Cohenville

http://www.hipmunk.com/

Good visualizations to see different options

[Added] They also now have a nice way to search for hotels too. Pretty slick.

Momondo.com – airline fares
Dohop.com – airline fares

Hotelscombined.com

Homeaway.com – home rentals
Vrbo.com
Secondporch.com

Vacationstogo.com – cruises
Cruisesonly.com

Zicasso.com – speciality travel companies for people who don’t want to
plan every aspect

Kiplinger had an article on the best travel websites across categories.  I generally use the big ones – Travelocity.com, Expedia.com and Orbitz.com.  But there are many more.

• Kayak.com for the best airfares, domestic and international.
• Airefarewatchdog.com is like Kayak, but wil keep an eye on the discount carriers that Kayak doesn’t include.
• Farecast.com helps with predictability in airfare changes – if your dates are flexible check out this site.
• Lastminute.com has great deals if you are looking for a last minute weekend (or bigger) getaway.
• Bedandbreakfast.com – you guess it, B&B reviews.
• Tripadvisor.com is a great one I’ve used often for reviews from real travelers.
• TravelGuard.com can help you get insured for your big trip.
• CruiseMates.com provides reviews and ideas for cruises and ports.

Google Maps has recently added a “Traffic” label to their maps that provides a simple red, yellow, or green color on major roads to let you know how your commute will be. I would imagine they will roll it out to less traveled roads and more major cities over time, but for now they at least cover major highways in the Washington, DC area (and others).

Source: Google Blog

Are you going on vacation anytime soon? Do you prefer self-guided tours using public transportation instead of tour buses? Well Amadeus.net will help you find your way around. They have published printable subway maps from around the world. Now you can plan your intracity travels in advance and be ready to hit the subway in any major city around the world.

Source: Lifehacker