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Travel Planning

The internet has completely changed the way people make travel plans. The number of online travel websites seems to grow constantly, often so quickly that it can be difficult to sort through them. Expedia, Travelocity, Kayak . . . there are so many that they eventually seem to blend together. As most of my travels are booked - at least partially - online, I have become familiar with a number of these sites. Among my favorites are:

Trip Advisor (www.tripadvisor.com):
Possibly my favorite travel-related site, it is a collection of reader-submitted reviews for hotels, restaurants, and attractions in cities around the globe.

Expedia (www.expedia.com):
A good resource for prices on airfare, hotels and other travel options. While travel can be purchased on this site, it is also a good means of learning the general cost of travel to a particular destination. If possible, utilize the site’s “Flexible Dates” option, which searches airfares for a general range of dates.

Fodors (www.fodors.com): A thorough guide to the highlights of cities around the globe. This site features a great forum for user-submitted inquiries. When searching on it, do not be too specific as it greatly limits the responses.

Travelzoo (www.travelzoo.com): A great source for travel discounts and promotions. This site is a great resource for otherwise unadvertised discount codes.

Frommers (www.frommers.com):
Similar to Fodors, this site features thorough travel guides on cities around the world. However, it seems to be geared towards a more budget-minded audience. Because of this, the site’s listings do not seem to be as complete as those at Fodors.
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