Back in the olden days of the Web—we’re talking just three or four years ago—the last word in customized, Internet-enabled convenience was the ability to go online and search at any time for a better hotel room rate or that aisle seat you wanted. Trouble was, you had to go back again and again until you found that special deal or sudden availability. Just a few years later, there are apps and sites that do the work for you.
More from Travel + Leisure
Scenic Views From Airplane Windows
Americas best Hotels For Fall Colors
Map out Your Vacation: Kayak
Click Factor: This all-in-one search engine is a trip planner’s dream: look for prices and deals across all major hotel, airline, and car-rental sites and online travel agents. Other features include deal alerts, a fare calendar, and My Trips, which lets you forward confirmation e-mails to Kayak so it can create a customized itinerary for you.
Runs On: Android, BlackBerry, iPad, iPhone, Windows Phone
Manage Your Trip: TripIt
Click Factor: Book your flight, car, and hotel, then forward your confirmation e-mails to TripIt, which will put them into an easy-to-access online itinerary. TripIt Pro ($49 per year) tracks your frequent-flier miles and provides updates on your gate info, flight delays, cancellations, and more.
Runs On: Android, BlackBerry, iPad, iPhone, Windows Phone
Honorable Mention: WorldMate
Know When to Buy: Bing Travel
Click Factor: Bing’s Price Indicator feature uses color-coded arrows to predict whether a fare from, say, New York to L.A. is likely to go up or down (calculated via historical data). The site just launched its hotel-room rate indicator, which determines whether a price you find is a deal
Runs On: Android, iPad, iPhone, Windows Phone
Honorable Mentions: FareCompare, Yapta
See the rest of the story at Business Insider