Planning a vacation? You probably already know about Travelocity, Orbitz and Expedia. At these websites you can book flights, hotels, cars and vacation packages.

But have you heard about Sidestep.com, Kayak.com and Mobissimo.com? These travel search engines include airlines and hotels that you won't find on Travelocity and Expedia. And they don't charge booking fees.

Of course, there's more to travel planning than just finding the best deal on transportation and lodging. You may want to learn more about the quality of accommodations and attractions, or about other people's experiences. And you may need specialized advice. Booking a cruise is very different from planning a self-directed bike tour in Kenya.

The number of travel-related websites and blogs has exploded in the past couple of years. To find the best ones, read reviews and ratings by travel experts. Here are a few review articles:

Forbes: "13 best travel websites" (March 30, 2006) http://snipurl.com/ow57 An article and slide show that reviews lesser-known travel sites

Consumer Reports WebWatch: "Do Travel Search Engines Deliver? An Examination of the Leading Sites" (December 21, 2005) http://snipurl.com/ow5a A comprehensive 27-page download

Consumer Search: "Travel sites reviews" November 2005 http://snipurl.com/ow5e Has a comparison chart of features and fees.

And here's a recent news article by travel writer, Bill McGee, in USA Today, "How to be a better online travel shopper" http://snipurl.com/ow75