The Best Cheap Hotel Chains in the USA

Consumer Reports checks out the cheap hotel and motel chains most glossy travel mags ignore.

Hampton Inn Downtown Miami

Usually when Consumer Reports magazine gets detailed feedback from its subscribers, it s concerning physical items like cars, washing machines, and TVs. They do look at service industries as well though, including hospitality, and in a recent issue they took a close look at results on hotels.

What I liked about this one was the depth. They didn t just focus on the big business and luxury chains like most travel magazines do. They ran through four classes of hotels, down to humble names like Econolodge and Motel 6. After all, in the real world that the 99% inhabit, these chains often have a higher occupancy than the big boys, especially on weekends when the biz travelers have gone home. (Despite the impression you may get from the print  travel press, the ... Read more »

The best cheap travel destinations

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Rack up points so you can take to the skies.

Summer is the perfect time to travel. The warm weather probably has you itching for a nice vacation to the beach, where you can play in the sun and sip your favorite cocktail. Hitching a plane ride there can be easier, and cheaper, if you have the right credit card.

Some credit cards are better than others when it comes to giving you points for airline miles, says Bill Hardekopf of LowCards.com. Mileage cards are probably more abundant or lucrative than they were a few years ago, especially for people with excellent credit scores, he says.

In addition to the mileage, these cards come with a number of other perks. The most significant perk of airline cards is the frequent flyer benefits. The Chase United MileagePlus Explorer waives the first checked bag fee, saving $50 roundtrip; the Delta Gold Skymiles gives priority boarding to cardholders, says Alicia Jao, vice president of travel media at ... Read more »

BCD Travel Tests TripBam With Client Hotel Programs

BCD Travel is piloting with a small group of corporate clients the use of automated hotel rate shopping tool tripBam and plans to expand availability this summer, the companies announced on Monday.

Four of the travel management company's clients soon will turn on tripBam, which takes a booking and continually shops for better rates at the same hotel and those in a user-determined cluster. Two other clients, Sapient and WellPoint, already have been using tripBam through Travelocity Business, which BCD Travel acquired last year. said senior vice president of strategic marketing April Bridgeman. The pilot should last a couple of months, during which time the TMC will examine the implementation process, seek additional automation opportunities and formulate a commercial agreement with tripBam, Bridgeman added.

During the pilot, tripBam will work behind the scenes with bookings funneled from BCD Trave ... Read more »

The 5 cheapest travel destinations right now

Get revenge on the global recession by taking these countries for less than they're worth.

Signs of global economic recovery are glimmering, but are they enough to justify taking a major vacation?

Well, it depends on where you live. Not everyone is recovering, making now the ideal time for those who are to visit some traditionally expensive or even off-limits countries.

Staying atop current trends in the travel industry, combined with knowing its jargon, can put a once-elusive holiday within reach.

For instance, look for words like “cost structure” (i.e. insultingly cheap local labor) during research, as well as “distressed inventory” (i.e. time’s running out on ... Read more »

The Best Italy Tour Companies

Explore Italy with a highly ranked tour operator. (Photo: Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images )

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Italy ranked third on the list of the world's top-10 most-visited tourist destinations in 2009. Many visitors explore Italy's myriad historical and cultural attractions with the help of tour companies. With so many companies vying for your business, choosing the best guide for your trip can prove challenging. Travel specialists such as Conde Nast Traveller, National Geographic and Travel + Leisure evaluate and rank tour companies based on factors such as reliability, immersion, flexibility and service.

Conde Nast Traveller Specialty Tours

Italian tour providers ... Read more »

The Best Sites for Booking Last-Minute Travel

Many great travel deals can be found by carefully planning in advance. But spur-of-the-moment trips can also be had for cheap if you know where to look.

That's because hotels, airlines, resorts and more are looking to fill vacant spots at the last minute.

Here are our picks for the best sites to book a great trip on short notice without blowing a crazy amount of money.

Best all around last-minute booking site: Expedia.com

Expedia.com's last minute booking page wins for layout as well as price and convenience. Three columns of deals under the headers of Tonight, This Weekend and Next Weekend show you to ... Read more »

The best flight search tool you've never heard of

It should come as no surprise that I'm a bit of an obsessive when it comes to searching for flights online. This is my job, after all, and I pursue flight search with the same fervor that I seek out a sweet sample sale deal.

My secret tool, however, is now out for public consumption, and I guess I consider it my responsibility to share it with the world.

Meet ITASoftware.com. If you can remember the clunky URL, you will be happy. ITA Software, which was recently acquired by Google for a cool $700 million in cash, is a travel data clearinghouse that supplies everyone from Bing to Orbitz to Kayak with all of their flight info. That's right. Most search engines pull the same information; they just slice it and deliver it in different ways.

ITA Software isn't new; it was founded in 1996 by MIT computer scientists. But the owners have given it a face lift that mak ... Read more »

Other Great Sites

There's a new record for the cheapest roundtrip flights between Toronto and Japan, set at $676 CAD roundtrip including taxes.

The flights are using a combination of Air Canada (domestically) and Japan Airlines (for the international leg of the journey).

Availability for travel

Dec 2015 to March 2016

Note: These are also showing up on ITravel2000 for $697 to $700 CAD. Try this direct search link. and click on 'Edit Your Search' in the top right corner to try different dates.

2. Adjust the currency in the top right corner of Flight Network from USD to CAD.

3. Search for a flight from Toronto to Tokyo, Japan or Osaka, Japan

As for the dates to try, you can explore the available date combinations quickly by using these Google Flig ... Read more »

The Best Time to Book Airline Flights

Enjoy the success of booking a good flight at the perfect time. (Photo: Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images )

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With the proliferation of airline booking websites, plenty of search options exist for travelers who want to book a flight. But many wonder if there is an ideal day, time or period in which they can find the best price. Although the only constant in air travel prices is the rule of constant fluctuation, there are ways to learn the rhythms of airline pricing and how to look for and book the lowest fare.

Off-Peak Booking

Travel expert Jessica Labrencis suggests booking tickets late at night or early in the morning, when servers are le ... Read more »