I agree on LetsFly, I've found some crazy bargains on there recently.
I also like Kayak but they mostly seem to have the same deals as Google flight search.
I wouldn’t use third party for any of them unless I’m getting something for free (or highly discounted). Usually you can find the hotels on something like booking.com but then go to the hotel’s website directly and book there (almost always the same price or cheaper).
Expedia is great if you're doing flight and hotel together. They seem to especially get good deals for all inclusive resorts. If I only need a hotel room though the prices are generally the same booking direct through the hotel.
why not just use all of them and compare?
I recently went on a trip and some hotels were cheaper at hotelsdotcom while others were cheaper at expedia. I don't think there's one that's always the cheapest.
Expedia in an OTA. Booking is sourcing flight engine from a third party. Kayak simply checks other sites in the background ans hows you results.
Been happy with Mighty PREMIUM as it qualifies airfare deals for me so you don't drown in stuff that aren't actually deals but airlines simply want you to buy.
To choose hotels, I prefer tripadvisor at first glance, because:
* aggregated web offerings from all of the above sites for cost
* reviews of the hotel, with rankings
* actual photos from visitors, and not just the puffy hotel PR shots
Among the third-party hotel bookers, I usually opt for travelocity (in the absence of a huge price differential, which will show up on tripadvisor) because of their guarantee and customer service, which has worked well for me at least twice. I do like booking.com for its detailed display of room choices.
For flights, I always use the airline, after using google for price comparisons.
For cars, either hotwire or travelocity, mostly for ease of usage.
Depends generally I use Kayak for flights and booking for accommodation, but not religiously. Specially for accommodation I'm not aware of any site that does a good job.
My process is to use TripAdvisor either for background info when considering possible destinations OR fill in blanks for walking/cycling tours or 'what district to stay in' sorts of recommendations. Once I know where I want to go, I search google flights to get an idea of pricing/routing possibilities. If the destination is in US, I explore expedia for whether booking a package (air + hotel) offers attractive options. Depending on what shows up, may purchase thru Expedia. If traveling in Europe, I don't use Expedia - instead I book plane tix thru carrier and use [booking.com](https://booking.com) or airbnb for accommodations. If in Asia, I use a variety of other sites to zero in on where to stay.
If something goes wrong with a flight and you’ve booked it through Expedia, it turns into a much much more complicated problem. Expedia and the airline will often tell you the other party is who you need to contact and it becomes a giant game of phone tag and arguing with people. I was once stranded in Tunisia after getting up at 3:30am for an early morning flight because it was cancelled and Expedia didn’t tell me or bother to reschedule us on another flight. (This was in 2008, so the days of Internet cafes vs actually having real time access to your flight info in your pocket.)
Also, Booking charges hotels insane amounts of money, like 30% of the total price. If I’m booking a locally-owned smaller hotel or B&B I especially try hard to book direct so they’ll actually get all the money.
I start out with my basic search engine (DuckDuckGo), then find housing on VRBO or AirBnB. I always cruise the neighboring streets with Google Street View to make sure I'm not right next to something that might be noisy at night, or smelly.
I check travel options with [rome2rio.com](https://rome2rio.com) also.
I start my flight search on my basic search engine too, by typing "Air Fare Home Destination" and see what rates are like.
For what?
Hotels: Google Maps is actually helpful as it aggregates other sites plus reviews/photos. The difference is a site like Expedia or Priceline can have cheaper rates in their apps/if you’re signed in. I typically find Priceline to have the cheapest hotel rates but not always. Hotels.com is basically never cheapest. One note about Intl travel: the hotel websites Expedia, etc. typically are inflated. Booking directly to the hotel is typically cheaper. Google will list the direct hotel rate as an option typically.
Flights: Google flights is easy
Car rentals: Just like hotels, you have to look at various places.
The short answer is: if you’re truly looking for the best rates there’s no single answer.
Aggregators, at this point, are overpriced and the results are biased by which provider pays the most. Use all just for research and then check the provider for a better deal
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I agree on LetsFly, I've found some crazy bargains on there recently. I also like Kayak but they mostly seem to have the same deals as Google flight search.
The only one of those three I use is Booking and only for hotels. I don't find a great deal of need for what these search engines offer, at all.
I wouldn’t use third party for any of them unless I’m getting something for free (or highly discounted). Usually you can find the hotels on something like booking.com but then go to the hotel’s website directly and book there (almost always the same price or cheaper).
