Online booking vs travel agent for US > international travel

[2018]

I have been using booking.com for aggregate options/views, then if I see something I like I go directly to the site for a compare. Booking.com is very transparent in their disclaimer about how they're paid and they provide good user review info which is helpful as we search.

 

[FD1000]

Travel agents?
I’ve been planning my own vacations, ranging from short 3-day trips to journeys lasting over two months, for more than four decades.
Over the last 10 years, it’s become even easier, which is why most traditional travel agents have disappeared.
For hotels, I primarily use Booking.com and cross-check prices with Trivago.
For flights, I use Skyscanner, a tool travel agents themselves have relied on for years.
For car rentals, I use Skyscanner and Kayak. These 2 sites will take to other sites.
One of the best vacation-planning resources I’ve discovered in recent years is kimkim.com, especially for building customized itineraries.
For example, suppose you’re looking at Portugal, see Portugal Tours and Itineraries - Plan your trip to Portugal with a Travel Specialist
Scroll down and find...Explore trips by duration: 5 days · 6 days · 7 days · 8 days · 9 days · 10 days · 11 days · 12 days · 13 days · 14 days · 15 days · 16 days · 21 days

Sure, I spent hours, and I love it. I also save a lot too. No agent can tailor a vacation that we want to have, and if they do, it's 4 times more expensive. BTW, I'm talking about the USA, Europe, Australia, NZ, and several others. In many Asians, Africans, and South Americans, I prefer organized tours. The best thing is to find local operators and cut out the middleman.

 

[audreyh1]

I have been using booking.com for aggregate options/views, then if I see something I like I go directly to the site for a compare. Booking.com is very transparent in their disclaimer about how they're paid and they provide good user review info which is helpful as we search.

I generally use Google maps for the hotels in a given area. It displays the prices right on the map and you have access to user reviews right there. It works well for Europe. If I want more reviews and better review word searching I’ll also go to TripAdvisor.

 

[brett]

Seriously, booking directly with hotels has worked very well for me. Some prevalent European hotel chains even have discounts for members or let you apply points for a discount.

Absolutely. Often we book, then rebook a few days to take advantage of things like prepay, non refundable 3 night bookings when we are certain that we will be there. We have had some nice discounts from Marriott and Accor hotel sites by doing this.

If we are in a city that happens to be a business center as well we look for weekend discounts at high end business hotels when they tend to have less occupancy Friday through Monday. Sometimes these offers are on the hotel website vs the hotel chain website.

More than once we have called the front desk the same day or a day prior and simply asked for their best weekend rate. We are happy with either a nice discount or a great upgrade.

 

[Ian S]

We like to DIY. With the online tools these days, it's not that hard. Google flights allows you to do open jaw flights. Plus you can set Google to let you know if there is a change in the price of your flight. Google maps does a pretty good job of letting you bring up hotels with prices and ratings. Sometimes it makes sense to book directly with a hotel but sometimes they can be pricier than something like booking dot com. I also like to have all our hotels at one easy to use website like booking. For car rentals, we use autoslash dot com but also check costco. With a car rental through autoslash, you can have it alert you if there's a cheaper rate that becomes available. Be aware that those better rates may not hang around long so, if you want the better rate, act quickly.

 

[brett]

We have been reitired for 14 years. 12 extended snowbird trips. 6 to SE Asia/Australia, 3 to Mexico, one to Africa, another to South America, and one to Central America. All were great experiences. Leaving early next month to do the same in Malaysia and Thailand for Feb and March. Cannot imagine snowbirding in the same place year after year.

It started in earnest when, on retirement, we decided to hit the top of DW's bucket list which was an african safari. We went to a TA who supporedly specialized in safaris. We quickly found that we could get as better, and even much better, info on the internet. To the point of face timeing a SA based safari operator. Got our questions answerered plus so much more.

That was the clincher for us to start with DIY instead of end with it. The added bonus was the significant price differential, same for same, between booking it direct vs through a local NA TA who was really adding zero knowledge value for us.

This does not include our other travel not during the winter season.

All were DIY arrangements with the exception of 2 cruises which we booked through TA's who offered significant discounts from booking direct. And an eight day small group tour of part of Morocco that we difficult to reach on our own.

Lots of research but we enjoy doing it. . Once I we started DIY we just kept on. Lots of learnings from others we met along the way, and from people with whom we formed lasting friendships with in various parts of the world. And from various websites.

