Travel Question - Experience with Travelocity/Expedia?

J

Jody

Cathlete
I am planning a big trip early next year and have been checking prices on sites such as Expedia and Travelocity and am excited at what great prices they offer, but am a little scared, as I've never gone through an online travel site before. Are they any better than (or worse than) a regular travel agent?

In all honesty, I'd rather book my flight and hotel myself, but it seem so much more expensive to do it that way. However, I'm wondering if the hotels give preference to those guests who book directly on their sites instead of through a third party (better rooms/upgrades, etc.).

Anyone have good/bad experiences or knowledge they could share?

Thanks!
 
I have used travelocity for airline reservations only, but my experience has been great. No problems or issues, so I say take advantage of the good rates.
 
Hello Jody.

For the past two years, I've been booking with Travelocity by flying with Continental and NWA. For myself, I like to sit mid-plane near the wing or right behind First Class. Travelocity contacts the airline on my behalf and the airline accomodates but they still encourage early sign in to be sure I will get my seats. Also, Travelocity also kept me up on my flight changes for the last leg of my most recent trip. I did some looking around an ended flying out one hour away from my home instead of the local airport cause it was so much cheaper. Book ahead as far as you can too/

Have fun on your trip.
 
I have used Travelocity a couple of times and have not had any problems. The airline did once change my flight but I called Travelocity and changed it to another time that would work better for me, without any fee's.
 
Jody, I have to tell you a funny story. My DH and I took a trip to Vancouver Island last month. I spent a lot of time planning and getting the best prices on hotels. We stayed at a super-luxurious hotel and the lowest price offered was from Orbit. (Some hotels were lower on Travelocity or Expedia, but this one was lowest on Orbit. I think they're all the same.) I was concerned about being treated differently. When we arrived at the hotel, I scrutinized the room description the hotel clerk gave us and announced that it was "not the room we reserved" and went into a rant with the clerk. When I had finally finished, the clerk looked at me and said "That's fine, ma'am. You can have the room you reserved. It's our policy to upgrade our guests whenever there is a vacancy in a better room." I had to eat my words. The room we got had a separate living room and was a significant upgrade, and the price was the same. Long story short: don't be afraid of Orbit, Expedia, Priceline, Travelocity et al. You will be treated like any other guest. ;):D
And, oh yeah, listen carefully before you stick your foot in your mouth. :p
 
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LOL, Nancy!

I've used Orbitz for both airline tickets and hotel reservations and had no problems. However, if you do find a hotel that you like on Orbitz/Travelocity/Expedia, it can sometimes pay to check them out directly as well, there may be deals or packages not advertised on those.
 
I have used Expedia and Travelocity with few problems in the past. I always check out the airlines directly though before booking with an alternate website. Many times the price might look cheaper on another site, but sometimes that is because they do not have the taxes and fees added in. You have to make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Another problem I have had and maybe this has changed now is that if you do need to make a change, not only does the airline charge you a fee, but the website you booked through may charge a fee too. That may not be true on all the sites though. I almost always find the flights for the same price on the airline's main page, so it has been a while since I have used any of the other travel sites.
 
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