Cheaper fares and trip planning tools - these sites have it all

Tired of searching far and wide for the best deals and coming up empty handed? Frustrated with the state of affairs on the biggy booking engines. Have any of them had an original offer in the past 5 years?

Click on over to our new favorite airline sites and fulfill your travel needs - and desires!

OrbitzTLC: A veteran in the travel industry, Orbitz wows us with real-time updates from fellow travelers who text-message security line-ups, cab queues and traffic jams from their cell phones. The color-coded map lets you zero in quickly on arrival and departure details.

ExpertFlyer: Flight is cancelled and already behind the 8-ball with your boss? Get the real-time scoop on more than 100 carriers that may rescue your schedule and your job. (Basic subscription: $4.99/month)

Yapta: Keep track of flare fluctuations before and after booking your flight. If you booked directly with the airline (often the cheapest way to book) you may be eligible for refund of cash and/or credits.

Tripology: An airline matchmaker service that pairs your interests, wants and needs with a travel agent picked from a pool of more than 6,000 global experts. Fill out the questionnaire and get personalized service from a real person who can answer your questions and deliver the kind of travel you're looking for.

Tripit: Organize everything from flight and dinner reservations at OpenTable to adding in your trip-specific details like SeatGuru suggestions, weather reports and Google Maps. You email your itinerary and the information is then loaded onto a password-protected website for simple, paperless organization.

Mommondo: When price is more important than a direct flight, this Denmark-based aggregator quickly combs through 450 sites (including major booking engines, no-frills airlines and national carriers) to get you the best price.

MileMaven: Max out your airmiles by searching limited-time offers specifically for those bonus miles. Search through thousands of carriers, routes, airlines, cities or frequent flyer programs.

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