Web companies offer selections for thrifty vacations

By Kendra Ludwick/reporter

When summer rolls around, students are usually looking for a hot place to travel for a hot price.

“Be flexible. If you are able to leave on Thursday and return on Monday, you will often get better prices than if you fly Friday to Sunday,” the creator of moneyfortherestofus.com, said.

If the traveler is able to have an open schedule, one Web site one can use is www.Kayak.com.

Kayak was created by the co-founders of Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia.

This Web site will help a traveler find deals on more than 100 travel destinations and experiences.

Other travel search engines would include Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity, Fare Compare and Farecast.

Anyone wanting to find certain activities can search www.mobissimo.com.

Not only can it search for flights in different regions, but a person can search for certain activities like wine tasting, beaches or spas.

One tip that might be useful for a traveler is searching Orbitz and other Web sites to get the median price of the desired destination to go, then go on Priceline and try to negotiate. This legwork could work to his benefit.

If people want to travel “to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride and Company Spirit,” they might want to check out www.southwest.com for discount plane tickets. 

If students want to get some sun on the beach, they may want to check out an all-inclusive vacation. These can be a lot cheaper than making a trip down to South Padre.

Some of the most popular all-inclusive places would include Mexico. A traveler can have a round trip ticket, meals, drinks, tips, hotel and nightlife for one small fee. The traveler would not have to worry about all the expensive drinks and food because it would already be paid for.

This plan means a stress-free vacation.

A person who is uncomfortable using online services for travel can go to a local travel agency to get some help and tips on the best travel.

Students will have to be flexible when it comes to travel, but good deals can surface by doing a little digging.

A few travel agencies in the area:
Rufe Snow Travel—www. rstravel.com
VacationConnection—www.vacationconnectionnrh.com
Dillards travel department— www.dillards.com/travel

Also, for those who need a passport, the following Web site can assist: travel.state.gov/passport.