2015-05-14



You’ve come to the #1 source for all of the top travel websites being used to book cheap flights tickets, rental cars, hotels, last minute flights, all inclusive vacations and more.

There are so many travel website companies out there it’s hard to figure out which one to use. Some do everything pretty good, while others do one or two things amazingly well.

After more than a decade of booking travel online, I’d like to share all of the best ways on saving money.

Best Tips On Saving Money Using Travel Websites

You can jump straight to the list of the best travel websites below if you’d like, but I’ll going to share a few tidbits that may help you save a little extra money.

Travel Credit Card:

This is probably very obvious for many of you out there, but you should definitely get a good travel credit card if you don’t already have one.

Travel credit cards come in several varieties, from airline and hotel branded cards, travel website branded cards, and general points/miles earning cards. Sometimes you won’t know which type of card to apply for until you’ve done a good amount of traveling.

After you’ve had a few bookings under your belt, you’ll have a better understanding of whether you prefer traveling on a certain airline, staying at a certain hotel chain, or booking through one particular travel website. This will help you decide if you prefer a card that earns rewards for a particular airline/hotel or if you just want an all around travel rewards card.

For many folks, sometimes this could mean more than one card to maximize your benefits. Either way, you should compare all the best available cards before deciding:

*Compare all the best card offers.

Personally, I sign up for a new credit card once or twice a year that offers a good sign-on bonus, and use that bonus towards my travels. I then have an ongoing, everyday card that I use to earn cash back rewards. I use the Priceline Visa card because I generally book most of my travel using Priceline.com (I wrote about saving money on hotels with Priceline here).

Use A Shopping Portal!

This is a must do! Even if you prefer not to apply for a new travel card, or let’s say you can’t get approved for one, you should always use a shopping portal.

What’s a shopping portal? Well, basically you sign into a particular cash back shopping portal site (which is free to use by the way), search for your travel website or service, and then get forwarded to that webpage. By using the shopping portal, you’ll earn cash back into your account.

These shopping portals get incentives for referring you to travel companies, so in turn you get a cut of those incentives! A win-win for everyone! Did I mention it costs you NOTHING to use?

I’ve always used Ebates for all of my travel and general online shopping needs to earn cash back, but another very popular one is Mr. Rebates.

*Check out Ebates here | Check out Mr. Rebates here.

I typically earn 1-3% cash back or more when I book through Priceline.com using Ebates, and almost all of the other popular travel sites and companies are listed there also.

Become an online travel booking pro by combining cash back from a shopping portal, rewards from your credit card, and discounted rates from travel websites!

The 14 Top Discount Travel Websites!

Below you’ll find ALL of the top travel websites for booking cheap travel. There are more options than you will have the time to look through, but at least skim through their descriptions in case you have a specific need.

First I’ll start with the most popular travel sites that will give you good coverage for most of your needs.

Booking.com

Booking.com is one of the most used travel websites on the web. It has become widely popular for letting us book all types of lodging. I’m talking apartments, resorts, villas, hostels, bed & breakfast options, guesthouses, and even stuff like farms and boats! Basically, you’ll see stuff here that you won’t see on many other travel websites.

Top Offers/Features:

Save up to 50% on Booking.com! No booking fees ever!

Be Unique! Enjoy over 20 different types of Accommodations with Booking.com

Priceline, Travelocity, Expedia, Hotwire & Orbitz

I am listing all of these travel sites together because they all serve the same purpose. They all provide your general booking options and do them all decently well.

The difference between all of these sites are going to be navigation layout and ease of use to your particular tastes. In terms of price, you’re going to find them all very similar from one another.

You’ll only find the commonly known hotel chains in terms of lodging with these sites, but they making booking the entire vacation package very easy.

Nothing against the other sites, but I’ve stuck to Priceline.com because I’m familiar with them and I like the Name Your Own Price(let’s you bid on hotel prices) and Express Deals(lowered pricing without the bidding process) options for hotels they provide. It lets me easily save money on hotels compared with the default listed prices. Plus, I happen to carry the Priceline credit card for extra savings, but all of these other sites also have their own branded credit card.

*Tip #1: Don’t forget to download the mobile app on your Apple or Android phone for all of these travel sites for unique mobile discounts and deals. You’d be surprised what will pop up.

