I'm surprised that fewer people are booking online. In the last five years, I have only used a travel agent twice and those were with multi-destination trips in foreign countries.

I think traditional travel agencies have become less customer service oriented in recent years. With the competition for business, I would think that wouldn't be the case. I experienced this first hand earlier this year. For a trip to Australia and Tahiti, I called a half a dozen traditional travel agencies before I finally found one who actually wanted to help and seemed to want my business. All the others didn't even return phone calls! This was for a $10,000+ trip, so you would think these agencies would have at least wanted to get the commission.

I prefer having the ability to research my travel options online and on my own time. Even though it can be time consuming, I feel like I can make a more informed decision when I can book my own travel online.

Posted By Sheila on November 1, 2007, 2:38 PM

I disagree. I use on line information exclusively when I begin my planning for a vacation and I especially review the forums for up to the minute comments, good and bad. Trip Advisor.com's forum "experts" helped me plan sensational vacations to New York City, Hawaii, South Beach (Miami Beach), Orlando, Phoenix and Las Vegas within the past 3 years alone.
I think your survey missed the boat!

Posted By Daddy Dearest on November 1, 2007, 3:29 PM

I think that this article is alittle bit off point I have noticed lately that more and more people have been calling me and saying. I saw blah blah blah online is this good is that good. Even more people have researched and booked something only to call me and see what I can find. If all of you want to research your vacations and book it online at least don't call me and ask my opinion. I don't get paid to give you advice if you book something on your own. If your going to book online good luck. Articles by tripadvisor and others like it can not be trusted. They are written by people who mostly travel once every 3 years or so read the place was awesome (on tripadvisor) and it did not meet their expectations and now they are bad mouthing the resort (hotel, airline, cruise line). And frankly its not fair. A travel agent is trained to give you the good and bad information about each (if they are good) so you can make a decision based on FACT and not speculation. Travel with someone you trust and utilize a travel agent!

Posted By Bob the Travel Agent on November 2, 2007, 9:09 AM

I disagree with the person who said that travel agents have become less customer service oriented. Our agency wouldn't be in business if that were true. I've been in the travel business for many years and I go to great lengths to read about and research destinations as well as getting the best value for my clients, unlike the online sites. I cannot tell you how many times I've come up with a better fare and better flight times and/or connections for my clients after they've told me they looked online. And try doing something like a multi-destination booking to Asia and calling an online site when you're stuck in Chicago -- good luck!

Posted By Kathy, a Travel Agent on November 2, 2007, 10:16 AM

Booking reservations on a travel website is user-friendly and can provide better pricing for the same travel. People who want to make reservations on my web site are not left entirely on their own unless they choose to be on their own and don't need assistance. If they have questions they call me at the telephone number on my broshures and business cards. I am a well-traveled, trained, certified travel agent.

Posted By Ginny on November 2, 2007, 11:47 AM

I make travel arrangements almost exclusively on the internet. When I do use an agency is it one (such as crucon) where I can do the research on the internet and then confirm with the agency.

Posted By Diane Wolfe on November 5, 2007, 12:15 PM

You can't seem to check prices on international flights on sites like Travelocity any more. I used to be able to plug in where I wanted to go overseas, and just wait for good fares. Now I can't even get fares if I know which dates I want. Cuts WAY back on my ability and desire to go someplace new.

Posted By Kim on November 5, 2007, 12:28 PM

I'm originally from the Netherlands, where they have fantastic brochures about many, many destinations. And prices don't fluctuate in the way they are doing here. Here in the US I never saw one brochure, nor did I find a travel agent who is cheaper than booking flights, hotels and car rentals online. I don't know who to turn onto. I simply have to go on the web, but there it seems everybody is offering the same. I don't discover one penny difference when I try to book my vacation/flights to Europe, Curacao or Mexico. So it would be interesting to find out how everybody else finds the price differences and the best offers. In the meantime I really hate the so called outstnanding offers I receive via the e-mail. Like Travelzoo or Shermanns Travel, CheapCaribbean. They quote big deals, but when I put in my travel dates, these prices never show up!!!! They don't tell you the valid travel dates. So I kept on looking and looking without finding that great deal. And yes, now I'm bored of all these offers and I don't give it a try anymore as they are far too disappointing to me.

