Online travel sites let you be your own travel agent. Plan your trips or vacation and make reservations quickly with just a few mouse clicks. Make reservations for a flight or a cruise, hotel or car rental. Pay and get your confirmation numbers online. Travel planning that once took hours now takes only a few headache-free minutes. An additional advantage: deals offered only by online sites, since they are often given exclusive discounted rates to sell to customers.
Another benefit of online travel sites is the research factor. You may not want to spend time searching hundreds of airline fare prices and hotel locations, but online travel sites do the searching for you and find the best available prices. You also get bonus information like weather updates, flight status, travel guides and tips. Use these sites as a one-stop shop for all your travel needs.
On this site, you’ll find comprehensive reviews and side-by-side comparisons that help you make an informed decision about which travel site to use for your trip or vacation. You’ll also find travel-related articles such as Airfare and the Fine Print that provide additional information. At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don’t Have To.™
Searching for the best travel deal can be a frustrating experience. Airfare, hotel rates and car rentals can change daily. Many like to shop for the best deal available. Often we will browse dozens of online travel sites comparing prices, fees and times.
Online travel sites should be easy and secure to use. Booking flights, hotels, cars and cruises can be expensive. Always make sure every piece of information is correct and to your satisfaction before clicking the payment option. Be aware of how much the online travel site’s policies, procedures and booking fees are. Since online travel sites offer discounted fares, many tickets or reservations are not refundable.
This is the criteria TopTenREVIEWS used to evaluate online travel sites.
Booking Options
Online travel sites usually offer airfare, hotel rooms and car rentals; many travel sites also offer cruises. Top travel sites include train tickets, vacation packages and activity booking. Additionally, this feature includes how specific or flexible you can be when booking your reservation.
Additional Features
Travel services may offer additional features. These may include the ability to earn frequent flyer miles, the service’s low price guarantees or the ability to access your itinerary through a cellular phone.
Resources
First–class travel websites provide reading material and information to fulfill your travel needs. This may include weather reports, maps, security updates or travel guides.
Ease of Use/Support
Information about travel websites should be easy to find and provide comprehensive details about the services offered. You should feel secure and comfortable providing sensitive credit card information to book reservations. They should also provide FAQs about the various booking options as well as responsive email or telephone support.
Be sure to read about one of our top–ranked online travel sites SmarterTravel.