a. Know the differences between aggregators and third-party sites
- Aggregators such as Kayak, they scan airlines and other sites and point you to other sites to buy.
- Third-party booking sites, such as Expedia, might not offer the full picture because some airlines might not sell through third party sites.
b. Many sites belong to the same owner
- Expedia owns Travelocity, Orbitz, and Hotwire
- Booking Holdings owns Priceline, Kayak, Momondo, and Booking.com
c. Check out less well knowns
- Hipmunk, Google Flights, CheapOair, Airfarewatchdog, and Skyscanner
- Stand-alone airfare apps, such as Hopper, Kiwi, and Hitlist
Lodging
a. Online private rentals
- HomeAway, VRBO, VacationRentals, Airbnb, TripAdvisor, FlipKey, Booking.com
b. Niche sites
- Onefinestay (luxury rentals), Wimdu (rentals in Europe), Homestay (lodge for a family), Misterb&b (gay travelers)
c. Hotel reviews
- Hotels.com and TripAdvisors are good places to read reviews
d. Last minute deals
- HotelTonight, One:Night
e. Book directly from hotels
- Many undercut third-party booking sites and offer web-only discounts
Cruise
a. CruiseCompete: it compares offers from multiple travel agents
b. Websites specialize in cruising
- They may offer incentives and discounts, some top sites are: Cruise.com, CruisesOnly, SeaHub, iCruise.com, VacationsToGo.com, CruiseDirect
c. Seasons with best deals
- Wave season (Jan - Mar), Hurricane season for Caribbeans, Spring and Fall for Alaska, One-way repositioning cruises
Package Tours
Check out The United States Tour Operators Association: it is a good online resource