*Tip #2: Using a travel website to book your entire vacation(car, hotel, airfare) is very convenient and saves a lot of headache. However, there may be times where you only need to book a single aspect of your trip (i.e. just a car, just a hotel, just the airfare). When this is the case, you’ll always want to check directly with the specific hotel, car rental company, or airline because many times the pricing will be different, and sometimes better. This is especially important because there are usually coupon codes and promotions that can only be had directly through the companies’ websites.

Airlines: I’ve found booking through the airlines’ websites will sometimes be exactly the same price as a travel website, and sometimes there’s a $1 difference. After you’ve narrowed down an exact flight on a travel website, look at the pricing directly through that airline’s webpage for a comparison. Booking through the airline’s website will make it more streamlined when choosing your seats, and sometimes the refund/change policy is voided/restricted when using a travel website. If you actually have an airline branded credit card, you’ll usually have to book directly through the airline to accrue points/miles as well.

Hotels: Just like for airlines, compare pricing directly through the hotel’s website once you’ve narrowed it down on the travel website. Hotels many times will offer promotions available only through their own website. If there are no promotions going on, I almost always find the price on the travel website to be a better deal, especially when you use features such as Priceline’s Name Your Own Price or Express Deals. You’ll typically have to book directly through the hotel’s website to get points with your hotel branded credit card here also.

Car rentals: This works very similarly to hotel rentals. The price is usually better through a travel website, unless you’re applying a promotion/coupon code directly through the car rental’s website. Many big companies partner with specific car rental companies for discount codes, so check with your Human Resources department just in case.

Top Offers/Features:

Up to 50% off Last-Minute Flights!

Express Deals, Hotels up to 60% off with NO bidding

Rental Cars up to 40% off when you “Name Your Own Price”.

Name Your Own Price & Save up to 60% off Hotels

Travelocity Hotels – Low Rates GUARANTEED

Travelocity SAVES You 20% or MORE on Air Fares

Featured Hotels up to 40% Off with Travelocity.

Save 100% on Your Flight when you Book a Package with Expedia

Save More with Expedia Coupons & Offers

Daily Deals: Up to 40% Off at Expedia

Last-Minute Hotel Deals at Expedia.com

Save up to 40% off last minute fares with low Hotwire Hot-Rates

Find Rental Cars from $13.95 a Day

New promotions and offers

TripAdvisor

While you can use TripAdvisor to book your flight and hotel travels, the most useful aspect of this awesome site is all of the personal traveler reviews. You won’t find any other site with a better layout for all of the insider scoop on specific hotels and destinations.

This is a must-use resource and their mobile app is invaluable. It’s just like a Yelp for travel needs.

Top Offers/Features:

Check out the best vacation rental reviews and hotel deals at TripAdvisor

Check out the best flight deals on TripAdvisor

Check out the best hotel reviews and hotel deals at TripAdvisor

Check out the 2014 Traveler’s Choice Winners! Only at TripAdvisor

Kayak

Here’s a travel website that stands out a bit. Kayak became extremely popular for not only listing their partnered travel deals, but comparison deals among it’s travel website competitors. It’s very cool how it lets you choose which other travel websites to compare prices among.

As you can probably imagine, this site is very popular for travelers looking to compare a lot of different options with more ease. You should be aware, they are part of The Priceline Group.

Top Offers/Features:

Their website for flights, hotels, cars and packages

HomeAway

Here’s another cool option to check our for your lodging needs. You may have either heard of HomeAway or VRBO, which is part of the HomeAway family. These travel websites let you book vacation rental properties all around the world. So, you’re saving money by renting from property owners instead of hotel chains.

You’ll have to be a little cautious when looking through all of these options from property owners though. There are quite a number of unpleasant experiences you can read about from around the web. I have used VRBO before when traveling to Puerto Rico and had no issues with a beautiful condo we stayed in.

When using these services, the user reviews are more important than ever so I would definitely lean towards properties with recent positive reviews. I find using HomeAway or VRBO a great idea when booking beach destinations because of the tremendous savings compared with big resort chains, especially when you’re usually getting a lot more space.

Top Offers/Features:

Save Big – Find Vacation Rental Deals!

Earn up to $42k a year by renting out your property on HomeAway.com

Save $25 on new 12-month listings at HomeAway.com with code G307. Expires Dec 31st, 2015

Hotels.com

This is the most popular travel website for hotels as far as hotel chains are concerned, so you’re not going to find vacation rentals from individual owners or anything like that.

