With so many choices now for reservations it's easy to get lost and get ripped off. We've compiled a few tried and true tips to help you avoid the scams and get the best deal when travelling.

Question 1 - Why do rooms usually cost more when I call the hotel directly?

Most hotels, like the airlines, sell blocks of rooms at a discount to various companies. It is quite possible that after doing so the hotel has very few rooms left to sell and thus they charge a much higher rate. The hotel may even say they are sold out when rooms seems to be available from many other source. You see those other sources already bought the rooms earlier and depending on demand may still have them available at the last minute.

Question 2 - I like to stay at the same hotel or chain who should I call?

A lot of companies make deals with one another and when the deal goes well you tend to stick to it. So, if you prefer to stay at a specific hotel or chain, do some research. Go to one of the major search engines and look up hotel reservations. Try the various online 'agents' and attempt to make the same reservations at each one. Try this for a couple different dates and see if one of them consistently comes up with a better deal. It is very common to see one company have the best deals with Ramada and an entirely different company have the best deals with Hilton.

Question 3 - I just want the best deal where should I go?

Use the Hugeparty Hotel Guide. We tried a lot of different programs, and used a lot of different methods to make our own reservations and 90% of the time this was the best choice by far. Check the rates, amenities and make reservations online.

Here you might expect us to make a big deal out of Priceline. Yes, many friends have scored some pretty great deals especially when travelling out of the country. But sometimes you are left wondering if you could have gotten away with paying less. You'll never know because as soon as they accept your deal they charge your credit card. You do not get any frequent flyer miles and there are no refunds.

Fare Agent is an awesome service that takes all the information on your trip (destination, favorite airlines etc) and your target price (the most you would like to pay). It will then search for seats that are actually available (not the published fares that never seem to be around) and if it finds one under your target price, it reserves it at the lowest price it found and contacts you asking you if want to make a purchase. Searching is free and requires no up-front commitment.