Let these 5 sites search for cheap airfare while you do other stuff

If it weren't for the airlines, travel would be pretty fun.

But the chore of travel starts long before you reach the benign hostage situation at the airport. It begins when you peck away at the keyboard, plumbing tedious, confusing airfare booking sites.

The more browser windows pop open and the more you sit through animations that assure you each site is searching for the best deal for you, the more you realize it's very easy to miss out on a deal simply because you're overwhelmed by the process.

A few sites, though, do the legwork for you. As long as you have a future trip in mind, you can easily program them to keep tabs on the going rate for it, and they'll get back to you when the getting is good.