Travel

By Susan Breslow Sardone. Honeymoons/Romantic Travel Expert

Susan Breslow Sardone is the Web's foremost expert on Honeymoons and Romantic Getaways and the author of Destination Weddings For Dummies . She has been an About.com Expert since 1997.

This site was named "Best of the Web in Romantic Travel" by Forbes.com, and The Week magazine echoed that praise.

In 2015 she was elected president of the elite New York Travel Writers Association and is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers Editors' Council.

On Honeymoons/Romantic Getaways from About.com you can travel with her to the best places in the world for couples and let her show you how to plan a memorable vacation. You can also follow Susan Breslow Sardone on Twitter and join Fans of Romantic Getaways on Facebook .

Updated June 20, 2015.

No matter what your travel budget. you want to get good value for your money. And thanks to the Web, you can find plentiful bargains online. You just have to know where to look. The following sites comprise my shortlist of ones that combine good prices and good service from a reliable company.

#1 - Affordable Trips: Budget Travel Online

While other travel magazines paint pictures of trips you could take if you won the lottery, Budget Travel Online prides itself on keeping it real.

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Designed for passionate travelers, Budget Travel Online is the Web version of the popular magazine. Its Real Deals section reports on trips that you can take right now, all for less than they would normally cost.

Add to that a daily newsletter that delivers breaking news of opportunities for travelers, authentic destination guides, spotlights on different types of travel, and you can t help but save if you spend time with Budget Travel Online.

#2 - Bargain Bot: Travelzoo

Sure, you could spend your life surfing hundreds of sites for bargains. But why, when Travel Zoo pulls thousands of current ones together for you? Categories include domestic and international airfare sales; vacation specials at popular destinations such as Florida, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Europe, and the Caribbean; lodging and car-rental deals; and cruise sales.

Don t feel like clicking through page after page? Choose Top 20 to find the hottest deals of the week. You can also choose to have the Top 20 emailed to you every week.

#3 - Auction Leader: eBay

The Web s largest auction site, eBay has a Travel category where you can bid on cruises, lodging, vacation packages, and other topics. Many of them start at unbelievably low prices. and some escalate quickly.

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In addition, the eBay Travel booking engine, powered by Priceline, lets you name your own price on airfare, hotels, cars, and vacations.

If you re flexible about your plans, and understand that most auctions end up about 20% off the regular price, this might be for you.

But if you need to plan well in advance and don t want to deal with the anxiety of not knowing if your bid will be tops, then skip it. A piece of advice: Always find out the regular cost of a trip before bidding on one so you don t pay more than it s worth.

#4 - Flying Smart: Cheap Flights

If you re the kind of traveler who likes to put together the components of a trip yourself -- airfare, lodging, tours, car rentals -- start your search for airfare at Cheap Flights, since it checks multiple sites ranging from consolidators to major online travel agents.

When you see the same flight at one price on one site and the same flight for $100 less (or even more than that), it s a good reminder to shop around.

#5 - The Guide Next Door: About Budget Travel

My colleague Mark Kahler devotes his site to proving that no matter what your budget, you can afford to travel somewhere. I don t recommend things like flying as an air courier (you can t carry much luggage), hitchhiking (dangerous), or staying in a hostel (not conducive to romance!). But this site is right on the money.

You ll find countless money-saving ideas here, along with updated deals.

If you ve settled on your destination, Kahler s Planning Your Trip to Popular Spots (look under Essentials ) is enormously helpful in locating low-cost rooms, food, transportation, and entertainment.

#6 - Online Travel Agents: Orbitz Travelocity Expedia

Don t overlook the Web s biggest and best travel agents when searching for bargains, either. These giants dedicate areas of their sites to travel specials from their partners. Many of the deals are exclusives. And even if you find a great deal elsewhere, it s a smart idea to price it on Expedia or Travelocity as well. You never know until you check which site will save you the most on a particular trip.