Hotels.com is a must-see for hotel bookings because they’re always updating with Deal of the Days, Last Minute Deals and other constantly changing holiday sales and what not. You can also use it to book flights as well if that tickles your fancy.

Top Offers/Features:

Save 50% on the hotel Deal of the Day!

Make sure you get the best price with Hotels.com Best Rate Price Guarantee

Find the Best Deals at hotels.com

Hotels.com: Save up to 25% on mobile exclusive offers

Don’t miss these last minute deals! Don’t wait to get away, book today!

Top International Deals

Save big NOW on all hotel bookings with Up to a $100 Cash Back Rebate!* Book by 6/30/15, Travel by 6/30/15

TravelZoo

TrazelZoo is yet another vacation package travel website that lets you book everything in one place. However, this site is unique in that they have a great deal of writers who are constantly doing research for the best new vacation package deals. I like using TravelZoo when I don’t really have my next destination in mind and am looking for good, affordable ideas. Sign up for their email list and get new ideas sent to you periodically.

Top Offers/Features:

This Week’s Top 20® Travel & Entertainment Deals

LonelyPlanet

Here’s another travel site that has incorporated booking for flights, hotels, cars and tours. However, LonelyPlanet is most famous as being the largest travel guide book publisher in the world. While their best guides come in the form of books you’ll have to purchase from their website, there’s still plenty of great articles from professional writers you can peruse.

Top Offers/Features:

30% off print guides, ebooks and PDF chapters

Lonely Planet Shop

Viator

Viator is a TripAdvisor company, and the two go hand-in-hand with what it has to offer. This nifty travel website lets you book sightseeing tours and activities with tour companies and guides. After reading all of the personal traveler reviews from TripAdvisor you can book these same tours using Viator. Pretty cool.

Top Offers/Features:

Subscribe to the email newsletter for deals and discounts

Points.com

What is Points.com? Basically, its a free-to-join service that allows users to better manage their loyalty points/miles from all the different programs out there. If you fly on a variety of airlines and stay at different hotel chains, you’ve probably racked up points & miles from each of the respective loyalty programs. You’ve probably realized it’s going to take a long period of time before you earn enough of those rewards to redeem for freebies.

This is where Points.com comes into play. Through the site, you’ll have the option of buying the few points/miles you need to reach your goals, or you can even sell and trade those rewards that you have no use for.

They’re always updating with new bonus points promotions all the time.

Top Offers/Features:

Hyatt Gold Passport point 20% bonus

US Airways 100% Bonus – Up to 50K

Southwest Rapid Rewards Points 25% off

Jetblue – earn up to 50% bonus points

Earn up to 50% bonus points – IHG

Virgin Atlantic 20% Bonus! Up to 100K miles

30% off Spirit Reward Miles

Redeem Miles for Magazines at Points.com

Trade your points and miles with other Points.com members

There you have it, the above are the BEST AND MOST POPULAR TRAVEL WEBSITES being used on the web right now. Those are going to cover all your major vacation/travel needs.

Below is a comprehensive list of hundreds of other travel and travel related sites. I grouped them into major categories and didn’t re-list the top ones from above.

There are way too many listed to visit each one, but you should browse through them and read the quick description to see what they are all about. You may come to realize there’s a niche website that you needed all along.

Enjoy!

Complete List Of Travel Websites

Company Description

Best Features/Promotions

VACATION PACKAGE SITES

AdventureLink: AdventureLink is the best way to book experiential, small group travel experiences.

Italy Adventure Special!

Affordable Asian/Ritz Tours: Affordable Asia / Ritz Tours strives to provide travelers with the most memorable vacation packages using the best combination of airfare, hotels and sightseeing.

Receive $100 off per person on any new full vacation package booking. Use code: CJA100 Expires 12/31/2015

Bookingbuddy: BookingBuddy is backed by a dynamo team of experienced, exceptional online travel business specialists who created an easy way to search 140+ of their favourite travel sites, and offer them access to 70,000+ travel deals.

Save up to 50% with BookingBuddy
| Save on Your Flights to Las Vegas This Holiday Season! | Get away this summer! Book Cancun now with BookingBuddy! | Find the best deals to the Caribbean at BookingBuddy.com!

Bookit.com: BookIt.com works to provide you with the best online travel experience by offering deeply discounted travel arrangements, the best web interface and fantastic customer service.