Posted By Hermana Bus on November 5, 2007, 12:33 PM

I have researched several great trips on the internet and then booked the hotels where I planned to stay online and have never been disappointed. In fact, internet booking has allowed me to travel relatively inexpensively and to discover hotels, places, and events that I never would have found out about without it. I am now retired and plan to book all my travel....flights, hotels, side-trips, etc. online. I have found the online planning to be almost as fun as taking the trip!

Posted By Phil on November 5, 2007, 12:37 PM

The article is not very informative as it gives no information on why people are declinging Internet sites. I'm just back from 18 days in Europe (5 in Rome and a Mediteranean Cruise), all of which was done on Internet. I've never had a smoother trip and I didn't have to sit around and wait for a travel agent to get back to me when she scheduled it. If I had a question, I was able to get in touch with the source pretty much any hour of the day or night. I don't think I would have found a travel agent that had extensive knowledge of all the places I went. As for sites like traveladvisor, you know what you are getting when you use it and should certainly not take one person's opinion on anything as gospel. (I wouldn't take one travel agent's opinion, either.)

Posted By Laura Morris on November 5, 2007, 12:38 PM

Here's more fuel to the fire; I've got a B.A. in Tourism from a Top Ten univ., worked in incentive, group & wholesale travel and worked for a major airline. Therefore, I do extensive comparison-shopping & fact-finding online. The feeling I've come away with is that I'm typically overwhelmed & drained from the research before the trip! When I haven't had the time, I've called multiple agents around town and I get the opposite - too little info, infrequent callbacks or, worse--they've been to travel school but have traveled very, very little....no substitute for that. Priceline will never see any more of our money - I can tell you that!!

Posted By Corey on November 5, 2007, 12:43 PM

I am looking for price because I travel often...once the airlines dumped the travel agents they were forced to charge fees, understandably, but that has added more cost to travel. There are no deals on Expedia, Travelocity, or Orbitz anymore...direct buys from the airline, hotel, or car rental agency gets you the same rate or sometimes lower...the concept was good while it lasted but the megatravel sites no longer deliver value.

Posted By Duncan on November 5, 2007, 12:44 PM

I travel multiple times during the year and I've used both an agent and an online site. For multiple location trips (to Europe) an agent is the ONLY way to go. Why spend time and energy sorting out which rail to catch and what airport to layover in. It's really a big hassle. For my straightforward trips (both business and for fun) I tend to go with the websites. My one quip about using websites and buying the air, hotel packages - is the flight times. I hate how you're locked into a specific pair of flights. People just need to find an agent they can trust to do right by them. Thank god - I have my trusty agent on my side!

Posted By Jackie T - frequent traveller from NYC on November 5, 2007, 12:50 PM

I book almost all of my travel online but I no longer use sites such as Travelocity and Expedia. I do my research and book directly with airlines and hotels. I've had more than one bad experience with Expedia and I've found that I can get the same or better rates dealing directly with hotels and airlines. Plus when you deal directly with the hotel you don't have to pay up front and there's usually no charge to cancel or change a reservation.

Posted By Carole on November 5, 2007, 12:51 PM

I'm not entirely surpised by these results. Recently I booked flights to New York via cheaptickets.com and while the price was right the service was not. Our seats on the flight were not confirmed for some reason and because we had booked through a third party there was little the airline could do for us. Then when I called the 1-800 customer service number it was out of service. While I will continue to book online, I will ALWAYS do it direct in the future.

Posted By Sarah on November 5, 2007, 12:57 PM

My problem seems to be too many travel web sites, compounded by sites using multiple URLs for the same information. The only site that I have stopped using is Orbitz; it's easier to deal directly with the airlines that own them and avoid the Orbitz fees.

When I have a complex international trip, I find myself using many different sites, such as yatra.com for Indian airfares, venere.com for European hotels, and WhichBudget.com for discount airlines in Europe. The big US-based sites are just not very useful for many of these needs. As a result, I've reduced my use of Expedia and Travelocity in favor of a broader range of sites. Also, comparison sites such as Kayak.com often direct you to specific airline or hotel sites for booking. Even if you then call the airline directly to make the booking, the fee is no higher than Expedia's.

