Killahbyte

Finding great travel deals isn't as easy as it sounds. The process takes a lot of patience and some super-sleuthing to find real deals - whether to an all-inclusive resort, five star hotel or a simple cheap room. But rest assured, there are some un-turned rocks with great deals! You just haven't found them yet.

Five travel deal websites you've never heard of:

Farecast.com - Don't have enough time to wade through more popular sites like Expedia, TripAdvisor and Travelocity? No problem - the aggregator Farecast will do the searching for you, giving you a handy list for the flights and hotels you're looking for. If you know that you don't want to travel with a certain airline, they also provide extensive advanced search functions, so you can narrow down your trip plans easier and faster. Farecast might not be the most frequented travel site, but it certainly has great tricks up its sleeves.

Kayak.com - This is a bare bones website, but if you're looking for straight up deals and advice, look no further. Kayak has one small distinguishing feature that sets itself apart from other sites - the ability to quickly and easily change your currency. Traveling through Switzerland but using the Euro? You can easily check how much your flight is in Euros, Swiss francs or Canadian funds.

Priceline.com - You might recognize Priceline's infamous spokesman: The one and only William Shatner! Captain Kirk is famous in the U.S. for his relationship with Priceline, and that's finally bringing him home north of the border. Priceline works through a bidding process - you bid on how much you'd like to pay for a certain service (hotel room, flight, rental car) in an area of town that you're hoping for. From there, depending on if your bid is rejected or not, you can adjust your prices to get the best deal. It's no doubt that Priceline can be an exhausting way to book travel, but it can also boast some of the best deals around.

Hotwire.com - Hotwire is a bit more mainstream, but that's because their deals are so good they've become very popular! At the moment you can find rooms in three star hotels in San Francisco for $55 per night, flights at up to 30 per cent off and cheap-as-dirt car rentals. Unlike Priceline you won't have to bid, though you will be getting similar deals.

Hostelworld.com - Say you're on a very tiny budget, and you're not opposed to sharing a little space. Check out Hostelworld - a website where hostels,  B&Bs and gueshouses from around the world register and offer bookings. If you're traveling in the off-season you can find great deals through Hostelworld - and even in high season you'll find great rates at central locations. They also have an honest and trustworthy commenting and rating system, so you know what you're getting!


Most of these websites have a few stipulations - mainly that cancellations with refunds aren't often allowed. But you get what you pay for - and if you're dead set on a vacation, you can save money using these online tools.