BookIt SAVES You 50% or MORE on Hotels | Save $15 - $50 Instantly When you Sign Up for Free Newsletter Membership at BookIt.com!

BookVIP: BookVIP is the leader in discount vacation getaways, with the absolute lowest prices to premier travel destinations throughout the world. Among their specialties are all-inclusive vacation packages to the Caribbean and Mexico.

$299 Cabo All Inclusive - BookVIP.com 6 Days In A Luxury Cabo Resort With Unlimited Meals & Drinks For $299! | Cancun Getaway luxury resort All Inclusive from only $299 per couple Kids under 12 stay FREE!

CheapCaribbean.com: CheapCaribbean.com is one of the largest providers of discount hotels and vacations to the Caribbean and Mexico.

5 All-Inclusive Resorts UNDER $50 pp/nt | 30 All-Inclusive Vacations Under $599 - 99 Hours Only | 72 Hour Sale! Sun-Soaked Beach Deals -Up to 65% Off Sale Ends Saturday | "This Week's Exclusive" from CheapCaribbean.com

CruiseDirect: CruiseDirect offers customers an easy booking process, a Best Price Guarantee, Flexible Payment Plans, Low Price Assurance, No Booking Fees, eTickets, freebies and discounts on the most popular cruises.

CruiseDirect: Special Offers & Top 10 Weekly Cruise Deals. Best Price Guarantee - Book Now!

Crystal Ski Holidays: The in-resort experience helps to make Crystal Ski customer’s vacations even more memorable. They have over 30 years experience as a ski and snowsports specialist.

Crystal Ski Holidays - Sale now on! | Crystal Ski 2 for 1 Lift Pass

EasyClickTravel.com: EasyClickTravel.com is a full service online travel agency for bargain shoppers where thousands of great deals on hotels, vacation packages, cruises, flights and more are merely a few easy clicks away.

Special Offers and Deals at EasyClickTravel.com

Fare Buzz: Fare Buzz is the leading Supplier in the Travel Industry with specialization in Flights, Hotels, Vacation Packages and Car Rentals.

Save big with best flights deals in your area at FareBuzz.com with coupon code BUZZ15! | Find cheap flights on major airlines! Save up to $50. Use promo code BUZZ50. | Get $15 Off your next flight for all Military Members with Coupon Code MIL15!

Free & Easy Traveler: Free & Easy Traveler is an adventure travel company targeting the 18-30-year-old demographic. Their unique concept functions in an unhurried fashion and allows customers to take in all the culture, food, and sights that their destinations have to offer.

Epic backpacking adventures on sale!

Funjet Vacations: Funjet Vacations provides complete vacation packages, air only, and hotel only options. Their complete packages can include air, hotel, rental car, and attraction tickets to popular destinations including Mexico, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Florida, Europe, and more.

Save even more on vacation packages with our limited time promotion codes and special offers. Book today!

Great Value Vacations: Great Value Vacations' mission is to be the pre-packaged vacation solution provider from the US to the most desirable destinations in the world. They offer premium, pre-built vacation packages featuring itineraries designed by travel experts, and they also include superior accommodations which have been hand-picked and vetted for quality.

Vacation Packages @ Great Value Vacations | $100 Of Multi-Country Vacation Packages at GreatValueVacations.com Enter promo code: MULTI at checkout. Valid 4-14-2015 through 6-30-2015 | $75 Off All Vacation Packages travelled in July & August at GreatValueVacations.com Enter promo code: SUMMER at checkout. Valid 4-14-2015 through 8-31-2015 |

Hayes and Jarvis: Hayes & Jarvis creates specialist holiday itineraries for discerning travelers. Today, Hayes & Jarvis operates to 55 destinations worldwide, spanning almost all continents of the world.

Worldwide Holidays
|

Last Minute Travel: Last Minute Travel is a full-service, online travel agency for bargain shoppers on hotels, vacation packages, cruises, flights and more.

Join the Last Minute Travel Club - 50% off membership plus $25 off coupon code | Las Vegas Deals plus $20 Off! | Lastminutetravel Attractions and Activities

Luxury Link: Luxury Link Travel Group, the leader in online luxury travel, has over 15 years of experience in providing exceptional travel experiences at incredible values to travelers with unique needs and requirements.

