The web is an essential tool for travelers but  you have to know where to look and whom to trust.

Getting There

Booking Flights

Sidestep  -  Compares airfares with the traveler's search engine, and shows the best deals on airfare, hotels and cars. A handy matrix at the top of the result page gives an overview of the lowest prices from 600 airlines and 200 sites. Refining the search by departure time or airport is a breeze

Fare Compare -  Decide how much you want to spend and when you want to travel and Getaway Maps will overlay the lowest fares pulled from more than 500 airlines (most of the major U.S. carriers, as well as as many international ones) for a select range of cities

Farecast - Buy now or wait for a better price?. Forecast uses historic pricing data to help you make an educated decision about whether or not a fare is likely to fluctuate in the coming week. Forecast cover 78 cities, all of them in United States

Booking Hotels

Kayak - This aggregator scours about 160,000 hotels worldwide. You can sort listings by location and view photographs.

Last Minute Travel - Search hotels by ratings in your city of choice and the site has an excellent mix of reduced rate and luxury properies.

If you know the name of the Hotel you want to stay you can always go directly to hotel websites to check for discounts and deals

Planning a Cruise

Cruise Critic -  Research almost anything about 60 different lines and gather advice on everything ship related. from buying travel insurance to using onboard slot machines.

Vacations to Go -  Includes cruise search, ships, ratings, port information and contact information.

Online Vacations Center -   Online Vacation Center is one of the country's largest cruise retailers. Its portfolio of travel companies allows customers to research, plan and purchase a vacation.