There are hundreds of online travel sites, and all of them boast the same basic things: good discounts, great insider information, advice, local knowledge, and more. So, with so many sites, and all making relatively the same claims, how do you know what online travel sites are the best? Well, we are going to take a look at what makes a travel site good, and offer some suggestions for the best online travel sites, no matter what your needs.

The following are things that make a travel site good:

A site that is easy to navigate.

Some websites are inherently better than others. It does not matter how informative, or how great a deal you can get on a site if you can't figure out how to get to the right page, or find the right box to input information in. A good online travel site is going to be extremely straightforward and easy to use. For example, Kayak.com is a great online travel site that searches hundreds of data bases to find you the best deals, but is super simple to use. You really just have to input a little information on an easy to find screen, and it pulls up info with links. You can quickly find details that might take you several links on another site to find. For example, once you choose your flight, you can click on a link that takes you to flight information, and there is a color coded chart that helps you select the best seats, tells you how much your carry on can weight, what your luggage allowance is, etc. Being able to easily find this information can make the overall experience of booking your travel much more pleasant.

Being able to quickly locate information you need on the online travel site is very important, so look for online travel sites that are easy to navigate and understand.

Offer more than car, flight, and hotel:

Basically every online travel site you visit is going to have cars to rent, flights to book, and hotels to book. What makes a site better is when they offer more. One stop vacation planning is something that benefits just about everyone. So, look for an online site that offers more than just your car, flight, and hotel. For example, Triphub.com allows you to plan your entire trip online. You can plan the whole trip for every guest, even if you are planning a trip for an entire wedding. It is convenient to be able to book it all in one place, have only one itinerary to print out, one receipt, etc. It is both convenient, and makes life way easier if you are planning group travel, such as a reunion, extended family vacation, wedding, graduation trip, etc.

Offers local activities:

Let's face it, when you travel, sometimes the best, or most memorable parts are not the super touristy activities, rather the local hang-outs, and the things locals do to pass the time. For example, finding a great natural rock slide in a creek could provide you with hours of free fun, and can be as much fun, or more than a water park. So, a good online travel site is going to offer advice and activities that are both tourist attraction, and things the locals do for fun. Local secrets, such as the best bakery, or fish house can make a huge difference in the success of your travel, so look for sites like Yelp.com. This site helps you find where the locals hang out in the US cities. Locals are who add their input to the site, and following their advice can be invaluable. You know which restaurants in your town should be avoided no matter how appetizing they look in their commercials, etc. so gleaning this knowledge from locals of the destination you travel to can improve your travel experience.

Last minute travel deals:

The best online travel sites are not the ones that can only get you a good deal if you book 14 days in advance. Look for a site that offers both advance booking, and last minute travel deals. You want to be able to say on Thursday night that you are sick of it, and take off for a weekend, but paying through the nose makes this difficult. So, look for sites that have last minute deals, and are known for really being worth it. For example, Lateroom.com is a great site for getting quality hotel rooms last minute. You get value for your money, and you do not have to waste time calling around looking for an empty room.

Searches other sites and providers for deals:

If you want the best online travel sites you will look for ones that search other sites and beat their deals, or offer you the same deals. If you want, you can spend your own time searching, or you can use a site like Sidestep.com, Orbitz.com, or Kayak.com that searches other databases as well trying to find you the best value. Sidestep is especially great because they offer include deals on popular activities for the desired destination, or, if they don't have that, they can find you travel vouchers for food, shopping, and more in the cities you are planning to visit. Of course there are several sites that do this, but you want to make sure they are legitimate, and that when you look at the prices offered it is clear if that is a final price, before taxes, etc.

Video and pictures so you see what you are getting:

When you are traveling somewhere it is always a good idea to see what you are paying for before you pay for it. So, look for online travel sites that have plenty of photos and video to backup what they are offering. For example, do not book a hotel room without looking at some pictures of what the lobby and interior of the hotel look like. Sites like Travelistic.com and Turnhere.com are great for seeing activities, local climate and environment, etc. These sites offer user generated and professional video footage of local attractions, night life, beaches, forests, etc. in the areas you are visiting. This is very useful because it can give you a clear idea of what you will experience when you are there, and help you determine if that is what you want from your vacation or travel. A picture really can say a thousand words, so be sure to look for sites that have plenty of film on whatever you are doing and wherever you are going.

Connects you with other travelers.

If you are traveling solo, or like to meet up with other vacationers, or just want to hear what other people who have been to that destination have to say about it and what is worth doing versus what is not, you will want a travel site that offers forums, and discussion boards, and ways to connect with other travelers. For example, Tripmates.com allows you to plan your trip, meet people to hang out with when you are there, and discuss the trip with other travelers. Lonelyplanet.com offers a forum that lets people write about how their trip went, what activities were enjoyable and held value for the price, and what was a waste of time.

There are a lot of other things to consider when looking at online travel sites. For example, what kind of guarantees are offered? Can you get your money back if you book through them and can't go? Do they offer travel insurance? What happens if you get bumped from your flight? Does the airline deal with it, or the online travel site? There are plenty of questions to ask yourself when looking for the best online travel site. So, one of the best things you can do is simply explore some of the ones available, see what you like, what you do not like, and what you wish they had, then find one that fits the bill. Price is not everything, so do not let low prices lull you into going with an online travel site with poor customer service, or bad reviews.

Reading consumer reviews can really help you choose the right online travel site for you. Everyone is different, and thus, the sites best for each person differ based on what they are looking to gain from their travel experience. If it is the local scene you want to hit, then make sure you use an online travel site like Yelp, but if it is the best of the tourist attractions you want, look for all-inclusive sites, and sites like sidestep that allow you to see pictures and reviews of the tourist activities, as well as get good deals on said activities.

Good luck, and happy travel!