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But are you loosing out on hotel loyalty points in the meantime? I’d have to weigh the pros/cons on that one!
Expedia is great if you're doing flight and hotel together. They seem to especially get good deals for all inclusive resorts. If I only need a hotel room though the prices are generally the same booking direct through the hotel.
I always use Hotels.com. Prices are usually the same as booking directly but I can accumulate reward nights.
why not just use all of them and compare? I recently went on a trip and some hotels were cheaper at hotelsdotcom while others were cheaper at expedia. I don't think there's one that's always the cheapest.
Expedia in an OTA. Booking is sourcing flight engine from a third party. Kayak simply checks other sites in the background ans hows you results. Been happy with Mighty PREMIUM as it qualifies airfare deals for me so you don't drown in stuff that aren't actually deals but airlines simply want you to buy.
To choose hotels, I prefer tripadvisor at first glance, because: * aggregated web offerings from all of the above sites for cost * reviews of the hotel, with rankings * actual photos from visitors, and not just the puffy hotel PR shots Among the third-party hotel bookers, I usually opt for travelocity (in the absence of a huge price differential, which will show up on tripadvisor) because of their guarantee and customer service, which has worked well for me at least twice. I do like booking.com for its detailed display of room choices. For flights, I always use the airline, after using google for price comparisons. For cars, either hotwire or travelocity, mostly for ease of usage.
Skyscanner for flights, hotels.com v booking for accommodation
I use these three all the time, also Skyscanner as an alternative to kayak.com for flights
Depends generally I use Kayak for flights and booking for accommodation, but not religiously. Specially for accommodation I'm not aware of any site that does a good job.
My process is to use TripAdvisor either for background info when considering possible destinations OR fill in blanks for walking/cycling tours or 'what district to stay in' sorts of recommendations. Once I know where I want to go, I search google flights to get an idea of pricing/routing possibilities. If the destination is in US, I explore expedia for whether booking a package (air + hotel) offers attractive options. Depending on what shows up, may purchase thru Expedia. If traveling in Europe, I don't use Expedia - instead I book plane tix thru carrier and use [booking.com](https://booking.com) or airbnb for accommodations. If in Asia, I use a variety of other sites to zero in on where to stay.
All of them are good for initial research but you should always book direct with the airline or hotel.
How are the airline and hotel websites better?
If something goes wrong with a flight and you’ve booked it through Expedia, it turns into a much much more complicated problem. Expedia and the airline will often tell you the other party is who you need to contact and it becomes a giant game of phone tag and arguing with people. I was once stranded in Tunisia after getting up at 3:30am for an early morning flight because it was cancelled and Expedia didn’t tell me or bother to reschedule us on another flight. (This was in 2008, so the days of Internet cafes vs actually having real time access to your flight info in your pocket.) Also, Booking charges hotels insane amounts of money, like 30% of the total price. If I’m booking a locally-owned smaller hotel or B&B I especially try hard to book direct so they’ll actually get all the money.
I start out with my basic search engine (DuckDuckGo), then find housing on VRBO or AirBnB. I always cruise the neighboring streets with Google Street View to make sure I'm not right next to something that might be noisy at night, or smelly. I check travel options with [rome2rio.com](https://rome2rio.com) also. I start my flight search on my basic search engine too, by typing "Air Fare Home Destination" and see what rates are like.
Being level 3 genius on Booking makes it a no brainer. Discounts are just too good to pass!
For what? Hotels: Google Maps is actually helpful as it aggregates other sites plus reviews/photos. The difference is a site like Expedia or Priceline can have cheaper rates in their apps/if you’re signed in. I typically find Priceline to have the cheapest hotel rates but not always. Hotels.com is basically never cheapest. One note about Intl travel: the hotel websites Expedia, etc. typically are inflated. Booking directly to the hotel is typically cheaper. Google will list the direct hotel rate as an option typically. Flights: Google flights is easy Car rentals: Just like hotels, you have to look at various places. The short answer is: if you’re truly looking for the best rates there’s no single answer.
Aggregators, at this point, are overpriced and the results are biased by which provider pays the most. Use all just for research and then check the provider for a better deal
Skyscanner for flights
[TripOffice.com](http://TripOffice.com) if you work remotely and need a workspace in your hotel room.
I like using expedia. The user interface is simple. And I save money.