If you are doing something non-trivial, the travel sites aren't very good at finding all of the alternatives, so you either have to be imaginative or persistent. To see what I mean, try searching for flights from SFO to Bangalore with a return from Hyderabad. Some sites send you east, some send you west, and it's nearly impossible to screen by airline or alliance.

I also find myself reading comments on TripAdvisor.com, Lonely Planet's Thorntree, and others to get some ideas and recommendations. So if you have a travel agent who is an expert about a particular destination or itinerary, it's worth paying for the service; otherwise , the agent may not be able to do much better than you could.

Posted By TonyW on November 5, 2007, 12:58 PM

I wouldn't think of planning a vacation trip without doing research on the Internet. That's half the fun! I have booked before with Priceline, Expedia, Hotwire, Travelocity, and so on. I like to stay at 5-star hotels, and I usually plan two-to-four-week vacations, so I want to be sure I am getting the best price. Sometimes I find I can do just that by dealing directly with the vendor (e.g. non-refundable advance payments for hotel stays). Sometimes I buy air and hotel as a package. I have yet to find anyone that will give me an open-jaw package price - e.g. fly to X for a one week visit and return from Y following a second week there - with or without a connection between X and Y. I always check the Deutsche Bahn website to plan necessary train travel anywhere in Europe. What I *don't* like about online ads by airlines and vendors like Sidestep (there are many others) is their listing of a useless come-on price. Flying to Europe, for example: They quote, say, $175; then you find that's only one way; that the price may vary depending on the specific departure date; that one must add in various taxes; whatever. I no longer look at Sidestep.

Posted By F Smith on November 5, 2007, 1:05 PM

I have been using the net for many years now to plan and book vacations. I'm going to Mexico next week booked off of the web, and am planning a trip to Greece next spring, which will be my 4th trip to Europe, all using the net. Plus, the trips were all at better prices than any regular travel agent could give me. I will be using the net for my travels for a long time to come.

Posted By brian on November 5, 2007, 1:06 PM

Travel sites are a good place to start, but I rarely use them to book any travel, I just use them for information and book my travel directly with airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, etc. Often I find that the information is already old by the time I get it, especially for discounted airfares. These discounts will be repeated day after day even though the cheap flights were filled before the discounts hit their presses.

Posted By maggiemae8847 on November 5, 2007, 1:08 PM

I reside outside the U.S.,but I think my experiences apply to wherever one may be. I discovered long ago, that it is best to do one's research, even though it entails a degree of work. I prefer to use the online travel sites for info. and reference, but to actually buy a ticket, prefer to deal directly with the airline. Most often the airline websites offer tickets for less than the online booking services!! As far as hotels go, a good travel guide will help you get accomodation far less than the online services. Hotel rooms are always available and competition is intense!! Travel agencies only seem to be interested in you when they know they can sell you a complete package and you will pay a higher price for that "service". I'd much rather have the independence and flexibility of making my own arrangements! With a little patience and perseverance, one can save money and travel for less! Bon Voyage!!

Posted By Jonathan Rothman on November 5, 2007, 1:16 PM

I have used the net to plan my trips to Europe for the past eight years. The people who find fault with the net are probably the same people who can not program a VCR.

Posted By JOSEPH on November 5, 2007, 1:43 PM

I am on hold with Expedia right now on my fifth call to them to add one day to my hotel room and rental car. I have been on this call for 1.5 hours and even though there is a car and room available for some unexplained reason they keep coming back on the phone and telling me to hold longer. I told the guy a minute ago that I could call the hotel and do it myself in ten minutes and he said " maybe that is your best option then"

GOD, to have a real travel agent right now!!!

Posted By Brian Lawrence on November 5, 2007, 2:03 PM

Travel websites dying out? Not by a longshot.

This is an alarmist article, focused solely on the travel agents' perspective -- things are already changing for us indie travelers.

Yes, many travel websites are junky and time-wasters, often borrowing text from guidebook publishers or getting cubicle writers to create generic boilerplate text (eg 'Las Vegas -- a gambling mecca in the desert!'). Other sites are merely digital business cards of travel agents keen on booking their own trips.

These NEED to die out a bit. We're saturated with them, and it makes Google searches frustrating.

