All About Traveling and More

Summary:   Online travel agencies differ from traditional agencies because they've eliminated the middleman. The consumer is generally responsible for looking up their own flights, hotels, rental cars, or package deals, and comparing prices themselves.

Online travel agencies differ from traditional agencies because they’ve eliminated the middleman. The consumer is generally responsible for looking up their own flights, hotels, rental cars, or package deals, and comparing prices themselves. This can result in a substantial savings, but it comes at the cost of having personalized service.

With online travel agencies popping up all over the internet, it’s very important to find a reputable, trustworthy agency that will replace the professional service you would expect from a real live travel agent. Such agencies do exist, and the more research you do into appropriate agencies, the better your chances are of getting exactly what you want, at a price that will make you smile.

Start with the big names in online travel planning. These include Travelocity, Expedia, Cheap Tickets, Hotwire, Priceline, and Orbitz. These are tried and tested companies that will offer more peace of mind than a fledgling agency that no one has ever heard of. If you belong to any online shopping programs that reward you for booking with their preferred partners, check those out first. You’ll end up getting cash or reward points back for your purchases this way.

Go to each site and test them out. If you have a destination and dates in mind already, then use those to get prices and hotel suggestions. Otherwise, choose a vacation or trip that you’d like to take, using dates in the range of when you are able to travel. Some sites act as consolidators, allowing you to easily compare prices on all major airlines or travel service providers. Others work with only preferred travel suppliers, and can sometimes offer a better discount through these companies.

Make a chart or take notes at each site. Which ones are easiest to use? Which ones offer you a wide variety of suppliers to choose from? See if the site offers you alternative dates, hotels, or car rentals. Sometimes, if you can juggle your travel dates a little, you’ll end up saving quite a bit of money.

Check to see if the site offers a membership program. This is especially beneficial if you’ll be booking most of your future travel plans online. Some online travel agencies have member reward programs, that allow you to collect points towards future travel bookings.

Make sure there is a toll-free phone number to call and talk to a live person. This is especially important if you need to reach someone while you’re on your vacation or business trip. If you need to make itinerary changes or encounter a problem, it’s imperative that you have the ability to reach someone who can make arrangements or offer assistance from anywhere in the world.

Test out their phone service. Make a call and ask a few questions about their policies, like refunds, cancellations, and if they offer insurance. These questions may be answered already at the site, but calling and speaking to a representative will give you a better feel for the personality of the travel agency, and may help to boost your confidence in booking through them.

Speaking of refunds and cancellations, familiarize yourself with all of the policies of each agency. Most of the time, these policies are dictated by the travel companies themselves rather than the agencies, but it is always a good idea to know exactly what you’re getting into before handing over your credit card number.

Once you feel comfortable with an online travel agency, you’ll feel much better about spending your money with them and booking your trip. The extra savings you’ll experience will be well worth your research and comparison shopping time!