Savvy sites eliminate the guesswork

BY MEGAN K. SCOTT | The Associated Press

December 30, 2007

Planning a winter vacation? Sure, you can go online to one of the biggies such as Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity for hotel, rental car and airfare. But there's a whole new collection of Web sites for savvy travelers.

Some are aggregators, following the successful model of Kayak.com, which pulls data from a variety of sources so you can compare airfares.

Others combine social networking and consumer reviews, such as VibeAgent.com. Some are improved versions of old favorites, such as OrbitzTLC.com Traveler Update, which allows travelers to share information about conditions at more than 40 airports in the United States.

Here is a guide to some of the new or reincarnated sites, with one important caveat: Some of these sites do not yet offer the comprehensive database of reviews and information available on older sites such as Trip Advisor.com. So don't be surprised to find minimal listings and reviews for some destinations as you explore what's new in the next generation of travel Web sites.

boo.com (no connection to the defunct fashion Web site): Has travel reviews from consumers, search capabilities for 2,500 destinations in 170 countries, comparison hotel prices and booking through boo or hotel Web sites. Includes restaurants, bars and interesting things to do in chosen destinations.

vayama.com: An online booking agency for international air travel with flight and fare options to about 190 countries. Allows travelers to enter preferences for connecting airports and travel time. Also has information about obtaining visas, passports and immunizations.

VibeAgent.com: Combines user-generated reviews, meta-search capabilities and social networking (think TripAdvisor plus Kayak plus Facebook) for personalized hotel recommendations and booking at the best prices. Searches hotels via three categories: "Ambience," "Activities," and "Recommended For," such as a romantic hotel near the beach for gays and lesbians.

Users can create custom groups or become members of existing groups, such as marathon travelers, to exchange stories and tips. And, it connects you to the Web site with the best price for booking hotels.

Yellowpages.travel: Searches up to 12 travel Web sites, including Orbitz, Kayak, Expedia and SideStep. Users click on each site's logo at the top of the page for the results. SearchBoth.com, a subsidiary of Yellowpages.travel, searches two travel sites at the same time and places the results on a split screen.

ProfessionalTravelGuide.com: Offers reviews of hotels and restaurants from professionals - journalists and expert reviewers from the travel industry - on more than 159,000 hotels. These reviews are more like what you would find in a guidebook than in an anecdotal consumer review.

yapta.com: Stands for Your Amazing Personal Travel Assistant. Enables travelers to tag flights from several airlines, including American, United, Delta and Continental, and alerts them when the fare drops. But unlike farecast.com, which predicts whether prices are rising or dropping, yapta can continue tracking prices even after you purchase the ticket. If you booked directly with the airline and the price drops below what you paid, you may be eligible for a refund or credit from the airline. (Other rules may apply - for example, some airlines charge a rebooking fee to capture the travel credit, so check the details.)

BestTripChoices.com: Matches travel personalities with best destinations. Travelers take a test and are classified into one of six travel personalities, ranging from "Venturers," people who are extreme risk takers, to "Authentics," people who want a relaxing, lazy vacation. The site recommends travel destinations based on the results.

fabsearch.com: Fabsearch features blurbs on hip restaurants and trendy hotels from media mentions in sources ranging from Vogue and Town and Country to DailyCandy .com, the Financial Times and Wallpaper. Saves the mentions in a "my clippings" file.

Yahoo! Trip Planner (travel .yahoo.com): Helps travelers create a personalized guide for an upcoming trip, with information on hotels, attractions and restaurants, and then share the details with friends and other travelers.

americanexpress.com: Click on Travel, then Local Color, a one-stop shop for travel information. Combines Lonely Planet Guides, IgoUgo reviews and Travel + Leisure articles to provide "local color" about a place. (Travel + Leisure is published by American Express Publishing Corporation).

travelocity.roadtripwizard.com: Helps travelers plan U.S. road trips, with maps and step-by-step directions. The site gives information on shopping, restaurants, festivals and other attractions, with directions on how to get there. Online booking of air, car, hotels and attractions is provided through Travelocity Partner Network.

cfares.com: Bills itself as the Costco of travel. Searches airline and travel Web sites. Users can purchase a platinum membership for $50 a year, which provides access to the site's best-priced wholesale fares and special fares from the airlines.