Reader-generated sites, like TripAdvisor etc, are often helpful. But unlike a guidebook writer, these travelers can only review isolated experiences -- a single hotel, a single boat ride of the Turkish Riviera etc -- and often lack the perspective of all that's available. You don't know that X hotel is a good deal until you've checked out Y, Z and A, B, C.

What the net needs is the guidebook model pushed online -- with independent voices looking at all/most of the options.

Guidebook publishers are STARTING to do this (slowly). BBC just bought Lonely Planet, with this in mind. The catch is their money is made with book sales.

Meanwhile, quietly, more and moreguidebook author vets, such as myself, have already created online, independent guides to individual destinations. And hopefully this trend will continue.

Posted By Robert Reid on November 5, 2007, 2:09 PM

Travel websites dying out? Not by a longshot.

This is an alarmist article, focused solely on the travel agents' perspective -- things are already changing for us indie travelers.

Yes, many travel websites are junky and time-wasters, often borrowing text from guidebook publishers or getting cubicle writers to create generic boilerplate text (eg 'Las Vegas -- a gambling mecca in the desert!'). Other sites are merely digital business cards of travel agents keen on booking their own trips.

These NEED to die out a bit. We're saturated with them, and it makes Google searches frustrating.

Reader-generated sites, like TripAdvisor etc, are often helpful. But unlike a guidebook writer, these travelers can only review isolated experiences -- a single hotel, a single boat ride of the Turkish Riviera etc -- and often lack the perspective of all that's available. You don't know that X hotel is a good deal until you've checked out Y, Z and A, B, C.

What the net needs is the guidebook model pushed online -- with independent voices looking at all/most of the options.

Guidebook publishers are STARTING to do this (slowly). BBC just bought Lonely Planet, with this in mind. The catch is their money is made with book sales.

Meanwhile, quietly, more and moreguidebook author vets, such as myself, have already created online, independent guides to individual destinations. And hopefully this trend will continue.

Posted By Robert Reid on November 5, 2007, 2:14 PM

Are these the same people who think Britney is a great mom? Sheesh! How, or why, would you try planning any trip without using the Internet? Its mountain of information is more current than books. It allows one to balance a company's own PR B.S. on its web site against reviews of actual travelers. If you can click, you can research, book and buy. And it's all free! Whether we book online or through a travel agent, as noted in someone's earlier post, depends on the complexity of the trip. But to take a trip and not first take advantage of all my 'puter has to offer? Less chance of that than Britney's kids growing up normal! Long live the Internet!

Posted By Tex on November 5, 2007, 2:16 PM

I have stopped using the internet for travel because I have a handicap. Twice, I have indicated that when I booked and twice received a room that was not for a handicap person. When I complained to the sites, they told me that it was a request and not a guarantee. How can anyone know that the handicap have special needs, charge them for a room that they can not use and then tell them it was their fault to begin with. Dishonesty is their policy.

Posted By Dave Tornblom on November 5, 2007, 2:47 PM

I've only used a travel agent twice for our trips. I use Kayak.com to compare prices between airlines then book directly with the airline. I've found that the airline websites often have a better price then Expedia or Orbitz. I research everything using websites and decide what, where and when for hotels, etc. then use an 800 number to call and make reservations. I have used Hotels, Hotels only to be badly burned by them and would never make that mistake again. We have gone to New Zealand and made reservations on line for air, for a campervan and a B & B and had very good luck. This year we went to Alaska. Again I researched and used 800 numbers to make reservations far in advance of the trip. If you have good luck with the travel sites on the internet, more power to you. I won't go that way.

Posted By Nancy on November 5, 2007, 3:11 PM

I am not surprised at all. I was an internet early adopter, but my last few times booking flights with expedia and travelocity have caused me to give up on them for airfares.

One problem is to see a rate for a roundtrip flight between Portland and Chicago. Each morning the intial rate would display $490 something and when selected would go up to $900 somthing. Each morning the $490 would be back. I finally booked business fare for $750 from a travel agent.

The other problem is the failure to list flights requested - when I select that I want a early morning departure do not list all 6:00 evening departures. I accidentally booked one of these and the change fee was so great I took a Southwest flight out for less money than the upgrade ticket and just rode the return back.

