Bookmark these Web sites for the next time you have to shell out for a plane ticket or a hotel room. The April issue of ShopSmart magazine, created by Consumer Reports, lists these favorite Web sites for smart travel shopping:
• For last-minute deals: www.travelzoo.com.
Huge deals, if you’re quick — the weekly Top 20 list is posted online each Wednesday and sent out in a free e-mail to 12 million subscribers.
• For timing your trip: www.farecast.com.
You get historical lows and highs of airline tickets from 75 cities, and a clear prediction that will help you decide whether to buy now or wait for prices to drop.
• For the best airline seats: www.seatguru.com.
On an airplane, a few inches can mean the difference between a grueling journey and a nice nap. SeatGuru’s easy color-coded charts let you spot the seats with more reclining ability, more leg room, more width and, sometimes, more padding than the other seats have.
• For travel reviews: www.tripadvisor.com.
You’ve zeroed in on that cute little mountain inn. But its Web site is, of course, not going to mention the 7 a.m. construction noise from the ongoing remodel. At Tripadvisor you can see what recent guests have to say about a hotel.
[source: indystar]