Best Travel Bargain Sites

The advent of the travel site was a wonderful time for frugal vacationers. A little hunting and anyone could find great deals on airfare, hotels, car rentals and anything else you desired for vacation.

Given the economic downturn, travel sites have been a blessing for Americans, pointing them in the direction of deals or even giving advice on cheaper cities. Just don’t search using your Mac, or you might find it takes longer to get to the really good deals.

But just which site is the best? Because there are so many for you to check and compare and not everyone has the time for all that research.

Kiplinger has ranked the top 23 best travel sites for bargains. Here are the top 10.

10. HomeAway.com

HomeAway.com iPhone app

The more people you have in your group, the better deal renting a house might be. You’ll often have access to more space and amenities and be able to experience your vacation location as a real native. But if you’re really frugal, you might consider swapping houses.

9. BedandBreakfast.com

Not everyone wants a luxury resort. This site has extensive details and sends you promotional codes and deals in you desired location.

8. TripAdvisor

The hotel-review site offers professional and amateur reviews for hotels around the world. The site will show you hotels, bed and breakfasts, vacation rentals and other options. But the site doesn’t actually sell rooms; instead, it will link you to partner sites.

7. Priceline.com

You’ve probably seen William Shatner’s Negotiator in commercials. Through Priceline, customers can haggle for the best bargains. However, you don’t actually know what hotel you’re booking until you pay, which can be risky if you don’t know the area well.

6. Hotels.com

The site has last-minute deals updated daily, plus seasonal sales, destination-specific deals and other offers. Plus there’s a rewards program for frequent travelers.

5. Yapta.com

The price of flights can change week by week, day by day and even hour by hour. Yapta will track fares and send you a notification if the cost of your selected flight drops. Plus, you could get a refund if the price drops even lower after you’ve paid.

4. WhichBudget.com

Great for international travel, WhichBudget.com uses local, budget airlines. Most likely you’ll get options you have not heard before.

3. AirfareWatchdog.com

Traveling at the last minute? The site has people on airline Web sites waiting for fare sales and passes the discounts or promotional codes to users.

2. Bing Travel

Bing’s price predictor; image from Bing.com

The “price predictor” forecasts whether fares will go up or down based on your desired itinerary. Of course, the recommendations to either buy now or wait for the fare to drop aren’t foolproof.

1. Kayak.com

Kayak.com’s Explore feature; image from BusinessInsider.com

The more flexibility you have on time (search three days before and after ideal dates) and destination, the better chance you have at finding a great deal. But the site scours hundreds of online sources for the cheapest fares.

Read more:

23 Best Travel Sites to Save You Money — Kiplinger