Now I just let the travel agent take care of the flights.

I still use my hotel loyalty web sites for hotel booking.

Posted By Kathleen K on November 5, 2007, 3:11 PM

I am in my 20s and in the past, have always used the internet to plan my travels. I am currently living in New Zealand though where there are a lot of great chain travel agencies even in the tiniest of towns. My boyfriend and I recently planned an around the world trip and after spending days on the internet search for the cheapest way we could do the trip, I thought I had found a winner. Boy was I surprised (and annoyed) when my boyfriend called a travel agent one afternoon and got a better fare on the spot! Since then, we have used the travel agent to book flights to Australia and Asia. And after a death in the family, my boyfriend and I had to fly home later than we expected. The travel agent was so understanding and organized it without a problem. I can't imagine a customer service rep from orbitz doing that!

I use the internet to plan straightforward trips and do some hard research on my destination (especially flights - in NZ, they charge you a fee if you call to make a reservation) and use it to check out lastminute.com - great for last minute hotel deals and airfares. If it's not a big trip, the internet will do.

Moral of the story - for big trips use a travel agent!

Posted By Kristin on November 5, 2007, 3:37 PM

You know what? It depends on the kind of person you are. Some people thrive on doing their own research, while others don't have the time or patience. The latter probably have not encountered bad travel agents. As a travel agent for over 20 years I can say that impatience is a factor. For some reason some not all agents expect a client to know exactly what they want to do when they walk through the doors. If there is any wishy-washy dialog with the client they are basically written off. Although I have come to find that maybe they are new to travel or just want help in deciding where they would like to travel and like another post will have $10,000 to spend on their plans.
I have also had co-workers that will oversell a product to the point that the client has finacial difficulties when they return, but they had the time of their lives. To be honest if an agent is working on commissions for their paycheck it's not really about helping the people it's about their paycheck. I'm really not saying all agents are that way but it seems more and more customer service is not the goal. I feel if agents have a passion for what they are doing then work with them, if not the option is to try to find one you trust or hate to say it....go to the internet.
When it comes to the internet I do quite a bit of research to make sure the needs are met and sure it takes a little more time but wouldn't you rather take a few hours of your day to make a memorable trip?

Posted By Nancy on November 5, 2007, 3:54 PM

We got reservations thru Expedia for my wife & daughter to fly to Buffalo, NY to a funeral. Our daughter decided to fly from a closer airport. My wife called and asked that our daughter's name be removed and mine replace it.
Expedia told us that it couldn't do that. We would need to rebook the flights. The new tickets would cost an additional $600. A 100% increase!

We decided to drive.

Posted By Allen Lewis on November 5, 2007, 3:55 PM

Another quip about using travel websites - when things go wrong - and sometimes they do - getting a hold of someone on the phone is next to impossible. I recently used travelocity.com for a Labor Day weekend to Miami and our flights were not confirmed. I was on hold for 2 hours and could tell my call was being routed to some chap in India. A general and overwhelming feeling of anxiety took over as I thought my weekend was going to be ruined but they did right by me and found us better flights. It's just getting in contact with them is so difficult! Travelocity.com needs to understand that sometimes thing do go awry!

Posted By Jackie T-traveller from NY on November 5, 2007, 4:24 PM

I do all my research on the internet then use the travel agent for complex and expensive trips. They have access to fares that the typical consumer simply doesn't have.

Posted By Lynne R on November 5, 2007, 4:53 PM

I have used the internet exclusively in recent years for all my travel. I still find some sites ok, but the worst offenders of offering fares, rates and deals which are apparently teasers, and cannot actually be found are the Expedia's and Travelocity's of the world. What a waste of time to be attractd to an offer only to find it is non-existent. What garbage! Probably never existed.

Posted By Tom Chimera on November 5, 2007, 5:13 PM

Hello, everyone,
Thank you for posting your comments! This has been a lively and informed discussion!

I particularly want to thank Jacqui Tsui, for her comment. (Sorry to hear about your ruined trip and feelings of helplessness.)

Allen's story also points out how travel websites aren't nimble when it comes to special circumstances, such as funerals.

Dave Tornblom's story points out failings when you need a special room because you suffer from a disability.

Kristin points out that for special trips, such as round-the-world ones, travel website often fall down on the job.

