The internet has made searching for and booking travel easier than ever. There are hundreds of sites to search, but nobody has time to sift through all of them. In this episode of The 5, Rich DeMuro takes a look at sites for finding a flight. Learn how these sites can do the heavy lifting for you by searching multiple airline and travel websites simultaneously, they can uncover the best travel options and deals. http://techvi.com/shows/the-5/2009/08/five-sites-to-find-a-flight/ SHOW SCRIPT: HEY THERE I’M RICH DEMURO AND WELCOME TO ANOTHER EDITION OF THE 5! THIS TIME AROUND, WE’RE TAKING A LOOK AT 5 SITES FOR FINDING A FLIGHT. EXPEDIA AND TRAVELOCITY WILL GET THE JOB DONE, BUT THESE SITES GO A STEP FURTHER. SEARCH ‘EM AND YOU’LL HAVE MORE AIRFARE INFO AT YOUR FINGERTIPS FASTER THAN YOU CAN SAY – CAN I HAVE AN UPGRADE! ((NUMBER 1)) FIRST UP ON OUR LIST – A SITE THAT BILLS ITSELF AS THE WORLD’S MOST COMPREHENSIVE TRAVEL SEARCH ENGINE. MOBISSIMO SEARCHES MORE INTERNATIONAL CARRIERS AND SITES THAN THE COMPETITION. THE SITE WITH THE FUNNY NAME SEARCHES 157 DIFFERENT SUPPLIERS FROM ACROSS THE WORLD TO FIND YOU A FLIGHT… THAT MEANS BETTER CHANCES OF FINDING A GREAT DEAL TO AN INTERNATIONAL CITY. MOBISSIMO ALSO PRIDES ITSELF ON REAL-TIME PRICING INFORMATION – MEANING WHEN YOU SEARCH ON THE SITE IT’S EXACTLY THE SAME RESULTS YOU’D GET ON A DIRECT WEBSITE. WE DID A TEST FLIGHT SEARCH FROM LAX TO JFK – IT CAME IN AT $289.20 ON AMERICAN. ((NUMBER 2)) NEXT UP – A SITE THAT LETS YOU TAKE A MORE RANDOM APPROACH TO FINDING YOUR NEXT DESTINATION. ON SKYSCANNER – YOUR SEARCH CAN BE AS WIDE-OPEN AS THE WORLD. THAT’S BECAUSE THE SITE LETS YOU SEARCH IN FLEXIBLE TERMS. YOU CAN START WITH THE DATES YOU’D LIKE TO TRAVEL, OR JUST THE AIRPORT YOU WANT TO TAKE-OFF FROM. SKYSCANNER DOES THE REST – LETTING YOU NARROW DOWN YOUR CHOICES BY DESTINATION, PRICE OR DATES. OF COURSE YOU CAN DO A STANDARD SEARCH TOO – OUR TEST SEARCH TURNED UP A DELTA FLIGHT FOR $319 INCLUDING TAX. ((WORTH MENTION)) WORTH A MENTION IN OUR LOOK AT 5 SITES FOR FINDING A FLIGHT… CFARES. IT’S A WEBSITE THAT SAYS IT WILL FIND LOWER AIRFARES THAN OTHER SITES 95 PERCENT OF THE TIME! CFARES OFFERS A PLATINUM MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM. FOR 50 BUCKS A YEAR, YOU’LL GET A CASH BACK REBATE ON CERTAIN FLIGHTS. OUR TEST FLIGHT NETTED A $319 FLIGHT ON VIRGIN AMERICA… $306 AFTER REBATE. ((NUMBER 3)) THIRD STOP ON OUR LIST… THE SITE THAT HELPS YOU TO GO IN STYLE! FLY.COM MAKES SURE YOU DON’T MISS ANY FARES THAT COULD GET YOU A GREAT DEAL ON A PREMIUM SEAT. FLY.COM IS FROM THE SAME PEOPLE WHO BROUGHT US TRAVELZOO – THE WEEKLY TOP 20 DEAL LIST. IT’S ONE OF THE FEW TRAVEL SEARCH SITES THAT DISPLAYS PREMIUM FARES RIGHT ALONGSIDE YOUR STANDARD ECONOMY PRICES. THAT WAY YOU NEVER MISS A GOOD UPGRADE DEAL. THE SITE ALSO FEATURES A “WHY ME” INFO BOX WITH TIDBITS ON IN-FLIGHT AMENITIES. OUR SEARCH REVEALED A $289 AMERICAN FLIGHT…2209 FOR A PREMIUM SEAT. ((NUMBER 4)) UP NEXT ON OUR LIST IS A SITE THAT TRACKS OVER A BILLION AIRFARES DAILY TO PREDICT WHEN PRICES MIGHT GO UP OR DOWN. BING TRAVEL AIMS TO LET YOU WHEN TO BUY, AND WHEN TO WAIT. THE SITE STARTED OUT AS FARECAST, THEN MICROSOFT BOUGHT AND RE-BRANDED IT WITH THE LIVE SEARCH AND NOW BING NAME. THE TECHNOLOGY BEHIND THE SITE HAS STAYED THE SAME. NOT ONLY CAN YOU GET A LIST OF THE BEST AIRLINE TICKET DEALS FROM YOUR HOME AIRPORT… AN ARROW NEXT TO YOUR SEARCH RESULTS LETS YOU KNOW IF IT’S THE RIGHT TIME TO BUY. THAT $289 AMERICAN FLIGHT SHOWED UP AGAIN IN OUR TEST SEARCH… BUT SO DID AN ARROW URGING US TO WAIT… THE 7-DAY PRICE PREDICTOR WAS 79 PERCENT CONFIDENT FARES WOULD DROP OR HOLD STEADY. ((NUMBER 5)) FINALLY ON OUR LIST OF 5 SITES FOR FINDING A FLIGHT… AN ENGINE THAT SHARES ITS NAME WITH A LIGHTWEIGHT CANOE. KAYAK WAS STARTED BY FOUNDERS OF

