LastMinute.com - the BEST of the online travel secrets!

While most people have heard of Priceline and Hotwire, most people I know have not heard of LastMinute.com. It is a "package travel" site, which means that it bundles air, hotel, and car (or any two of the three) in order to give you a total price. It also specializes in last-minute travel (either the next or the following weekend, for domestic travel). It offers travel within the US, and to some common foreign destinations.

The results will surprise you. You will frequently be able to find a last-minute package of air and car rental that is cheaper than the best airfare alone. I have found instances of the best price on air from Seattle to San Francisco being around $450, and LastMinute.com giving me a package price of $250 for air and rental car together. If you don't use the rental car, in my experience, you don't lose the air (though I cannot guarantee that it could never happen!).

In my view, no one should look into a weekend trip on the next two weekends within the US without looking at LastMinute.com.

Site59 tips:

• The default setting will show you air and hotel, but you will see a tab at the top of your results for airfare+car if that's what you want. You will also see a tab for hotel+car only. (You cannot just buy one of the components.)
• The best prices I have seen are on West Coast routes, using Alaska Airlines as the air portion.
  
• In my experience you DO receive frequent flier credit on the airlines. To get special seating, you'll have to call the airline on the phone.
• There is an uncomfortable period after you submit your order and before you receive your confirmation email in which your reservation is not guaranteed but you have committed. In my experience the emails may delay up to an hour, but I have never had the email fail to confirm the deal the web site has offered.