When booking a vacation, finding the best deal is one of your top priorities, right?
For me, I browse dozens of various sites looking for the best airfare, hotel and rental car company. If I can save even $ 10, I will book through that site. Little savings here and there really do add up – and if you’re like me, the more you can save on airfare and hotels, the more spending money you have.
With that in mind, here is a look at some of the best travel sites and how they promote themselves on social media.
Kayak
Kayak.com is a travel search engine that allows you to search and compare hundreds of travel sites at once. Their slogan, Search One and Done, sums it up perfectly – it’s your one-stop online travel guide for landing the best rates on airfare, hotels, cars and vacation packages. Their goal is to be the Google of travel sites – and it appears as though they’re making it happen!
Smarter Travel
SmarterTravel.com is not just a travel-booking site; it’s an all-encompassing booking-meets-informational guide. The site offers travel deals, of course, but it also gives readers valuable information on traveling in general. Articles on the site include topics such as preparing your cell phone for your next trip, best destinations seen from an airplane, how to avoid getting ripped off on your car rental and more. It’s easy to navigate, offers “Editor’s Picks” airfare deals and a free newsletter.
Hotels.com
When booking just a hotel, Hotels.com is always where I wind up. It’s super easy to navigate, offers hundreds upon hundreds of hotels to choose from and always seems to land me the best price. They offer a “Deal of the Day” and have an ongoing deal where if you book ten nights through them, you receive one night free.
Travelocity
Travelocity.com offers some of the best deals on vacation packages and cruises on the web. They offer a “Travelocity guarantee” which guarantees that if you find a lower price online, they will match that price and refund you the difference. They recently eliminated booking fees and Travelocity charges, making them one of the most affordable travel sites around.
Hotels Cheap
Hotelscheap.org was developed in 2002 and has been going strong ever since. They’re a discount hotel travel site that specializes on world travelers. They provide a price-match guarantee and coupons on their already low prices. Whether you’re looking for a hotel and casino on Las Vegas’ Strip or a quaint bed-and-breakfast in Europe, Hotels Cheap has what you’re looking for.
Orbitz
Like Travelocity.com, Orbitz.com doesn’t charge any booking fees. The site lists “Hot hotel deals” on the homepage along with top flight and hotel destinations. They have a free mobile app for ultra-fast booking and an Orbitz Rewards program where you earn 5% on hotels and 1% on flights and packages – redeemable instantly!
Priceline
Priceline is one of the cheapest sites to book hotels and airfare, but it’s risky because you book blindly. For hotels, you tell the website what city you want to stay in, how many stars you want, the price and the general location, but you won’t know the actual name of the hotel until you book. Same goes for flights – you pick where you’re going and how much you want to pay, but the time of the flight isn’t revealed until you book. Priceline is perfect for non-picky travelers who are flexible!
Travel sites and social media
Many if not all travel sites are using social media to gain traffic, get new customers and grow their brand.
A Twitter account and Facebook page are necessary tools for travel sites to have since it’s a way of reaching millions and millions of potential customers. Individual hotels, airlines, cruise ships and rental car companies are all making headway in the social media world, so it’s only natural for travel sites to jump on board, as well.
For airlines, JetBlue has the biggest Twitter (@JetBlue) following with more than 2 million followers, and for hotels, Wynn Las Vegas (@WynnLasVegas) is leading the way on Twitter, according to Skift.
HeBS Digital found that more than 40% of online travel traffic comes from mobile devices, such as tablets or smart phones. This is proof that world has gone digital. Consumers are in-the-know constantly by means of social media.
Travel sites that use social media can make strong headway in terms of growing their brand, since consumers are seeking fast, relevant information that’s up-to-date by the minute.
The more these travel sites can advertise on social media and gain followers, the more successful they’ll be.
Social media isn’t going away anytime soon, and it’s by-far the most affordable way to market your brand.
About The Author
Sarah Brooks is a freelance writer living in Glendale, AZ. Her topics include cheap Vegas hotels, personal finance and travel.
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