SOME BIG NAME TRAVEL SITES IN AN EFFORT TO MAKE THE PROCESS BETTER. KAYAK SEARCHES HUNDREDS OF TRAVEL WEBSITES ALL AT ONCE – DELIVERING RESULTS THAT ARE SIMPLE TO SLICE AND DICE. YOU CAN NARROW BY AIRLINE ALLIANCES, FLIGHT QUALITY, AIRCRAFT TYPE, LAYOVER TIME AND EVEN GET A PEEK AT THE SITES KAYAK SEARCHED. AN ESPECIALLY HANDY FEATURE WILL CALCULATE AND ADD IN ANY BAGGAGE FEES. OUR CHEAPEST $289 AMERICAN TEST SEARCH FLIGHT BECAME A MORE REALISTIC $319 WHEN WE ADDED A CHECKED BAG. KAYAK RECENTLY PURCHASED COMPETITOR SIDESTEP. THERE YOU HAVE IT… 5 SITES FOR FINDING A FLIGHT… FUN PLACES TO GO WHEN YOU WANT TO GO SOMEWHERE. I’M RICH DEMURO… SEE YOU NEXT TIME ON THE 5.

Also check out Airline-Booking.com for awesome Cabo San Lucas Travel Deals!

Duration : 0:3:54

Technorati Tags: airline, bing, cfares, demuro, engines, farecast, flight, fly.com, kayak, mobissimo, rich, search, sidestep, sites, skyscanner, techvi, travel, travelzoo

Do they charge you the normal going rate? Do they charge you a rate lower than the normal rate because otherwise the room would have been empty? Or do they charge you a higher than normal rate because you didn’t have a reservation and they’re doing you a favor?

How does it work?
I’m not talking about planning. I’m talking about walking in without a reservation. This is a theoretical question.

Usually have a set rate – and the maximum rate is always posted in that particular room

If you book on the internet – they may give a discount
There may also be a special on their sign (for a certain # of rooms)
and there may be a coupon in the paper or travel guide

case in point
I booked on line and got a super discount –
at the same time – the Flintstones movie was out and they used a parody of a real hotel chain – with their permission – WELL the motel chain had a Flintstones discount – but when I checked in
the manager had the desk and he scoured my reservation -
Where did you get this deal? I can’t even offer you something this low!

love the internet – PLAN your trips!

all the best

Each visa application is considered on an individual basis and on its own merits, we cannot answer your question with any degree of certainty because cannot read the mind of the Consular Officer you will get on the day of your interview.

If you still have a problem can you email me at steve@travelrepublic.co.uk and I will work with you to resolve.

Steve
Travelrepublic

Including things like, visiting family, vacations, travel expenses, air fare, food, touring, and lodging?
Listing the average expense for your family would be appreciated too.

I’d like to mount a campaign to encourage people not to go anywhere. Travel has become so expensive and unpleasant that it’s hard to understand why people don’t stay home.
Why are we crowding our highways and airports to get someplace else? Newspapers and magazines are filled with ads trying to get us to travel. They want us to go somewhere – anywhere but home.