Should You Buy or Wait?

Ever get the feeling travel search engines are all the same? I've often noticed Expedia and Orbitz have the same fares on the same airlines at the same time of day. Or if one engine shows a fare for $5 cheaper, it'll actually end up being the same as its competing search engine after fees and taxes are calculated. I get the feeling those companies are really just competing on the number of tickets on desirable times of day as opposed to a "good deal".

But today I stumbled upon a breakthrough in the travel industry - www.farecast.com. Instead of debating on whether the price of those airline tickets are going to go up or down, just log onto Farecast and find out. They can show you, down to the very penny, how much a fare will change 74.5% of the time with an average savings of $55. Wondering if shaving off a day or adding on two will change your fare? They can also chart fares based on your length of stay.

Farecast also has a handy rate key tool when choosing a hotel. Sure, all those priceline commercials with William Shatner has you all hot and ready to jump to Priceline. But do you ever wonder if you're really getting a good deal based on their previous rates? What if its cheaper a month away? Farecast simply alerts you on if it's "Not a Deal" "Average" or "Deal" based on the hotel's previous rates. And you don't even need Shatner in your face to get the point across.

It's a Shat-attack, y'all!