Aylee Bits: travel tips

I have included my own travel tips in my Travel page. But since not everyone can access my personal website, I thought it would be helpful to post it here:

Research your destination.|AMP|nbsp; Go to www.towd.com to find the link to your destination's official tourism site.|AMP|nbsp; Request a free travel guide sent to your home if available or print out important info.

Join online forums.|AMP|nbsp;|AMP|nbsp;They are a great tool that provides views and tips from locals and visitors.|AMP|nbsp; It's also the easy way to ask your questions and get answers fast.|AMP|nbsp;You may also meet new friends here.|AMP|nbsp; For general travel forum, go to www.flyertalk.com

Don't settle with one or two travel agents or online sites.|AMP|nbsp; For airfares, use the farewatcher at www.kayak.com or www.tripadvisor.com.|AMP|nbsp; To purchase tickets, compare fare quotes from www.sidestep.com, www.kayak.com, www.flycheapabroad.com, and your destination's local airline's website, among others.
Airfares vary all the time and the availability of promotions and discounts are hard to predict.|AMP|nbsp; So don't decide on WHEN you should book, but do some fare watching.|AMP|nbsp; If possible, begin using the farewatcher a year early.|AMP|nbsp; Then ask around (i.e. forums) and do some search at|AMP|nbsp; www.farecompare.com of what usually is a good deal for your vacation time.|AMP|nbsp; If you find a good deal, get it.|AMP|nbsp; Though a lot of times last-minute airfares are cheapest, I suggest purchasing your ticket no later than 6 weeks before your vacation even if you don't get the best deal.
For great deals, subscribe to Travelzoo.com's Top 20 and your favorite airlines.