The days of the traditional travel agent are long gone. Although some traditional agents can still be found, local travel agencies have turned to the Internet. The Internet offers the occasional traveler many options and up-to-date prices. So, with a touch of a finger, we can now get great deals online. With so many sites to choose from, which ones will suit your needs?
The goal of each site is to offer you the best deals and create a smooth booking process. Most of these sites are really a matter of user preference, but I like to shop around when booking. To get the best deals, you first need to decide what kind of trip you’re taking.
Regardless of the site, you’ll always want to see their special offers. Especially if you’re not 100% sure where you’re going and what you’re doing, but you just want a vacation. Websites like Expedia, Orbitz, and Hotwire will offer great deals on air, car, and hotel packages to select featured cities. There are some strict reservation rules, but you’ll find that they are lower than if you reserve each serving individually.
Hotwire also bases much of its pricing on you being flexible with your timing. They give you a package price and once you accept they tell you what time you have to travel during those days. It’s how they control prices and offer you the lowest prices they can. If you are flexible in this regard, they offer excellent deals.
Keep in mind with Hotwire that you have to be ready to buy if they offer you a deal you can’t refuse. You have a time limit to shop and if you leave and come back you could normally lose that rate and get a different one. If the package price is still valid, you’ll get it back, but that’s something you take a risk on.
Orbitz and Expedia offer great deals on cruises, ski packages, and more. You have flexibility with time and destinations here and although they offer those random destinations they also combine packages for you and are easy to use.
If you’re traveling and need a plane and a hotel, or even a plane, a car and a hotel, you’ll want to consider packing your trip. Each website is designed to offer you better deals when you bundle them together. On average, the price is about 30% lower when using bundles than when reserving each individual piece. One thing you’ll notice on most travel sites is the ability to add tours, shows, and other amenities that will boost your savings even more.
On sites like Orbitz, they give you detailed information about destinations, activities in those destinations, and rating information. This is a nice benefit for travelers who have never been to this destination. If you’re looking for general location and property information, you’ll find Orbitz very easy to use.
Expedia has a great design and can be used for both business and pleasure. Which makes for a unique shopping experience and they help you convert your reward miles, which is a plus. They have extensive maps and destination information which makes them quite valuable. You have to become a member, but they offer amazing deals.
There are plenty of other websites to compare. They all offer some of the same features, but these were the top 3. Each one has unique offers and they are all geared towards getting you great deals. With the touch of a finger, you can now access many great deals and book your perfect trip.
So what if you need specific destinations or times? What if you really only need airline reservations? Each of these sites is still online with this type of trip. You can purchase each piece individually with the same characteristics and benefits of these destinations.
One thing I do when I shop individually is go to the sale section first. Many times my destination will be there and I can see what restrictions there are and if I can get one of these offers. If not, I go and look for the offers of my cities in the search boxes. Don’t forget to shop around just to compare prices.
A good thing to try is also airline websites directly. Many sites, like Southwest Airlines, have extensive explanations of their pricing rules and restrictions, making them easy to understand. There is a lot of jargon in the world of travel, but some airlines have really tried to help explain certain restrictions in easy-to-understand blogs.
Airline websites can also offer you deals and packages directly as they have partnered with hotels and cars to offer general deals as well. They may not have as many as Orbitz or Expedia, but they can offer great deals.
Airlines also have the luxury of offering web-only fares. These are the rates they offer to someone willing to book online instead of over the phone. These offers are often much lower than the regular rates, which makes it interesting for you to go in this direction. You can find many deals on these web-only rates.
Keep in mind that shopping on each airline’s website can take a long time. That’s where Expedia, Orbitz, Hotwire and others will find them for you and give you the special deals. That is the real draw of these sites and can give you that unique shopping experience.
One last great feature of the Internet is the ability to research anywhere you travel. You can get up-to-date weather information, tourist attractions, status and weather information, and much more. There are many tourist sites and travel sites like Expedia and Orbitz use some of these features, but you can locate many tourist sites in search engines.
Some of the best tourist sites will be as simple as typing in the name of the location and tourism. For example, Colorado Tourism and several helpful sites will pop up and give you additional features about Colorado along with the best airports to fly to, so you don’t have to travel hours after you arrive. You can even go as far as virtual tourism sites that have great pictures and details about your destination.
Traveling has been made easier using the Internet. No need to drive to a local agency for deals, no need to rely on a few brochures to show you locations, and no waiting for destination information. The Internet has brought all this to you at the touch of a finger from the comfort of your own home at any time of the day or night. Now you have the ability to search for competitors and make the best decisions that are right for you.
If you’re looking to book your next trip, you may want to consider these interesting factors. Make your trip not only enjoyable but affordable.
