9 New Engine Helps Travelers Save Time And Money (NAPSA)—Getting your travel dollar to take you far may be easier than you might think. With travel deals galore, the Internet is the place to head for bargains. But until now, shopping for travel online has often felt like one big scavenger hunt. Travelers often start with online agencies like Expedia and Travelocity. Then they hit the sites of companies like Avis or Delta, hoping to find a better deal by buying direct. Before they know it, they've spent an hour chasing down bargains— andare still not confident they’ve found the best deal. Hungry for a better way, travelers are now turning to Sidestep, a search engine dedicated to travel. While sites like Google can turn up everything from the population of New Guinea to Gazpacho recipes, the generic search engines fall short when it comes to travel. Searching for travel can be a tricky task—information on the pricing and availability changes too fast for a standard search engine to handle. The new traveler’s search engine checks more than 140 sites— including online agencies, consolidators and theairlines, hotels and rental car companies themselves— for bargains. Travelers save time and money. The system makes it easy to compare popular travel sites. The search for travel savings doesn’t have to be an online scavengerhunt. Download the SideStep software, then visit a site like Expedia and run a search. The engine lets you see its options side-by-side with those from the agencysite. It also includes choices from companies that other sites miss, like JetBlue and Southwest. When you’ve found the flight, hotel or rental car you want, click it to be transferred to the point of purchase on the appropriate site. You then buy directly from companies like Continental Airlines, Orbitz, Hertz, or Holi- day Inn—names you know and trust. SmartBusiness Magazine called SideStep “a bargain hunter’s delight.” To take it for a test flight of your own,visit www.sidestep.com.