Brian Lawrence's story points out that travel websites are generally bad at amending reservations that have already been made--even though travel plans often change prior to departure. (I hope you finally got through to someone on the phone to help you.)

Another problem is come-on prices that can't actually be booked. As one commenter discovered, a major metasearch site was quoting $175 to Europe, but on further inspection it turned out to be much more expensive.: "then you find that's only one way; that the price may vary depending on the specific departure date; that one must add in various taxes; whatever."

One of the best put comments was from Tony W:
If you are doing something non-trivial, the travel sites aren't very good at finding all of the alternatives, so you either have to be imaginative or persistent. To see what I mean, try searching for flights from SFO to Bangalore with a return from Hyderabad. Some sites send you east, some send you west, and it's nearly impossible to screen by airline or alliance.

As for Joseph, who cracked wise, "The people who find fault with the net are probably the same people who can not program a VCR."
Well, Joseph, that used to be a funny joke. But for anyone who has four different remote controls (one for the TV, one for the DVR, one for the DVD player, one for the sound system)...will feel like a lot of travelers, trying to book a hotel, a plane, a rental car, etc. There's a lot going on to juggle...

Of course, I'm not saying the Internet is a waste. The problem is that some websites are not doing as much as they should to be as useful as they could be. They're losing customers. And other industries have found solutions that they haven't been creative enough to adopt yet.

Posted By Blog Editor on November 5, 2007, 5:39 PM

i think travel websites have failed partially because they never deal with really cheap trips and properties...i like to go to jamaica to snorkel and if i look at "my" hotel online, it is twice as expensive as if i just call them and ask for a deal. people with lower incomes should also be served, honestly. there are a bunch of folks who would travel more if online sites REALLY did budget travel. one knows that in many coutries it is really cheap to vacation there and yet, when one looks online the prices are much higher than they should be. this is why i call and don't book anything online, excepting sometimes the airfare.

Posted By shelle soderstrom on November 5, 2007, 5:42 PM

Hi Sean,

Yep. I was quite surprised at it myself! www.hot.co.nz is the travel agent that we use. They are fantastic and they generally have offices everywhere in New Zealand, even in rinky-dink towns. It's so different than some of the travel agents in America.

Another thing that I have also found to be good is going to Asian travel agents. There is one by my apartment which is great. I used one in the US as well who always managed to find cheap flights even during the high season!

Regards,
Kristin Templin

Posted By Kristin Templin on November 5, 2007, 5:49 PM

If the article is referring to those kvetch sites like Trip Advisor, I can see it. Otherwise, Internet travel sites are great comparison tools.

Posted By John on November 5, 2007, 5:55 PM

I recently wanted to book a trip and did some research on line to get an idea of offerings. I then approached a travel agent I've used before, who told me to find the trip I wanted online and she would book it for me! My question, why bother with a travel agent to push a few keys? Online booking for smaller trips has worked for me, so I'll try it for the large trip also.

Posted By jackie k on November 5, 2007, 8:02 PM

I used the Internet to Research trips, then contacted the agent for bookings etc.
Use for Research only.
Use these sites:
Tourisim sites
Travel blogs.
Embassey sites.
Rick Steves Europe site
niche sites.

Complain to those travel sites about losing busines, maybe some might wisen UP &
1. Merge with others
2. Up for sale
3. Close shop.

Somethings Gotta give.

Maybe 2 much Repetition for business, NO Niches.
NO expanding markets.
Narrow minds in charge.

Posted By stephen russell on November 5, 2007, 8:25 PM

I think it all depends on what you're planning. I've used both internet and a travel agent. If your just booking a flight and a hotel stay, doing it yourself on the net is usually good. But for a cruise or overseas travel, there's NO WAY I'd do that on my own! If/when complications arise in that kind of travel, it's good to have a professional to work with, or will work FOR you, instead of trying to go it alone against large or foreign companies. It also helps when you have a really good travel agency to work with!

Posted By Steve James on November 5, 2007, 9:45 PM

My last trip was almost a disaster, thanks to a travel agent who "got back to me" too late to take advantage of a good last minute deal.
I normally do my own on the internet. Stick with the airline websites, and the destination sites and you'll come out ahead every time.
I can't imagine letting a travel agent do my research for me. It's part of the fun of the trip!
I think the survey missed its mark completely!

