How to get the best online travel deals

When we look back on recent history in a hundred years, we will probably divide time into “pre-internet revolution” and “post-internet revolution.” This not entirely unlike how we now look at history in terms of pre and post Industrial Revolution.

The internet has changed how we do almost everything—how we connect to and communicate to others, how we post classifieds, how we do research, how we travel and more. We are now in an era where booking travel online seems to be about the only way to do it these days. But with the dawn of the internet and Web 2.0, it can be pretty easy to get lost in all the noise out there and be left wondering how you actually go about finding the best travel deals online. Here are a few tips on how to get the best airfares, cheapest hotel rooms and discounted vacation packages using the web:

TravelZoo and other deals conglomerates

I recently read an article on Forbes about TravelZoo, a company that operates on the theory that for the right price, bargain-hunting travelers are willing to go anywhere. According to Forbes, TravelZoo works with over 1,000 advertisers from rental car companies to hotels and major airlines, to create exclusive travel deals, which it then sends out to its 17 million subscribers in a weekly e-mail newsletter. The Travelzoo Top 20® is the definitive list of the week’s best travel deals. Join 14 million people and sign up!

While TravelZoo has been in the business of helping travelers find the best online travel deals for the past decade, there are now a million other sites that vie for a spot in the online travel industry. The difference with TravelZoo, however, is that they are not a travel provider, but rather a publisher of deals.

Twitter and travel deals

TravelZoo, in many ways, seems to function a little bit like Twitter these days. Yesterday, I wrote about how Twitter can be an excellent resource for those looking to save money on travel. Much like TravelZoo’s team of employees who are quested with the job of scouring the web for the best deals in travel each day, Twitter brings you a stream of deals from many different providers.

Wendy Perrin of Conde Nast Traveler has a great list of 21 Travel Twitterers you should follow if you are the lookout for the best delas in travel via the social networking site.

Sign up for newsletters

I know that the last thing you want are a ton of newsletters clogging your email inbox everyday, but if you are on the lookout for the best travel deals, a great way to be in the know is by subscribing to online newsletters. If you are interested in travel news and deals in general, BootsnAll has a great newsletter that gets sent out only twice a month (so you don’t have to worry about it clogging up your inbox).

If there is a certain airline you fly most frequently, a hotel chain you often stay in or a destination you have in mind, than subscribing to individual hotel and airline newsletters can be another great way to snag travel deals. Since companies often offer promotional prices exclusively to those on their email lists, subscribing to these newsletters can be a great way to get deals you won’t find elsewhere on the internet.

How to get the best online travel deals

According to a recent Market Watch article, the best way to capitalize on travel deals from around the web is to book them as soon as you find them. While you will definitely want to spend your time looking for the best price on cheap air tickets and discounts on cheap hotel rooms, many huge discounts and big sales at hotels and for airlines don’t last long—meaning you shouldn’t hesitate when you find that almost-too-good-to-be-true deal floating around.

When to find the best online travel deals

You may think that only what days and times you choose to fly effects the price on your air ticket, but it turns out when you search for your ticket can also make a difference in price. Tom Parsons, CEO of Bestfares.com says that searching for fares on Tuesday mornings is the best time to score great deals, as this is when the bulk of airfare travel discounts takes place.

Other news/online travel deals:

• Why 2010 will be the year of the travel deal
• British Airways online fare sale on flights to Europe
• How to Tweet Your Way to Amazing Travel Deals