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Sites help with cheap rides, flights, dry pants

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By Karla Walsh | Thursday, July 03, 2008 |

Vacation season is upon us, bringing with it the stresses of costly and confusing transportation, unfamiliar surroundings and constant “Are we there yets?” But a few Web sites have been created to make vacations, well, more like a vacation.

To save time and money: Headed to a big city for vacation this summer? Take along your Internet-enabled phone and bookmark hopstop.com. This site allows visitors to Boston, Chicago, New York City, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., to find cost-friendly transportation. Simply name your starting point and your target endpoint to find out how much taxi fare to carry. Hopstop also lets you know how much time to allot for the journey so you won’t show up late for your event. Is the cab too costly? Check out subway or bus fares, routes and consumer ratings that take into account timeliness, cleanliness, comfort and safety. Hopstop offers walking directions texted to a cell phone if you are looking for the scenic route. All services are offered at no cost to users.

To save money: Turn to yapta.com to compare costs of airline fares. Enter your trip details and Yapta will send you an e-mail if prices drop. Plan ahead of time and book the best rate for your trip in advance; Yapta says average ticket prices vary by 400 percent. The free application also will inform you if the airline owes a voucher or refund in case a lower fare becomes available after your flight is booked.

To ensure dry pants: Restroom breaks can quickly become emergencies in unfamiliar territory. Simply tell mizpee.com where you are and the site will tell you where the cleanest and nearest toilets can be found.