While travel booking websites (also known as online travel agencies or OTAs) like Expedia, Orbitz, etc., are convenient and popular, they’re frequently optimized to offer airfares and hotel rates that are in their interest, not yours.
It’s often smart to book directly through the airline or hotel website instead. Increasingly, airlines and hotels are cracking down on OTAs, making it harder for these sites to show you all the available airline flights, seats, and hotel rooms. In addition, if your flight is rescheduled or canceled, OTAs have fewer guarantees if you book through them.
One extra tip: pick up the phone and CALL the airline or hotel. You can often negotiate a better rate that way.
From our upcoming book, 300 Healthy Travel Tips. Learn more at http://www.healthytrekking.com/300-healthy-travel-tips-book/