In the first part of this series, I talked about how I plan my trips from gathering information about a country and its attractions, to picking the right hotel room or checking what events are going on in town. In this part, I’ll be talking about how to find out about the best deals, last minute offers and packages and any corners that you can cut to get more bang for your buck.

Booking the Trip

When I’m flexible with my plans (or procrastinating) and working with a shoe string budget I hit Voyij.com to get an idea of what my options are; it never fails to inspire. Aside from being able to search through many internet sites for the best and cheapest deals that fit your budget, it also has a great Twitter Stream. It offers a real-time search for the best deals offered on Twitter and there is always a chance to catch some awesome fire sale offers on there.

Some of the best deals are offered on Twitter

I usually like to compare deals and prices that I get on the web and hence I love Kayak.com, too.  Kayak allows searching across several online booking sites like Expedia, Orbitz and others along with their own site, giving the option of comparing them head to head and picking the cheapest deal. The flexible date search option, which requires you to register with them, is always helpful to make sure you get the best price.