Booking your travel should not have to be a difficult process. You want to be able to find a good site that makes it simple for you to book everything that you need when you are going on a vacation. This is also going to be imperative for anyone who does a lot of travel due to business. Thankfully, there are many good travel booking sites out there for you to consider.
Today we will be going over the best travel sites for booking an inexpensive flight, car rentals, and hotels. This will give you several options to consider so that you can find the sites that will work best for you. We are going to be listing three sites for each of the three categories. Once you see what each of them has to offer, you’ll be able to pick your favorites and start booking your travel as conveniently as possible.
Top Flight Booking Sites
Expedia
Expedia is a tried and true flight booking site that is going to be one of your best options. One of the reasons that people have been turning to Expedia for years is the fact that this company offers a rewards program. It is possible to earn miles that can be used toward your airfare expenses. The rewards program is also beneficial when it comes to booking hotels, making it a great option for many travel purposes.
This site makes it easy to find the flights that you want, too. You should have no trouble seeing what the best airfare options are. This is a good site that has a clean look. Many people use it all the time, and it has become one of the premier flight booking sites for a reason.
There may be other flight booking sites that will offer better deals, though. This is a customer-friendly site that gives good rewards. They’re worth keeping in mind, but you may also want to check into what the other flight booking sites are offering.
Pros
- Customer-friendly site
- Offers a rewards program
- Makes it easy to find flights and see the least expensive options
Cons
- Some sites might be less expensive
Travelocity
Travelocity is one of the most well-known sites for booking an inexpensive flight. They offer users many great benefits that will make booking a flight that much more convenient. For example, you can make use of their price match guarantee to keep your prices low. It is also possible to enjoy free cancellation in the first 24 hours when you change your mind about booking a flight.
You can also make use of opaque fares when booking flights through Travelocity. This can help you to save even more money than usual. The downside to this is that you don’t know all of the details of your flight ahead of time. You’ll only see the final flight details after you complete the purchase.
If you’re flexible with your times for when you’re going to go on your trip, then making use of opaque fares will be smart. It can keep your costs as low as possible, while still getting you where you need to go. Keep this in mind if saving money on airfare is really important to you. This won’t be the most convenient option for everyone, but Travelocity does offer great rates on normal flights too.
Pros
- Easy to find great deals on flights
- They offer opaque rates
- Free cancellation within 24 hours
- Price match guarantee
Cons
- Opaque fares are not ideal for everyone
- You may be charged a booking fee
Priceline
Priceline is probably one of the most well-known flight booking sites around. They have become popular for a good reason, too. You will love the overall feel of this site, and it is easy to navigate. It makes searching for flights as simple as it can possibly be. You’ll even be able to get some of the lowest possible rates when using Priceline to book your next flight.
One of the reasons that the prices are so good on Priceline is that they offer opaque fares as well. Much like Travelocity, you will be able to book flights more inexpensively when you do not know all of the details. The problem is that these flights may not be refundable if you decide to cancel. Regardless, many people use this to their advantage to get a really good price for a flight.
Standard flights are going to be a good deal when using Priceline as well. They are generally able to match up to the other prices being offered by different flight booking sites. This is a site that you will want to bookmark if you have an upcoming trip. It’s likely that you’ll find one of the best possible prices if you decide to book through Priceline.
Pros
- User-friendly site
- Great airfare rates
- They offer opaque fares
Cons
- Opaque fares may not be refundable in all instances
Top Car Rental Booking Sites
[earnist_link ref=”hotwire-car-rental-book-now” id=”12888″]Hotwire[/earnist_link]
[earnist ref=”hotwire-car-rental-book-now” id=”12888″]
Hotwire is an ideal option for people who want to be able to save as much money as possible on renting a car. The reason that Hotwire is such a desirable car rental booking site is that they offer opaque rates. This means that you can get a really good deal on a car rental, but you may not know all of the details until you pay for the booking. The car rental may also wind up being ineligible for refunds, so there is a bit of risk involved.
Even so, many people use this to their advantage. You may not know about the rental company ahead of booking your car, but you’ll still certainly get a good car. Being able to enjoy the lowest possible car rental rates makes a really big difference. It makes it more practical for people to rent cars for their trips.
Most major car rental businesses are going to offer the same types of cars anyway. It winds up making little difference whom you are getting the rental car from, in most cases. This means that booking through Hotwire is a pure chance to save a lot of money. If you like getting a good deal, then consider using Hotwire as your car rental booking site of choice.
Pros
- Offers the least expensive possible car rentals
- Easy to use interface
Cons
- You may not know much about the details of your car rental ahead of paying
- Many of these bookings have no refund options available
Read our full Hotwire review.
Priceline
Priceline is actually very similar to Hotwire when it comes to booking your car rentals. They also offer opaque rates, and they may even wind up offering lower prices than Hotwire in certain instances. Overall, Hotwire usually wins the head-to-head battle for lower rates. It may be worthwhile to search the rates on both sites to ensure that you’re getting the lowest price possible.
