If only there was a way to check and see if these links were generated by a widget and not actually part of the article's HTML.
Oh wait... there is!
Viewing the source from the "6 of the Most Enjoyable Theme Parks in the Nation" [1] article referenced in the parent article shows that the phrase "guaranteed best price on airfare" indeed is a straight link to Expedia.
As another poster pointed out as well, these might be affiliate links dropped by a widget like skimlinks,etc...