Which Travel Booking Site is the Best?
Which Travel Booking Site is the Best?
Have you ever wondered which travel booking site is the best? With so many to choose from it’s hard to know which one actually offers the best deal. So, I took a sampling from some of the travel booking sites I use the most to find out which one(s) came out on top.
Scroll to the bottom for the final results and coupon links for the winners!!!
For each search I used identical parameters, paid careful attention to the details, and clicked through to the final payment page to be sure all taxes and fees were included.
For each search I used identical parameters, paid careful attention to the details, and clicked through to the final payment page to be sure all taxes and fees were included.
Hotels
For my first search, I looked for a room for 1 night in Jensen Beach Florida. We used to live there and loved the town. Beach access every mile, little to no crowds, and beautiful sunrises. I searched on Booking.com, ID90 Travel, and Expedia, which have been some of my go-to sites in the past. So, let’s look at the results.
The first hotel I chose was Jensen Beach Inn. All 3 sites listed a room with a king size bed at the hotel, however Booking.com did not list the room name and came in higher than the others. So, I’m not positive it was an identical room. But, since I clicked on it, let’s take a look.
Booking.com results for Jensen Beach Inn - They came in with the highest price!
ID90 Travel results for Jensen Beach Inn came in $0.88 higher than Expedia
Expedia results for Jensen Beach Inn - winner of this challenge with the best price!
The next hotel I chose was the Marriott. I was able to find identical rooms on all three booking sites which is what I wanted for an accurate comparison.
The next hotel I chose was the Marriott. I was able to find identical rooms on all three booking sites which is what I wanted for an accurate comparison.
Booking.com results for the Marriott came in $11.02 higher than ID90 Travel but $0.01 under Expedia
ID90 Travel results for the Marriott came in well under the competitors for the win!
Expedia results for the Marriott were the highest!
Flights
Unfortunately, my search for flights didn’t go as planned. I’m an airline employee so I don’t usually search travel booking sites for airfare. Booking.com took me to an external booking site called Vayama which I didn’t like. It also only searched American Airlines and Delta.
ID90 Travel only sells flights to airline employees, however if you are an airline employee they have great deals on Alaska Airlines, Frontier, Ravn, Spirit, and Sun Country.
If I had to choose a winner for this one it would be Expedia because they searched the most airlines for all users, Delta, United, American, and Jetblue.
However, as an airline employee, I must recommend that if you search for and book flights on a booking site, be sure to confirm flight times a week before heading to the airport. We’ve had far too many passengers arrive an hour after their flight departed with the same story, that the booking site never told them flight times changed. If you can book directly with the airline after your search that is best. If you must book flights through the booking site just be sure to check flight times before heading out.
If you can book directly with the airline after your search that is best. If you must book flights through the booking site just be sure to check flight times before heading out.
Cars
For rental cars I had to swap Booking.com for Costco Travel. Booking.com doesn’t do rental cars and Costco has been my usual go-to for rental cars, so I was curious to know how they stacked up. I searched for a one day rental with a 10am pickup and and 10am dropoff and chose an economy car from Avis on all three sites.
Costco economy rental car from Avis is the winner!
ID90 Travel economy car rental from Avis is a great option if you don't have a Costco membership - $1.24 more than Costco.
Expedia economy car rental from Avis was higher than the competition
Cruises
I searched for a cruise to the Bahamas because it's a common cruise destination and narrowed my selection down by choosing Royal Caribbean. I chose the Mariner of the Seas departing from Miami for 3 days with a departure date of October 29th. I began by searching for a cruise for 1 person.
Costco 1 person cruise pricing was higher than ID90 Travel
ID90 Travel 1 person cruise pricing was the clear winner here by $40 or $15 after the Costco reward card was added
Expedia 1 person cruise pricing was by far the worst
After seeing the offer from Expedia for half off the second person, I decided to do an additional search for 2 people to see if the results differed.
Costco 2 person cruise pricing was still more expensive than the ID90 Travel price
ID90 Travel 2 person cruise pricing was the clear winner - $80 under Costco or $55 under after the Costco reward card.
Expedia 2 person cruise pricing was again the worst but at least closer to the competition this time.
Recap
So, after all of my research I discovered that Costco Travel is best for car rentals as I had suspected. However, if you don’t have a Costco membership you can book with ID90 Travel which came up at just $1 more.
Costco Travel is best for car rentals as I had suspected. However, if you don’t have a Costco membership you can book with ID90 Travel which came up at just $1 more.
ID90 Travel is best for cruises and hotels. While Expedia beat ID90 Travel on the first hotel by $0.88, ID90 Travel beat Expedia on the second hotel by $11.
ID90 Travel is best for cruises and hotels.
Expedia is best for flights unless you are an airline employee, however, I would be curious how it compares to kayak or travelocity. And, remember, after your search try to visit the airline website with the best deal and book directly with them so you receive flight updates in real time.
Expedia is best for flights unless you are an airline employee.
Sadly, Booking.com never came out on top. I have used them in the past, but maybe they've changed things a bit since then. I hope this helped you narrow your search and saves you some time and money on future travels.
Coupons
I absolutely love ID90 Travel. I believe they originally began as a booking site for airline employees but have since branched out. They have been one of my go-to sites for awhile now. Check them out, you won’t be disappointed.
And...since I love saving you money, if you click the link or copy and paste it into your browser it will take you directly to the ID90 Travel site and give you a coupon for $10 off your first booking.
https://www.id90travel.com/membership/new?invite_code=MzM0MDQ2X0lG6dbe65&c=3
If you haven’t already checked out Airbnb you should check into that as well. Feel free to click the link or copy and paste it into your browser for $40 off your first trip. Travel never felt so good!