One other thing...we find the knowledge level of TA's we do occasionally speak with has declined significantly over the past 25 years. Probably attributable to declining commissions and the ease, and the potential savings, for DIYers like us.

 

[bonvoyage]

US travel is Expedia, Google travel, heck even airlines will do flight/hotel combo most of the time ....... but I can't seem to find one for Europe. Do I end up using a travel agent ?

You aren't going to find a single site for all bookings. In any case, I would strongly advise you to book your air tickets directly with the airlines in question - that gives the most flexibility when there are flight disruptions.

For our upcoming Italy trip:
- Booked air tickets directly with United
- Booked train tickets directly with Trenitalia
- Booked two of the hotels directly on the hotels' own websites.
- Booked the remaining hotels using Chase reward points

I use booking.com for hotel bookings only when a hotel doesn't have its own website.

 

[brett]

We booked one hotel in Morocco through Expedia. One day prior to departure there was a serious earthquake in the west of Morocco. We decided to cancel and to delay our trip.

We had two nonrefundable reservations. The first was direct. Both nowhere near the earthquate area. The first hotel was incredibly gracious and agreed to cancel without hesitiation. No penalty.

The second was booked through Expedia. Their initial response was no refund. We raised the issue with Expedia who approached the hotel. The hotel subsequently offered us a credit....which we subsequently used when eventually went to Morroco eight months later. I do not believe we would have had that credit without the intervention of Expedia's customer service folks.

 

[2018]

We completed out Portugal trip in Mar and did all reservations ourselves. I used Google Flights to research airfare, then booked directly. We used booking.com for our villas. Then booked our trains via Omio ....

Used Uber throughout the trip with no issues at all.

One tip I picked up was; pay in Euros and ;et your CC company do the conversion as it always did a more reasonable conversion.

 

[FD1000]

You aren't going to find a single site for all bookings. In any case, I would strongly advise you to book your air tickets directly with the airlines in question - that gives the most flexibility when there are flight disruptions.

For our upcoming Italy trip:
- Booked air tickets directly with United
- Booked train tickets directly with Trenitalia
- Booked two of the hotels directly on the hotels' own websites.
- Booked the remaining hotels using Chase reward points

I use booking.com for hotel bookings only when a hotel doesn't have its own website.

I have checked all the hotels' sites against Booking.com, and Booking.com has always been cheaper.
I get 20-30% off because I have used it so long, and I can change it faster and more easily on Booking.com.

Skyscanner found me the best deals, sometimes not found anywhere else. They call it "hacker deals."
On car rental, I keep finding new sites all the time because every country is different.

 

[Drake3287]

I always book directly with the hotels themselves. Having a wife who was in the wholesale travel business for 30 years, I'd never use a third party company for international trips. I've heard nothing but horror stories for 30 years. Once you get to where ever you're going and have a problem, you need to deal with that third party company over the phone, not the hotel itself. Most hotels offer a guaranteed lowest rate anyway when you book direct.

 

[FD1000]

I’ve been using Booking.com for over 15 years and have had zero complaints.

In my experience, hotels rarely beat the prices I get there because I get 20–30% off. I also avoid large and/or known chains and instead look for highly rated local hotels with great value. Many of these smaller, boutique-style places don’t even have their own websites, and we really enjoy that more personal touch.

Another advantage is the volume of reviews. Booking.com has far more ratings than most platforms, but you need to know how to read between the lines to get the full picture.

Even after booking, I continue using the platform to communicate with the property and gather additional details, which keeps the whole process seamless. I also submit special requests to the owners, and they’re usually very accommodating.

In most cases, I reserve at least 2 hotels on the same date, and sometimes on different dates, because things may change. Every trip that I planned over the years had a few changes weeks before the start as I found more data. Cancelling later is so easy.

Booking.com isn't always the cheapest. Many times another site matched their price. I have used Agoda a few times. In the last 2-3 years I have used mostly Booking.com.
Two years ago in a place with very limited hotels in New Zealand, VRBO was the only great option I could find.
It was half the price than the rest and the best accomodation.

 

[athena53]

Lots of research but we enjoy doing it. . Once I we started DIY we just kept on. Lots of learnings from others we met along the way, and from people with whom we formed lasting friendships with in various parts of the world. And from various websites.

I'm the same way, but this reminded me of a coworker back in the late 1990s before so much could be done on the Internet (and he wasn't very good at the Internet anyway). He and his wife wanted to go to Alaska and he went to the library, bought guidebooks, got brochures, etc. and put together a custom itinerary with all the things they wanted to do- and gave it to the travel agent to book. He proudly told me that the travel agent re-used that itinerary for other clients.

