When the Airfarewatchdog barks, I listen. Airfarewatchdog is a fantastic website created by veteran travel journalist George Hobica that tracks airfare deals and has an adorable canine logo. It's very user-friendly — all you have to do is type in your departure city and it will give you a list of cheaper-than-normal fares. You can also sign up for email alerts.

Yesterday, the Airfarewatch Blog announced its top 10 airfare tips for 2009. I found No. 9 the most interesting: check airlines' websites directly because sometimes they may have savings that Orbitz and the others don't pick up. See the rest of the tips here.