Getting away without going broke

Deepa Bharath

Treading the white sands of Hawaiian beaches or winning the jackpot in

Las Vegas aren’t the distant dreams they may seem to be.

Online travel Web sites have made the job of planning, organizing and,

most importantly, paying for a dream vacation a more pleasant and

practical exercise.

Web sites such as Travelocity.com and Expedia.com could save a lot of

time for prospective travelers who often get weary even before boarding

an airplane.

Travelocity offers package deals and, at the same time, allows people

to customize their own vacations. Package deals to Hawaii start as low as

$169 per person for two nights. That rate includes hotel accommodation,

taxes and shuttle round trips between the airport and hotel.

Vegas deals start from $46 for two nights, including hotel and

shuttle. Travelers can add on air fares to their package for an

additional charge.

Expedia operates in a similar way, only their package deals include

air fares, saving people the time they have to take to go into the

airline options to find a suitable deal.

Expedia’s deals to Hawaii from John Wayne Airport include a four-night

trip starting at $547 that includes air travel, hotel and transfers. For

Vegas vacations, the price begins at $174 for a similar deal.

Both Web sites give travelers the independence of customizing their

vacation, beginning from airline to hotel accommodations and transfers.

Or they can pick deals that combine airline and hotel, or hotel and

transfers, or all three components.

The traditional way of booking a vacation -- the travel agency -- is

still popular. Worldwide Travel of Costa Mesa located a four-night

package to Hawaii for $738 that includes air fare, hotel and transfers

for two. A three-night Vegas vacation with accommodations in a downtown

hotel would cost $326 per person.

If you have made up your mind about packing your bags and leaving,

Expedia or Travelocity or calling a travel agent are probably your best

bets. Within a few clicks of the mouse, you have a package deal that

covers all bases.

But if you are the type who wants to pick out the cheapest and best

deal available, and have the time to make it happen, you could end up

spending several hours mixing and matching to create your perfect dream

getaway at a price that you can afford.

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 deepa.bharath@latimes.comf7 .

THE CHART

o7 Expedia.com

f7 Hawaii deal: From $547 per person/three nights

What it includes: Air fare from JWA, hotel and shuttle

Time taken: About 15 minutes

o7 Travelocity.com

f7 Hawaii: From $169 per person/two nights

What it includes: Hotel and shuttle -- airline arrangements must be

made separately

Time taken: About 15 minutes

Travel Agent

Hawaii: $738 for two/four nights

What it includes: Air fare from JWA, hotel and shuttle

Time taken: About 10 minutes, not including time agent took to get

back with the information, which was about an hour.