Research and Book

Here are our favorite web sites.

Airfare

• Kayak
• Momondo - best for international flights

Hotels

• Hotels
• Priceline - After you've done some research, try bidding at 50% or less of published prices on Priceline.  This works great for most places.  One notable exception is Las Vegas, in which case you should search for deals directly through the hotel's web site to ensure a choice location.
• Hostels - Best for budget or single travelers
• Expedia - Love this site for photos and easy to navigate information about hotels
• Frommers Reviews - Look here for solid recommendations on non-chain/independently owned options.  View by destination.

Vacation Rentals or Home Swap

• HomeAway
• VRBO
• HomeExchange - use coupon code cdispatch10 to save 20% on annual membership fee

Vacation Packages

• SkyAuction
• Expedia

Cruises

• CruisesOnly
• VacationsToGo - awesome site for last minute deals, particularly if you are flexible with dates, location, or ship.

Rental Cars

• Kayak - research prices here first, then bid on Priceline
• Priceline

Research

• TripAdvisor - Take this one with a grain of salt.  Reviews are more often published by dissatisfied customers than the happy ones.
• Yelp - We have found this to be more reliable and current for restaurants than the guidebooks.