Use an in-Country Online Travel Seller to Snag a Great Deal

Sometimes, when traveling internationally, it pays to think locally—with local websites and travel providers, that is.

Heading to an Asia-Pacific destination? Check out Zuji, a Travelocity company that specializes in deals to and within Australia, Hong Kong, India, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, and Taiwan. If you’re hunting down deals for London and beyond, bypass standard U.S. consolidators and check out the U.K. affiliates of Expedia and Travelocity, or compare prices with our sister company Booking Buddy.co.uk Priceline also operates a European affiliate, Booking.com.

For airfare, check European low-cost providers such as easyJet and Ryanair. Both offer great possibilities for connecting flights once you’ve arrived on the Continent. Momondo, a Danish travel company, offers metasearch possibilities, often including low-cost carriers in its search results.

If you’re researching train travel, Eurostar, Rail Europe, and Eurail are great places to get started, or Google your destination country and “train passes” for in-country links.

Lastly, an in-country travel agent may know of local providers and deals that you couldn’t find on your own. Getting in touch with a country or region’s tourism board can often provide contacts in that arena.

Like any good bargain travel hunter, be sure to compare what you find on local travel sites against U.S. companies. You also may need to do a bit of converting from local currencies to U.S. dollars to ensure you’re getting a good deal.

Have a great travel tip you’d like to share? Send your insider travel strategies to editor@smartertravel.com.

(Editor’s Note: SmarterTravel.com is a member of the TripAdvisor Media Network, an operating company of Expedia, Inc. Expedia, Inc. also owns Expedia.com.)