WAYS TO BOOK TRAVEL
We like Booking.com or Expedia for hotels when there are two of you. You will enjoy the simplicity of the booking process and how easy it is to find different room options. Check them both for your final choice, as rates are always changing. Many reservations can be cancelled up to 48 hours before arrival at no charge. Use this feature to make a first cut at all your hotels for an entire trip. Then fine tune and cancel if needed when your route changes as you plan.
For more than 2 people, check Air BnB and Vrbo, especially for longer stays or larger groups.
Exodus, G Adventures, Intrepid and Gate1 Travel are all great for booking tours. Viator used to offer great day trips, but they have moved towards expensive private tours instead. Gate1 Travel is impressive not only for quality but for price too. Once you’ve travelled with them, you’ll find yourself booking future tours online without anyone’s assistance. Make sure to subscibe to their specials, as you can get substantial discounts on your tours.
Shore excursions can be an expensive proposition for cruisers. Shore Excursion Group solves this by offering substantial savings and the best guarantee in the industry. Their independently operated tours are never late back to the ship, but they guarantee to cover all your expenses and make all arrangements to catch the ship if you were to miss it. They always wait patiently at the pier with a sign displaying your name.
The internet has virtually eliminated the involvement of travel agents in booking non-business air fares. Major airlines often only pay a few dollars of commission on bookings. Although there are options like Kayak to search competitive pricing, Google Flights is a good place to start. Booking directly with airlines is better than using Expedia for flights because Expedia can’t solve booking issues as readily as the actual airlines. Spend the time during your search to find alternate routes that include overnights. The longer you search, the more often you find an interesting route that also saves you money.