The art of knowing how to find good travel websites can more correctly be said to be the art of finding a series of good sites. That’s because, on the internet, almost every search begins with one of the major search engines, and then has to be followed from one site to another. Whether it be via Binging or Googling or something else, the search engines provide a jump-off point for this exploration.
The destination is almost always the first thing that needs to be decided and researched, so the search engine has to be used to find target specific sites. The next step is to find suitable hotels at the chosen destination. The final step involves finding the best available rate for the selected hotel, or vacation packages or hotel + air packages.
So, stage 1 is where the traveler finds a suitable destination website or a travel metasearch site by using a search engine. Step 2 is where the traveler has to find a site which lists details about every hotel at this destination. Here again, there are some ways – other than review sites – to find the best hotel and the best possible rate for a hotel which looks good.
A great many travelers only head straight for their favorite OTA (online travel agency). The OTAs have listings for every possible destination, neatly categorized according to country and state or city. Every single listing has pictures and room rates and a list of amenities and everything that a traveler needs to decide whether or not to book the hotel.
An accelerating number of people are also finding hotels directly via search engines. Typing in the destination name+hotel (as in XYZ hotels) results in a listing of the websites of the best hotels at target XYZ. So the traveler can go directly to the hotel website and book it there itself. This usually is the best available rate for the hotel in question.
Another good way to reduce the cost of a hotel room is to use an opaque bidding website. A traveler types in the destination along with a hotel star-rating and the budget (room rate per night). If there is a hotel that meets the requirements, room is booked without letting the traveler know the name of the hotel.
How to find useful travel websites for booking flights is another matter altogether. This search begins directly at either an airfare comparison tool or a metasearch site. The traveler inputs the date, and to and from airports. The result is a complete listing of all flights on the route for the particular time. The listings include airline name, ticket price, and other relevant information.
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