Our small consulting firm used a travel agency right down the road- I remember the one woman had business cards out with her name: Eleanor ("Chickie") + her last name. Biased of me, I suppose, but I'd have left that nickname off my business card.

Eventually the coworker, who was the 70+year old founder of the firm, started having me research airfares using the cryptic Sabre system before calling Chickie.

 

[CO-guy]

I always book directly with the hotels themselves. Having a wife who was in the wholesale travel business for 30 years, I'd never use a third party company for international trips. I've heard nothing but horror stories for 30 years. Once you get to where ever you're going and have a problem, you need to deal with that third party company over the phone, not the hotel itself. Most hotels offer a guaranteed lowest rate anyway when you book direct.

Agreed. I might search for hotels on a 3rd party site like Booking.com, but then we try to contact the hotel directly. There have been occasions with smaller hotels in Europe and elsewhere where their preferred booking method is Booking.com. However, overwhelmingly hotels appreciate the direct contact and are happy to honor any price on Booking.com, etc. for a direct booking since it saves the hotel the cost of paying that middleman.

 

[walkinwood]

I have checked all the hotels' sites against Booking.com, and Booking.com has always been cheaper.
I get 20-30% off because I have used it so long, and I can change it faster and more easily on Booking.com.

Skyscanner found me the best deals, sometimes not found anywhere else. They call it "hacker deals."
On car rental, I keep finding new sites all the time because every country is different.

Do you use the 3rd party booking sites for airfares or do you go to the airline website?

 

[FD1000]

Do you use the 3rd party booking sites for airfares or do you go to the airline website?

I usually start with Skyscanner to get a quick sense of pricing and flight options. For major airlines like Delta, it typically redirects you to the airline’s website to complete the booking. If the price is the same—or higher—I’ll just book directly with the airline.
That said, Skyscanner can sometimes surface cheaper fares, especially in smaller or less common markets where deals are easier to miss.
Overall, Skyscanner is a powerful travel meta-search tool that compares flights, hotels, and car rentals across a wide range of providers in real time. It doesn’t handle bookings itself but sends you to the airline or travel site to finalize your reservation—often helping you find the best available price.

 

[FD1000]

Agreed. I might search for hotels on a 3rd party site like Booking.com, but then we try to contact the hotel directly. There have been occasions with smaller hotels in Europe and elsewhere where their preferred booking method is Booking.com. However, overwhelmingly hotels appreciate the direct contact and are happy to honor any price on Booking.com, etc. for a direct booking since it saves the hotel the cost of paying that middleman.

My trip-planning process takes time, but it helps me stay flexible while still locking in good options.
First pass: I map out where I want to be. For a typical 2–3 week trip in one country, that usually means booking 8–10 hotels. Since I’m not completely sure about my timing yet, I’ll often double or even triple book to keep strong options open. For example, if I’m unsure whether I need one or two nights starting June 2, I might book two separate one-night stays and one two-night stay.
Second pass: After more in-depth research, my itinerary starts to take shape. At this stage, I cancel most of the duplicate reservations but keep a couple of options in major cities where flexibility matters more.
Final pass: Once everything is clear, I lock in the final hotel choices.

I also revisit my bookings about once a month to see if I can rebook at a lower price.

Could I call each hotel instead? Sure—but that approach is much more time-consuming and hardly gets you better prices. It sure doesn't get you more flexibility. Since we don’t stay long in any one place and prefer to keep moving for a wider range of experiences, this system works better for us—especially since we usually travel by car.

Hotels are by far our biggest expense, where I find great bargain options.
Sometimes Booking.com sends me extra money for a hotel or a free taxi to the airport.
Big tech have been ruling the world. The small guys are eaten alive.

Although we have T-Mobile, calling outside the US costs money. If they use Whatsup, it's free.

 

[Flyfish1]

So, I'm probably in the minority here. I email my travel agent, a young lady whose parents we met while traveling in Australia/NZ, I tell her what I'm interested in and she makes it happen. Done. But we are also overly simple - we travel with Tauck. Spoiled..maybe. Liking it ...ummm yep. We may do Regents Seven Seas cruises one day. Not sure.

For an upcoming Costa Rica trip with the kids we engaged a travel company in CR to arrange things, airport transfers, vans, hotels, day trips, etc.. So easy. Just write the checks!

Domestically, VRBO and AirBNB or Marriott directly. Although having stayed in the Four Seasons in Kyoto I may reconsider Marriott and go for the Four Seasons. DW saw a Hollywood celeb there and it made her day.

