» What it does: Features deals with escalating savings, meaning that the more people who follow a trip, the more savings CarryOn delivers. Members (free to join) choose between following an existing deal or creating their own. As more people follow the same deal, the price starts to drop. The site claims members can save up to 40 percent.

» What’s hot: The site is attractive, and the deals are inviting, with large photos. My favorite section was "Find Trending Deals" on the left side of the home page, where you can filter for "most followed," "most liked," "most bookers" and "fastest trending." I was inspired by seeing what other travelers were looking for, and I became interested in trips that I hadn’t yet thought about for myself.

» What’s not: There’s a lot happening on this website, and it can get confusing. I felt as if I had to spend more time on the site and to keep coming back in order to get the best deals. Case in point: You can earn points to put toward your travel, so roll up your sleeves to start earning. On a separate note, there wasn’t enough flexibility for me in terms of choosing flights or modifying my schedule to search for better deals.

–Jen Leo / Los Angeles Times