This is the weekend when just about everybody is looking for a good deal. Black Friday launched the holiday gift-buying season a few days ago, and tomorrow is what's become known as Cyber Monday, a day when online retailers kick off their own selling season.
But what if you want to give the gift of travel instead of a sweater or an iPod - where can you find the best deals?
Online travel shopping is certainly easy and definitely packed with a plethora of deals. But you have to be careful where you look. A few online travel sites offered their own Black Friday deals last week, among them Orbitz.com, which is offering a $50 discount on vacation packages and 15 percent on hotel stays.
When I'm shopping for travel deals, holiday or otherwise, I often use these Web sites:
BudgetTravel.com - Good deals and travel information from the editors of the magazine by the same name.
BestFares.com - Great deals and even better insight about travel trends.
ShermansTravel.com - Offers a weekly list of the 25 best deals.
TravelTickr.com - Hotwire.com's new sister site has bargains galore.
CruisesOnly.com - If you're a cruise fan, this site caters to your interests.
Travelzoo.com - Join this site's mailing list to receive weekly updates of its best travel offers.
There are many others to peruse - too many to name here - but the key, as with any shopping, is to do your research before you seal the deal.