I worked long and hard for decades. Not going to skimp on travel and try to save $2 - $3K per year by figuring out all the details myself.

 

[Scrapr]

One app for traveling options once you are on the ground in your city is Citymapper. We like it a bit better than Google maps for in city walking. Although we usually have both running at the same time. Good for train & in city transport options

Citymapper - The Ultimate Transport App

The ultimate transport app - iPhone / Android / Web

citymapper.com

 

[CO-guy]

My trip-planning process takes time, but it helps me stay flexible while still locking in good options.
First pass: I map out where I want to be. For a typical 2–3 week trip in one country, that usually means booking 8–10 hotels. Since I’m not completely sure about my timing yet, I’ll often double or even triple book to keep strong options open. For example, if I’m unsure whether I need one or two nights starting June 2, I might book two separate one-night stays and one two-night stay.
Second pass: After more in-depth research, my itinerary starts to take shape. At this stage, I cancel most of the duplicate reservations but keep a couple of options in major cities where flexibility matters more.
Final pass: Once everything is clear, I lock in the final hotel choices.

I also revisit my bookings about once a month to see if I can rebook at a lower price.

Could I call each hotel instead? Sure—but that approach is much more time-consuming and hardly gets you better prices. It sure doesn't get you more flexibility. Since we don’t stay long in any one place and prefer to keep moving for a wider range of experiences, this system works better for us—especially since we usually travel by car.

Hotels are by far our biggest expense, where I find great bargain options.
Sometimes Booking.com sends me extra money for a hotel or a free taxi to the airport.
Big tech have been ruling the world. The small guys are eaten alive.

Although we have T-Mobile, calling outside the US costs money. If they use Whatsup, it's free.

Wow! You're right. That does sound time consuming. Glad it's w*rking for you, but we take a simpler approach when researching a destination and create flexibility by not reserving every day/night in advance. In general we:

1. Figure out what we want to do/see and how long to spend there
2. Decide where we want to stay and reserve our stay(s)
3. Arrive at our destination(s) and, adjusting for weather, do as planned

How travel expenses are allocated depends on the destination and type of trip we want to have. Traveling in Italy last summer, mostly by car, accommodations and food/beverage were about equal, plus transportation and entertainment were another large portion (flights, rental car, train/bus tickets). In contrast, the food in Japan was surprisingly inexpensive compared to hotels in Tokyo and Hakuba, but flights were a tremendous part of the expense of that trip. So no one size fits all for us.

 

[bonvoyage]

My trip-planning process takes time, but it helps me stay flexible while still locking in good options.
First pass: I map out where I want to be. For a typical 2–3 week trip in one country, that usually means booking 8–10 hotels. Since I’m not completely sure about my timing yet, I’ll often double or even triple book to keep strong options open. For example, if I’m unsure whether I need one or two nights starting June 2, I might book two separate one-night stays and one two-night stay.
Second pass: After more in-depth research, my itinerary starts to take shape. At this stage, I cancel most of the duplicate reservations but keep a couple of options in major cities where flexibility matters more.
Final pass: Once everything is clear, I lock in the final hotel choices.

I also revisit my bookings about once a month to see if I can rebook at a lower price.

Could I call each hotel instead? Sure—but that approach is much more time-consuming and hardly gets you better prices. It sure doesn't get you more flexibility. Since we don’t stay long in any one place and prefer to keep moving for a wider range of experiences, this system works better for us—especially since we usually travel by car.

Hotels are by far our biggest expense, where I find great bargain options.
Sometimes Booking.com sends me extra money for a hotel or a free taxi to the airport.
Big tech have been ruling the world. The small guys are eaten alive.

Although we have T-Mobile, calling outside the US costs money. If they use Whatsup, it's free.

It's interesting to see how others plan travel. When we visited Greece last year, I started by making a list of the places I wanted to see (Athens, Corinth, Mycenae, Epidavros, Mystras, Olympia and Delphi). I then identified which towns would be there best bases from which to visit these sights (Athens, Nafplio, Areopoli, Kalamata and Nafpaktos). After that, I looked for hotels in the selected towns using Apple or Google Maps to ensure that the hotel (location, nice views, near restaurants etc). Whenever possible, I booked directly on the hotel's own website or if none was available, used booking.com. Once I find what appears to be a decent hotel, I just stick to it and don't change my reservations. I usually select high-end hotels but for splurgy choices use my Chase reward points.