Research: The Traveler’s Best Friend - Frugal Traveler Blog - NYTimes.com

Research: The Traveler’s Best Friend - Frugal Traveler Blog - NYTimes.com: "As often as possible, I try to book hotels through their own Web sites — to avoid extra charges and to create a direct relationship between myself and the hotel — but I always check Kayak, Hotels.com and DealBase.com to make sure I’m getting a good rate. Despite its popularity, I don’t often use TripAdvisor.com — it’s centered on user reviews, which are based on specific personal experiences (too personal for my taste) and generally, if it’s on Trip Advisor, it has already been “discovered.” But when I do find myself there, I skip over its hotel listings and change “Property Type” to “Other Lodging,” which turns up pensions, campgrounds, hostels and other accommodations that I often find more intriguing (and usually less expensive) than hotels."