I like orbitz for their advanced search options and priceline for special deals.
I also use expedia because they have good international hotel rates and options.

I'm still a great believer in travel agents who gets feedback from their clients and experience places themselves so you get real info instead of some of the hype from wide angle cameras of places that don't look anything like what you see online.

As far as booking engines go, Orbitz is owned by the airlines they represent and was created as a consumer site for those airlines. So you generally won't find some carriers represented in the US or abroad that provide good quality service and inexpensive fares.

If you are traveling within Europe for your trip, you can often find some good fares to get to London as one of the closest entry points and then try using ebookers.com for fares from the UK to just about anywhere. The combination of fares is often much less than a non-stop to your destination. Also, if you need air travel in Europe it's generally cheaper to buy it from ebookers.com, a European website, than buying the same fares through some US carrier as an add-on.

You might also want to check out CheapOAir.com and CheapOStay.com and SkylinkHolidayUS.com.

Lastly, if you are using Orbitz or any of the others you mentioned, check out their rates, find the flights you like best, note the price they are charging and then go directly to the airline and flight you like at the airline's site. You'll find that the price is anywhere, generally, from $10 to $30 cheaper which represents the fee imposed for the booking at the internet booking site representing that airline.

Hope that helps and happy journeys!

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Radio Show Host
Travel Expert
Stephanie Abrams

I notice that the prices are the same accross the board. The only time it makes a difference is when you're searching for something specific like airport shuttles or pet accommodations at hotels. Some just provide a little extra information - when you need it.