This is a great car rental booking site that will give you access to rental cars in many places. It seems to offer some of the lowest rates in many of the biggest US cities. It’s worth checking Priceline out to see how low their prices are. The Priceline site is very easy to use as well, making it a nice booking site for people who want to keep things user-friendly.
One potential downside is that opaque rates do not seem to be offered in Europe. You may still be able to get a good deal, but you’ll likely save the most when renting cars in the US. As long as you go in with the right expectations, Priceline will provide you with a good overall experience.
Pros
- Offers opaque rates
- One of the least expensive car rental booking sites for many US cities
- User-friendly site
Cons
- No opaque rates in Europe
- May not be as inexpensive as Hotwire in some cases
Expedia
Expedia is going to be one of the top options for finding inexpensive car rentals. If you want to book your car along with your flight, then this is going to be one of the most convenient options. As mentioned above, Expedia is a good source for finding inexpensive flights as well. You should be able to find an overall good deal on a rental car, and it’ll be easy to add it onto your flight purchase.
The reason that Expedia is on this list is due to the ability to bundle and save. If you want to purchase airfare, a rental car, and book a hotel, then you can bundle all three together. This gives you the opportunity to save a good bit of money. When you do all three together, you’re going to get the most lucrative deal.
The one problem with this site is that it does not offer opaque rates. This means that it is not going to be the least expensive source for car rentals. Hotwire and Priceline may beat Expedia for pure car rentals due to offering opaque rates. Some people don’t like the idea of opaque rates, though, so this will be an ideal car booking site for many people.
Pros
- Good overall prices
- Ability to bundle and save
Cons
- Doesn’t offer opaque rates
Top Hotel Booking Sites
[earnist_link ref=”hotels-com-book-now” id=”12826″]Hotels.com[/earnist_link]
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You may have heard about Hotels.com as it has become one of the more popular hotel booking sites around. This is a site that can offer you great deals while making it easy to search for what you need. It has many filters that will help you to narrow your search. If you know what you want, then Hotels.com is an ideal choice.
You’ll be able to find both really inexpensive hotels and really nice hotels when using this site. The results generally give you a great mix of affordable options and high-end experiences. The aforementioned filters can narrow things to focus on the types of hotels that you’re interested in. The prices offered by this site are generally among the best.
The only real issue that you will encounter is that sold out rooms will sometimes pop up in the results. This can be a bit of a nuisance. Also, the results will often show available condos as well as bed and breakfast businesses. If you just want normal hotels, then you may need to tweak the filters before searching.
Pros
- Great prices
- Many filters to help you narrow your searches
- A good source for both inexpensive hotels and high-end hotels
Cons
- Shows results for things like condos and bed and breakfast businesses
- Sometimes sold out rooms pop up in the results
TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor works by showing you many of the best hotel deals from several different sites. This allows you to really compare prices and work to get the best deal. If you like the idea of being able to compare prices, then TripAdvisor is going to be a perfect fit. If you use the search tool to its full potential, then you can save a lot of money on hotels.
The TripAdvisor site also displays information such as hotel reviews alongside the prices. This makes it easier to see whether the hotel that you’re thinking about booking is worth your while. It can keep you from booking a hotel that will wind up being less than ideal. It’s a streamlined experience that makes it easy to do all of the necessary research on a hotel without the need to leave the site.
The actual booking of the hotels is done through Booking.com. Regardless, this is a good site to use due to the information that it can provide you. You’re very likely to get the best deal or close to the best deal when using TripAdvisor. You’ll be able to search the best available prices from many sources and can then make an informed decision.
Pros
- Gives you information from many booking sites
- Shows you hotel reviews
- Makes it easy to compare prices
Cons
- A few sites such as Agoda may not be searched
Priceline
Priceline is once again an ideal option here. This is a site that gives you one of the best-looking websites while also keeping things super user-friendly. When you want to have a good overall experience, you can’t go wrong with Priceline. You’ll be able to count on finding a good deal on your next hotel, as well.
One of the best aspects of Priceline when it comes to booking hotels is the name your own price feature. You can enter an amount that you are willing to pay for a hotel room. A hotel will then be able to choose to match your desired price, or they can decline. This is a handy feature that can lead to your getting rooms for a very low price.
The normal prices that you will find on Priceline are all very good, too. Truth be told, the prices are not going to differ dramatically when you look at any of the top hotel booking sites. Priceline is a great option that makes finding your ideal hotel simple. For this reason, it is worth your consideration.
Pros
- A great website that is user-friendly
- Makes it easy to find hotels
- Name your own price tool
- Availability of flash deals
Cons
- Some flash deals may not offer refunds after they’ve been booked
Our Last Thoughts
All of the above sites are going to be useful for booking travel. Whether you’re in need of airfare, car rentals, or hotels, you’ll now know where you can turn. These sites are all great at helping you to save money on travel expenses. Using them to their full potential will help you to keep more of your money in your wallet where it belongs. Another resource that wasn’t mentioned above is Costco Travel, which is available to those with a Costco membership.
If you need help with booking a flight, car rental, or hotel, then don’t hesitate to use one of these sites. They’re all very good and will work for your needs. You should be able to get the best possible deals, and you’ll be happy with the experience.
