Online Purchases
Let’s face it; most of us looking for a travel bargain will start their search online. Over the last few years online travel sites have gone from strength to strength. Travelocity, for example, has only been around for 10 years; last year it made a total of $830 million and took $7.4 billion worth of bookings.
Booking online has become incredibly popular; in 2005, 79 million people in the United States made their travel plans online. With so many people going online to book their holidays, it is little wonder that competition between the online agencies is reaching fever pitch. The good news is that a savvy consumer can use this to their advantage.
Consolidators
Companies such as Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia are among the best known sites available for online purchases. One of the great benefits of these sites is that they cover the whole spectrum of options and often offer discounts on hotels and flights booked together. These are a great place to start the bargain hunt as they will alert you to the airlines that cover certain areas and will also tell you which flight times are the cheapest.
At the time of going to press, there is not one consolidator that covers ALL of the airlines. For this reason, it is likely that you will have to go to several sites before you are able to get a true picture of the bargains that are available.
Other sites such as priceline.com and hotwire.com will often offer enormous bargains. However, they do not always tell you whom exactly your booking is with until it is too late. Therefore, if you have a preference in terms of airline or hotel, these sites are not likely to be the best option for you.
Many of the consolidator websites are affiliated to a particular airline. Check out any affiliations that your chosen site may have, as this may have an effect on what they offer to the customer.
Buying online is often the cheapest way to get a holiday. However, bear in mind that as a rule, complicated requests or specific holidays will be better booked through a traditional agent who can offer the safety net and expertise that you desire.