Posted By Jo on November 5, 2007, 10:42 PM

I recently made all my reservations for a trip to Colorado on line, using Travelocity thru AARP passport. We drove the San Juan Skyway after reading a Budget Travel article. It was great! It didn't take me long to see the same hotel pictures over and over on the "virtual tours". We had some physical limitations on this trip. I'd had knee surgery and Mom needed a walker. We also needed 3 beds. I specified this and even spoke to the customer representative to be SURE. You guessed it, when we got there none of the hotels knew anything about it. We ended up in an old hotel undergoing renovations one night, definately not the lovely place in the pictures. My personal favorite was the handicap accessable room with 3 beds. They were bunk beds!!! All of the hotels told me they would have been prepared for us if I had booked with them directly, and it would have cost less.

Posted By NANCY MEAD on November 5, 2007, 11:32 PM

The article makes sense! It reflects reality! I gave up on PriceLine, Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, etc., because their prices are the highest available! Airline websites seem to offer the cheapest fares available, although there could be an exception. However, problems with airline websites are: 1. You can't enter a flexible date option for international flights. 2. It is almost impossible to book flight upgrades using your airlines miles. 3. To book a flight using your airline miles is virtually impossible. 4. Special or reduced fares are always available AFTER I have purchased my tickets! 5. Senior Citizen rates, while mentioned extensively in so much travel literature, are next to impossible to find! 6. Airline sites are NOT oriented towards informing you of the lowest available fares!

Posted By CLARENCE W MOORE on November 6, 2007, 1:37 AM

i used to use expedia to schedule airline flights and hotels but i had a very bad experience last may when they had a computer glitch and could never give me updated information on my flight to norfolk, va and i never got an e ticket. the airline had over booked that peticular flight and since i did not book through the airline i was bumped for a very important meeting. i will use the airline site from now on to book my flights!

Posted By elizabeth hart on November 6, 2007, 7:06 AM

Using web sites to plan trips with more than one destination is a joke. Add to that, that seat assignmnts made on the web tend to be just a suggestion to airlines like Northwest or British Air, then you have the flight from hell with a center seat - despite your best efforts. If it is at all complex use a travel agent - have the agent confirm your seat directly with the airline to avoid the flight from hell.

Posted By John G on November 6, 2007, 1:32 PM

I have gone back to using the airlines directly for my flights and making my own hotel arrangements. I had a very bad experience on expedia. They booked me at a hotel that was the worst hotel I have ever stayed in. The location was not as requested and it was filthy. Since it was 11 o'clock at night when we arrived after a 5 hr. flight.,we had no choice. They would not refund me because they said I should have called when I arrived. I will never book with them again.

Posted By Jeannie on November 6, 2007, 4:20 PM

I think the internet is far and away the best place to plan a trip. You can do a ton of research, read other travelers reviews, and compare prices, options, tours, attracations, accomodations, etc. HOWEVER, before you put your cash on the line READ THE FINE PRINT. I do all the above, and am never in a hurry to book, till I`m knowledgable about what I am purchasing. The result has been " no surprises, no dissappointments"

Posted By Steve A. on November 6, 2007, 5:32 PM

I use the Internet for a lot of travel planning and booking, but I have become very selective in which sites I use. It seems that generic sites like Expedia and Travelocity have limited usefulness for making reservations if you want to get the lowest prices. Airlines and hotels have become so competitive that they guarantee the lowest prices if you use their sites.

I've also found some sites are too intrusive on my privacy (such as those that might provide unique vacation experiences). They ask for too much information up front before even allowing you to "shop around" and see what's there. I leave those sites quickly and don't go back. I can understand how some people might become so frustrated by these sites that they decide to forego the web entirely and call an agent.

Posted By Gary on November 7, 2007, 10:45 AM

I use web sites like this on and Trip Advisor for trip planning and will continue to do so. But... with airlines matching he rates on Orbitz etc. I have no use for these sites. Also, from all I have read the first to get bumped when hotels are oversold are those who have booked through a 3rd party. I prefer to book with the hotel or B&B direct (and use their websites to do so) although I will use Skoosh and Hotels.com on occasion.

