotel. You
have to read the comments by previous hotel guests with a bit of
suspicion: Even fabulous hotels receive horrible reviews by some
guests. And you can't always judge what's the best hotel in town from
the rating system.
Vrbo: Vacation Rental by Owner. When I
want to rent a house or condo, this is where I go to find places that,
for the most part, are rented by the people who own them. I especially
like that accommodations that allow pets are marked with paw prints on
vrbo.com.
Flightstats: Want to check the status of a flight anywhere in the country? Or world? There also are links to airports across the country.
Luxurylink: The online auction site can be an addiction. So far, my husband and I have bought at least a dozen hotel packages, all in excellent, often world-class hotels, at rates that begin at half the retail price. We bought a deal recently: a week in Morocco in luxury guest houses in Marrakech and Fez, for about $1,300. Do not buy the "buy now" offers, only the auctions. Also, the site needs to be redesigned; it's difficult to navigate; and its online clock was two minutes earlier than the clocks on our cable box and computer, which means we missed one auction deadline recently.
Smartertravel: It's a great site for the latest sales and consumer news, in addition to advice from knowledgeable columnists. Sign up for notifications of weekend airfare sales.
Xe: Check the dollar against almost any currency in the world.
Cruisecritic, Cruisemates: Comments about ships, ports and deals as well as advice from other cruise fanatics. I booked a tour to a Mayan ruin -- independent of my ship -- after reading about it on Cruisecritic.com.
Webflyer: Keep up with the latest offers and deals -- and behind-the-scenes shenanigans -- of the frequent flier programs.
Refdesk, Thepaperboy: Not a travel site, Refdesk is a Web encyclopedia; among bonuses are translations of foreign words, and links to newspapers. Thepaperboy.com has links to 6,311 online newspapers around the world. Before I go somewhere, I always try to read the local paper online; it's the best way to get a sense of what's going on in a city or country.
Tugbbs, Redweek: Want to know about timeshares? It's worth the low fees to join these sites to be able to read reviews and to rent at lower prices than the developers offer.
Farecompare and Kayak: They both use the Kayak search format -- covering all but the most discounted foreign lines. Farecompare also has "insider tips" that can be useful.
Frommers: Arthur Frommer, who opened European travel to the masses with his seminal "Europe on $5 a Day" in 1957, continues to be my hero. The Web site sells books and travel, but Arthur, 78, still speaks frankly on his blog that's linked to the site.
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