Reliable Travel Booking Websites

Online travel agencies (OTAs) are travel marketplaces that enable consumers to browse and book flights, hotels, holiday packages and other travel arrangements. It is important to note that travel booking sites are often intermediaries between the customer and a travel service provider such as airlines and hotels.

The main advantage of using an online travel agent is you can browse and compare travel packages at the comfort of your home. It also provides a better review system for vacationers to choose the right package. Moreover, they are able to provide more travel plans and may have tie-ups across the world, providing a better overall experience over making individual bookings.

What are the risks of booking a holiday online?

Planning a vacation could be a daunting task as you generally have little information about the place you are visiting, and this is why travel companies help you get the best experience. But the flight, hotel and travel booking space is not bereft of scammer and fraudsters.

In the UK alone, travellers lost £7 million ($9 million) pounds in 2017, as per UK’s Action Fraud. The same year, a hotel association in the US said people were defrauded of $5.2 billion in fake hotel bookings.

Apart from the general risks of online marketplaces, these are the things that could go wrong when you make travel plans online:

• The flight or hotel you booked does not exist
• Your booking account will require personal as well as credit card details, which could be misused.
• You may lose your airline credits or hotel credits if the scammer gets access to your account
• Fraud timeshare and holiday club deals could lead to losses of thousands of dollars

How to stay safe when planning your travel online?

The internet is so vast, that it is nearly impossible to know what is real and what is fake. However, we have done the research for you on how to recognize an online scam. But you may still encounter sophisticated fraudsters who wish to steal your hard-earned money.

• Always check the web address and look for minute changes to the original booking
• Check for the travel agency’s address, phone number and other contact details. Also, do a background check using third-party review sites or even our ScamAdviser analyzer
• Cross-check any certification claims made by the travel agency or agent
• Do not transfer money to any personal account

Reliable online travel agencies

We have compiled a list of online travel agencies which implement consumer safety protocols and have robust customer service. They often also provide consumer guarantees if a travel booking goes wrong.

Please note that while the following companies have a global presence, they may not provide service in every country.