Travelers are searching multiple websites for airfares and hotel rates, and feel empowered by their ability to obtain prices and make purchases online, a research firm said Wednesday.

A survey of online consumers found that travelers compare airfares at an average of 3.2 websites and hotel rates at an average of three sites, JupiterResearch said. In addition, 37 percent of respondents said they enjoyed the challenge of travel research and visited three or more sites per travel product. Another 20 percent said they felt "empowered" by researching flights online, even though they only visited one or two sites. "It would be inaccurate to interpret shopping around as a reflection of frustration among all online travelers," JupiterResearch analyst Diane Clarkson said in a statement. "In fact, comparison shopping reflects a significant empowerment among the majority of online travel consumers and online travel providers should continue to invest in tools that appeal to savvy travel shoppers."

The research firm also found that 17 percent of consumers started with a general search engine in heading to a particular travel site. Also, obtaining frequent flyer miles was one of the most important motivations for purchasing flights directly through airline websites.