Which Discount Travel Website is the Best?
Taking a vacation - especially for a family - can be tough on your wallet. Although family vacations are fun, they can be very expensive. That’s why it really pays to use a discount travel website to get the best bang for your buck.
I decided to search for a 7-night 4-star all-inclusive vacation for two to Cuba from Toronto at the end of the year. That’s usually an expensive time to travel because of the holidays, but by comparing discount travel websites I was able to find a getaway that fit right into my budget.
Expedia and Travelocity
Expedia and Travelocity are two of the biggest and most well known names in the discount travel world; visiting their websites shows us exactly why that is.
Both websites are well designed, easy to use and present a very attractive user experiences. At some point Travelocity started using Expedia’s search engine, so the results and experiences are exactly the same.
They both have a wide array of options and modifiers to narrow down your search results to exactly what you want and offer plenty of info about the hotels including guest reviews.
Priceline
Priceline showcases their low prices by having William Shatner as their unique price negotiator. Although a famous spokesperson can help brand recognition, once you get past him on the homepage the website is standard - at best.
This was the only website where I couldn’t find any Cuban vacation destinations. This is probably because Priceline is based in the United States with a primarily American clientele.
If you do use Priceline to book your next vacation keep in mind that the prices appear really low but that's because they are shown in USD. After the conversion to CAD I found that they weren’t really very competitive at all.
Selloff Vacations
This is not a flashy discount vacation website with a famous spokesperson, but the rock bottom prices of Selloff Vacations will grab your attention at first.
It wasn’t until I was about to check out that I realized the price wasn’t that amazing after all once taxes and other fees were added in. The vacation to Cuba is still approximately $100 less than it was on Expedia; that's an extra $100 you can spend on souvenirs.
Selloff Vacations is well known for their amazing last minute deals, so if you’re the spontaneous type I’d definitely recommend looking at them first before any other website.
Don't forget your travel insurance
Anything can happen while you're on vacation, especially if you’re a little more adventurous like myself. I like trying new cuisines or activities while abroad. All of these discount travel websites automatically sign you up with their travel insurance. However I suggest you shop around to find a better deal.