25 Best Travel Sites

INTERNATIONAL TRAVELER
Auto Europ e is a rental-car rate wholesaler that specializes in pre-paid international rentals. It returned better rates than other on line booking sites (for comparable vehicles) when we recently searched for cars in England, Greece, Ireland and Spain. Plus, this co mpany staffs its customer-service hotlines (toll-free internationally) 24-hours a day.

Be wary that the rental-car chains -- separate from Auto Europe -- may attempt to tack on bogus charges. You may not be expecting additional charges on your credit card b ecause you have already prepaid through Auto Europe. But you should eye your credit-card bill after an overseas trip. If unnecessary charges appear, Auto Europe will assist you in disputing them. (You can also face this problem when you book directly with the rent al-car company, particularly if the company is not headquartered in the United States.)

If a hassle-free trip is worth paying a few extra dollars to you, we recommend you book with an American name-brand car company, such as Avis or Hertz. (You may book eith er through AutoEurope or directly through the company.) Foreign-owned car rental companies often bungle the reservations of American travelers, either by not having the requested cars available on arrival or by adding on surprise charges to the final tab, accordin g to our anecdotal staff experiences and reports from other media.

When traveling overseas, considering paying a few dollars m ore a day to rent a device that offers driving directions using voice prompts. For example, Hertz has wide coverage in Europe and of fers a GPS driving module for about $12 that will give you voice-over, turn-by-turn directions to your destination. (See a list of available countries.)

CruisesCruiseCompete offers discounts of up to 25% off standard cruise rates. At the site, dozens of travel agencies vie to give you the lowest prices for dates and ports you specify, whether you're book ing well in advance or at the eleventh hour.

CruiseCompete offers discounts of up to 25% off standard cruise rates. At the site, dozens of travel agencies vie to give you the lowest prices for dates and ports you specify, whether you're book ing well in advance or at the eleventh hour.

Cruisemates is th e most useful cruise-review site. We especially like its advice columns, which are written for people of different ages and interests.

Quick vacation packages

Lastminute.com (formerly Site59.com) does the best job of putting together last-minute vacation packages. It offers the easiest way to book a trip as early as 14 days before you go or as late as three hours before departure on domestic trips. (Tip: When we've loo ked for packages for major holiday weekends, we've found deals here as early as 17 days before departure.)

Luxury Link offers discounted package stays in online auctions. You must, however, be fl exible about your travel dates: You pick the dates from a limited range only after you pay.

Other helpful resources

Travel insurance. Buying travel insurance from Web agencies or providers, such as cruise lines, is usually a c rummy deal because of price markups and restrictions on how the policy claims can be filed. The best value policies we've found are those sold directly by the leading travel insurance company, Travel Guard.

Airport parking. To save money at airport parking lots, visit the aptly named AirportDiscountParking.com, which will direct you to the bargain lots.

National pa rks. For a value vacation, consider a national park. You'll discover tips on how to stretch your dollars on your next stay by vi siting the US Parks site.