(CBS) The travel industry is predicting that summer travel will be at its highest level in four years. But travel costs have risen seven percent in the past six months. And gas prices continue to rise, which means everyone is looking for a bargain.

To help, AOL Consumer Advisor Regina Lewis shares some tips for finding vacation deals online on Friday's The Early Show.

It may be summer, but it's not too late to plan a summer vacation. Lewis says many people do have their trips planned, which is to your advantage if you don't have a vacation in place. Now that Memorial Day has passed, airlines, hotels and travel agents are anxious to move their remaining summer inventory, according to Lewis. You can expect to see fare wars and great package deals online now.

Unfortunately, studies show that there's not one Web site that consistently offers the best prices on flights, rental cars or hotels -- that would be much too easy! Lewis says the big travel sites such as Expedia and Travelocity may provide the best room discounts when packaging them with airfares and/or cars. So, the name of the game here is determining the best overall cost.

Comparison Shop

While comparison shopping may be painful, there is a tool to make the process easier. Lewis advices to check out Sidestep.com. The Web site searches multiple travel sites simultaneously for the best deals.

Get Best Rate Guarantees

Hotel chains are tired of guests finding cheap rooms on Web site such as Orbitz and other travel sites. In an effort to regain control, many are now offering best-rate guarantees. If you book a room through the hotel's Web site and then later find a cheaper room somewhere else, the hotel will offer you a discount, a free night's stay, or a gift check ($50 or so). There's now a good chance that any room rate you find on a travel site will be the same price or even more expensive than the rate posted on a hotel's site. Lewis says consider booking on the hotel site and then continuing to scan the Web for better prices, so you can make use of the best-rate guarantees.

Sign Up For Newsletters

Lewis also suggests hopping on the home page of your favorite airlines and hotel chains to sign up for frequent flier programs or frequent guest programs. These companies will then send you newsletters by E-mail -- alerting you to sales and discounts. Expect to receive a lot of E-mails on Wednesday evening, advertising specials for the upcoming weekend. Occasionally, the E-mail alerts will promote specials for dates far down the road. Companies are anxious to either lock you in place early, or fill their last-minute openings.

Lewis says before signing up for newsletters, establish a new E-mail account or screen name and direct all of these newsletters to that address.

Save on Gas Costs

Despite high gas costs, the majority of families say they plan to take driving vacations this summer, traveling within a 300-mile radius of their homes. Prices continue to fluctuate, but the latest reports indicate that a 500-mile trip is only going to run you about $12.50 more in gas than last summer. But, travelers still are looking for a way to save on gas costs. According to Lewis, "gas prices" is a top-50 search term on AOL search engines.

Lewis says Gaspricewatch.com is a great Web site to help you on your quest for cheaper gas. Nearly 95,000 volunteer price spotters monitor over 127,000 gas stations across the country. Simply plug in an area code and the site will return a list of gas stations and how much you'll pay for regular, mid-grade and premium gas at that location. Prices are updated frequently, and you may be surprised by how much prices can vary in your area. Sometimes, going an extra five miles will save you several cents on the gallon.

Plan Your Trip

In addition to helping you find travel deals and steals, the Internet can help you plan your trip. Online-mapping sites are nothing new, but there are so many out there. So, it can be hard to know which to use. Lewis says Mapquest.com is probably your best bet. Although it requires you to use a specific address (350 5th Ave versus the Empire State Building), the final printable product offers the clearest driving directions. Additionally, Mapquest.com can pinpoint area attractions and restrooms along the way, which can be a lifesaver if you're traveling with small children.

Airline Seating Chart

Lewis says another helpful site if you plan to catch a plane this summer is Seatguru.com. It lists the seating charts for every major kind of plane for every major airline. The site then rates the seats "Good," "Be Aware" or "Poor." And, the Web site tells you which seats are close to the lavatory, the kitchens or the exits. It also tells you which seats are quiet, have better ventilation, reduced legroom or mis-aligned windows. You just scroll over the diagram of a plane and a description of the seat pops up.

Road Trip Photos

Finally, how about earning money for all of that time spent on the road or in the airport? Lewis says to keep your eyes peeled for unintentionally funny signs and when you see one, snap a photo. Some examples include a sign for a place called "Promised Land" with a giant "closed" notice across it, and a sign all in Arabic, which tells drivers in English to "Follow All Driving Instructions."

Send your photo to Signspotting.com. Each week, one lucky person will win $50. The best photo of the year wins a round-the-world ticket. The photos are published in a variety of national publications such as the Chicago Tribune, Denver Post and Family Circle magazine.

©MMIV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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