By MySpendingPlan.com Editorial Staff

With the popularity of the Internet, competition among airlines, hotels and car rental services has never been fiercer. And amidst such extensive competition, the consumer is the clear winner as cheap vacation packages are now available for practically any destination.

Travel deals have never been better after 2005.  With the enormous amount of travel information available on the Internet and thousands of websites competing for the traveler’s business; cheap airfares flights travel is now a real possibility.  However, if you were to sort through the numerous websites to get the best travel deals, you would probably spend many weeks going through everything.  But we’ve done all the hard work for you!  Listed below are the websites which we have seen to offer the best deals on the web, including last minute travel deals:

1. Hotwire: (www.hotwire.com)

This is a cheap air flights travel website where you can not only get great rates on flight tickets and hotel rooms, but also on rental cars, cruises, and cheap vacation packages.  In addition to this, Hotwire offers you some cool extras such as discounts and rebates on travel activities such as fine dining, entry to zoos and amusement parks, movie tickets, local sporting events, and incredible shopping offers too.

Hotwire has partnered with several leading travel companies (airlines, hotels, cruise ships etc) and aims to offer the cheapest rates to their consumers.  This site probably has the best rates on 3 and 4 star hotels than anywhere else.  You have to be willing to take a chance here, since they won’t give you the hotel name until you commit, but travelers are rarely disappointed if they do their homework.

2. SideStep: (www.sidestep.com)

This is a great website that hunts for and offers you low rates on hotel rooms, rental cars, cruises, and cheap air flights.  Air travel finder helps to locate great rates even for last minute air travel.  The major advantage of this website is its Activity Search.

The Activity Search allows you to plan your vacation right down to all the activities that you will enjoy at your chosen destination.  You can get cheap deals on activities related to different categories such as Cultural, Shows and Theater, Dining, Sports, Transportation, Museums, Amusement and Theme Park, Outdoor and Adventure, etc.

3. Travelocity (www.travelocity.com)

Until a few years back, this site was a giant as far as cheap travel deals were concerned. But even though SideStep has emerged as a tough competitor, this website is a good place to begin your search for cheap vacation packages and other travel deals.  Travelocity also has an Activity Search, but it is not as comprehensive as the one on SideStep.

4. Best Fares (www.bestfares.com)

This website has some great deals on air tickets.  In fact, our search for air fare for two and compact car rental combo for San Francisco resulted in a deal that was much cheaper than the same being offered at Expedia.

More Budget Travel Tips

In addition to browsing the above websites for the cheapest travel deals, here are some travel tips, including international travel tips to help you save money on your travels:

• If an airline is the sole operator to any particular international destination, it may be cheaper to contact the airline directly for flight tickets than go through an agent.
• Plan to fly out in the middle of the week instead of on weekends.  This could translate into huge savings on air tickets.
• Bring food, water and reading materials to the airport.  You know how much airport food can cost!
• Many airlines offer apex fares at largely discounted rates if booked well in advance.  So book your air tickets as soon as you know your travel plans.
• When purchasing an entire vacation package, take the time to search online travel websites, as we’ve discussed.  You may be able to put together the package yourself for much less.
• Traveling by train instead of by flight is also a good way to reduce your travel costs if you have the time and you get to relax and often see some very nice scenery.  www.amtrak.com is still the best site for cheap train fares.
• Look for bed and breakfast places and short-term apartment sublets in addition to hotels.  You can find these very convenient and less expensive than major hotels.
• Find the locals’ favorite eateries, vendors and watering holes.  It’s a great way to really capture the local flavor of your destination and save money.  Then splurge on a big meal or two at the better restaurants.  Check their local newspapers online for recommendations.

Cheap vacation packages are about getting the best bargain deals and staying within your travel budget.  To help with budget planning, you can use budgeting software.