50% Off LuxuryLink.com Vacation Packages | LuxuryLink.com Packages for Under $250 per Night

Luxury Retreats International: Luxury Retreats creates personalized villa vacations, offering more than 2500 villas in over 90 destinations worldwide, along with complimentary concierge services, global guest support, and dedicated Villa Specialists who help their guests find the perfect villa for them.

Come Discover Your Perfect Holiday Rental Among Over 2,700 Exclusive Villas Across the World at LuxuryRetreats.com - Browse Now! |

One&Only Resorts: Set in some of the most beautiful locales in the world, One&Only resorts are a rare collection of jewel-like resorts embracing the individually authentic styles and personalities born of their local culture.

Book Now. One&Only Resorts

OneTravel: OneTravel.com, one of the fastest growing online travel sites in the U.S., offers a Lowest Fare Promise on airline tickets, hotel rooms and car rentals.

Cheap Rental Cars for Your Next Family Trip! Save up to $10** with Promo Code CAR. Book Now. | Fly and Stay Cheap with OneTravel.com - Book Now! | "Domestic Travel Deals!
Save up to $15 with Promo Code USA15"

Original Resorts: Original Resorts offers paradise seekers, couples, and singles another dimension of the beach expereince in Cancun, Riviera Maya, and Playa del Carmen in Mexico.

LAST MINUTE COUPLES GETAWAY DEALS |

SeaWorld Parks: SeaWorld Parks is an established family entertainment brand and they include eleven unique theme parks, including SeaWorld®, Busch Gardens®, Discovery Cove® and Sesame Place®, geographically dispersed in both regional and tourist destinations.

2015 Transferable Season Pass | Single Day Ticket

Skyauction: Started in 1999, Skyauction offers travelers a true alternative way to purchase travel and to deliver value on each and every purchase.

Hot Deals on Travel every single day on Skyauction.com!

Southwest Airlines Vacations: Southwest Vacations offers vacation packages to over 95 destinations with flight service available from every scheduled Southwest Airlines departure city. Additionally, they offer packages to Mexico and the Caribbean from most Southwest and AirTran departure cities.

Check out Southwest Airlines Vacations Lowest Price Promise! | Southwest Airlines Vacations Current Deals

Sovereign Luxury Travel: With nearly 40 years expertise, the Sovereign Collection vacations are hand-picked with great attention to detail to create high quality, luxury hotels, riads, and cruises.

Sovereign Luxury Travel - offer of the week

STA Travel USA: STA Travel is the global leader in student travel. With over 350 retail locations on and near college campuses worldwide and 17 within the US alone, we've become global travel leaders for the 18 to 26 year old demographic.

Save over $100 on many last-minute domestic flights | STA Travel Price Beat Guarantee!

Thomson Lakes and Mountains: Thomson gives you the freedom to explore some of the most beautiful open spaces in the world, eat in authentic local restaurants and get a taste of real European culture.

Thomson Lakes & Mountains Deal Finder | Thomson Lakes & Mountains best offers

Travelation.com: Travelation is a leading online travel website specializing in cheap flights, discount hotel rooms, and cheap car rentals to the top travel destinations within the United States and the world.

Cheap Flights! Save Up To 70% + $15 Off. Book Now!

United Vacations: United Vacations offers vacation packages to over 400 destinations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.

United Vacations specialty vacations. | United Vacations offers $200 down, pay the rest later.

Vayama: Vayama is a new (and fun) way to search and book international flights. Their interactive (and cool) map tool is a great way to access a wider selection of airlines, routes and fares, many never previously available online.

Vayama - Cheap Flights to all destinations | Vayama's Airfare Deal Ticker - Grab the hottest airfare deals before they sell out.

WelkVacations.com: Welkvacations.com is a site to promote discounted vacations packages to San Diego CA, Branson MO, and Cabo San Lucas.

Travel to some great destinations and save with Welk Vacation Packages

AIRFARE SITES (NOT ALL AIRLINES LISTED

American Airlines: One of the major airlines you'll likely encounter on your search for airfare throughout the nation and world.

American Airlines: you can sign up to their email list for special offers.

Air France: Air France is a world-renowned name and an award winning airline with US and CA gateways that each have non-stop flights to Paris, plus an extraordinary connections network via Air France’s Paris hub.

Air France Best Offers & Promotions<img src="http://track.flexlinks.com/i.ashx?foid=1055343.976171&

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