Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
always beat their fares.
Note:
Priceline has added non-opaque service
to its roster. You now have the option to pick exact flights, times, and
airlines from a list of offers—or opt to bid on opaque fares as before.
SURFING FOR HOTELS
Shopping online for hotels is generally done one of two ways: by
booking through the hotel's own website or through an independent
booking agency (or a fare-service agency like Priceline; see above).
These Internet hotel agencies have multiplied in mind-boggling
numbers of late, competing for the business of millions of consumers
surfing for accommodations around the world. This competitiveness
can be a boon to consumers who have the patience and time to shop
and compare the online sites for good deals—but shop they must, for
prices can vary considerably from site to site. And keep in mind that
hotels at the top of a site's listing may be there for no other reason
than that they paid money to get the placement.
Of the “big three” sites,
Expedia.com
offers a long list of special
deals and “virtual tours” or photos of available rooms so you can see
Frommers.com: The Complete Travel Resource
For an excellent travel-planning resource, we highly recom-
mend
Frommers.com
(www.frommers.com), voted Best
Travel Site by
PC Magazine
. We're a little biased, of course,
but we guarantee that you'll find the travel tips, reviews,
monthly vacation giveaways, bookstore, and online-book-
ing capabilities thoroughly indispensable. Among the spe-
cial features are our popular
Destinations
section, where
you'll get expert travel tips, hotel and dining recommenda-
tions, and advice on the sights to see for more than 3,500
destinations around the globe; the
Frommers.com News-
letter,
with the latest deals, travel trends, and money-saving
secrets; our
Community
area featuring
Message Boards,
where Frommer's readers post queries and share advice
(sometimes even our authors show up to answer questions);
and our
Photo Center,
where you can post and share vaca-
tion tips. When your research is done, the
Online Reserva-
tions System
(www.frommers.com/book_a_trip) takes you
to Frommer's preferred online partners for booking your
vacation at affordable prices.