Posted By Kelly Mirsky on November 7, 2007, 12:41 PM

I am also surprised at these numbers. I have traveled extensively in the last six years and have never once used an agent. I always book my airline tickets, hotels and rental cars online. My family members know that if they need a good deal on a reservation, they can ask me and I usually find something for them on Orbitz, SideStep or Hotwire. That being said, if I was a new online user, I would be absolutely overwhelmed at the number of sites that are out there and can see why people who don't stick to just one site would get exasperated with all the little nuances.

Posted By Keri Sprenger on November 8, 2007, 3:50 PM

I am retired and enjoy using the computer for research so perhaps I am not a typical traveler but I book all of my travel, domestic and international, on the web. I too disregard most of Expedia, etc. except for locating airlines that fly into various regions. It has taken the airlines 10 years to really discover the web as a sales device so I now go directly to the airline web sites to book travel, including overseas airlines, e.g. Turkish Air, Georgian Air, etc. Since I try to travel economically (some would say cheap!) I am not worried about going down the hall for the toilet, etc. so my search is always for clean and safe. I use travel guide sites, etc. for recommendations then book directly with the hotel/hostel. I find trains and buses are usually easier to ticket on site, with a few exceptions, but you can still use the web to get schedules and fares as well as reservation requirements. For me the research is half the fun but it does take time and patience - I probably used 40 hours of research to do a business/personal 2 week, 5 country trip in Europe/Asia Minor this spring.

Posted By Dick Pilgrim on November 8, 2007, 5:15 PM

I really don't know a satisfactory way to plan a trip anymore. My last trip, to Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas was a total nightmare. I planned it several months in advance, first on the web and later by phone. My trips were canceled after a few weeks, and I had to start all over. A portion of this set of tickets was canceled, necessitating another lengthy set of phone calls to get it straight. Since I had started on the web, with Cheap Fares, everything thereafter was eventually booked with them. I had chosen Cheap Fares for no particular reason, but none of the large carriers I contacted would book my tickets. Reason? They had no planes flying to my destination, so they would not book my trip. First time I have ever had that happen.

The morning we arrived at the airport, at 4:15 am, the ticket agent immediately informed us that our flights had been canceled. We knew something must be available, so we asked for another flight. He said he would be glad to help us; however, our flights had not been paid for. Another agent helped him out, pointing out the tickets had indeed been paid for. Then he could not find us flights. When he could find something, he could get us part of the way there, but we would be stranded in Southern Florida or Nassau. When that was resolved, he could not find return flights. Another agent finally took all our info from the first agent and took care of us in only a few minutes, satisfactorily. When we arrived at the gate, our 6 am flight was already boarding. Incidentally, the airline was Atlantic Southeast, a Delta feeder. Our flights were eventually booked on US Airways.

We are retired, and my husband and I usually take 2 or 3 major trips a year. We have over 700,000 air miles accumulated, and since this last horrific experience (and I did not even list all the problems), we have decided to cool it for awhile and travel by car, closer to home, or just plain stay at home.

Air travel, in its present form, does not compare to what it was, as recently as five years ago. It is simply just not worth it. Maybe next year? This is the first time since 1985 that we do not have a trip pending.

Posted By Pollye Griffith on November 12, 2007, 9:50 AM

I've been buying airline tickets on line for eight years now and have had no problems. And I have gotten some incredible deals. I live in south Florida and just this morning bought a roundtrip to Atlanta for $38. Yes, including tax.

I'm not going to divulge my favorite site, but I recommend that if you want true bargains you sign up for every travel site e mail list and every airline e mail list you can find. And when you find a real bargain, act quickly!

Posted By Richard Rosichan on November 28, 2007, 12:59 PM

A B.A in Tourism? I want one of those... to heck with this "working for a living" stuff

The best thing you can do for yourself is be well-informed. Don't leave it up to a travel agent, keep checking yourself until you find what you want.

2 examples
On a Flight/Cruise to Hawaii, I found that, for some reason, the fare had dropped to $99, because I checked a cruising site several times weekly

On a Panama Canal cruise, an Aft corner cabin became available, we grabbed it quickly.

Posted By Bob Clark on December 6, 2007, 4:53 PM