Shopping for the Best Fare

You've already purchased your luggage from www.villageluggage.com. Now you want to go on a trip and you want to research the best rates on travel, hotel, car rental, cruises, tours or vacation packages. Here's some information compiled from www.newsday.com/travel on websites you can use to plan a great vacation or business trip:

www.fly.com This search engine from Travelzoo compares options from multiple services.

www.farecompare.com / www.farecast.com These track fares from nearly 100 domestic cities. They will also predict if a fare will go up.

These sites compile travel deals: www.smartertravel.com / www.travelzoo.com / www.independentTraveler.com / www.BookingBuddy.com / www.Bookit.com / www.ShermansTravel.com

These are booking sites: www.expedia.com / www.orbitz.com / www.travelocity.com

These sites check numerous sites and cull the results: www.kayak.com / www.mobissimo.com / www.farechase.com / www.yapta.com / www.cheapflights.com

These are cruise discounters: www.Icruise.com / www.Ecruises.com / www.Cruisecomplete.com

You can also bid on fares from these sites: www.priceline.com / www.hotwire.com

You can get fare alerts from: www.expediaguides.com / www.desktop.orbitz.com

Last minute deals: www.lastminute.com / www.skyauction.com

Check with your local travel agent. They often know where to look for lower fares and can help with complicated itineraries. Check individual Airline sites - These often have specials. Also sign up for frequent flier programs and other rewards programs.

Beware - some tickets are non-refundable and some carry extra fees. However, by doing a little research, you'll be sure to find lots of bargains and you'll be able to put that lightweight luggage to good use. Once you get the travel bug, you'll want to keep exploring new places! Traveling is exciting and you'll soon be sharing your stories with www.tripsay.com.