Use Priceline! I search for the best airfare, hotel and rental car prices on all the standard travel websites and then I go to Priceline and Name My Own Price for HUGE savings. I saved HUNDREDS on the hotel and rental car and got a better price than I could find anywhere else on airline tickets.

We recently paid $37/night for a 2 1/2 star hotel and the best price I could find anywhere else was $79.99/night. That equated to a $257 savings for our 6 night stay. We paid $13/day for a full size car and the best price I could find was $16/day for a compact. We have gotten 3 star hotels that are $120/night rooms for $50/night and friends of ours got a $250/night room in NYC last weekend for $125 and it was a 4 star hotel.

The biggest tip I can give you is to go to Betterbidding.com and look through their forum. Learn as much as you can about the process before bidding. Post any questions you have and ask for help in knowing what to bid in the area you are travelling.

I have also found that you can usually do better naming your own price separately than taking their packages. You can't pick your airline, hotel or rental car company by name but if you aren't set on a specific one and are willing to take your chances, you can save big! It's worth it and we haven't been disappointed yet.

__________________
Marcy
Proud wife of Tim, Mom to Sean (8/87), Ethan (10/98), Sam (9/02)
and angels Nathanial (8/6/97-8/8/97) and Benjamin (8/6/97-8/21/97)

Until they all come home......
Life is a Journey (follow my blog about my journey)