BY Debamalya MukherjeeApr 21, 2022

We know that you want to go out for a vacation and escape the shackles of reality for a few days. Letting yourself loose every once in a while will sound interesting for many trippers. Who does not like to go to a place where you have never been before? Learning about the cuisine, people, history, architecture, fashion, and more about a foreign land sounds pretty interesting for every vacationer. This has over time become the driving reason why many people want to go on a vacation. To organize everything about a vacation from the boarding of flights, hotels, and even transportation, a good travel agency must make all these processes simple. This is where Expedia comes into play - one of the best travel agencies globally. So what makes this travel agency an excellent choice for trippers, and why should you consider some positives and negatives about its services. Therefore, if you want an in-depth Expedia review, continue reading to find it yourself. What Is Expedia? Expedia is a travel agency company that was established in 1996. Though many tourists do not know this, it is a subsidiary of Microsoft, one of the biggest technology companies in the world. It is a part of Expedia Group Inc., which also owns various other subsidiaries like Trivago, Hotwire, Travelocity, Car Rentals, and HomeAway (now rebranded as Vrbo). This group created Expedia as a travel agency website after its launch in 2001.  This agency excels in offering holiday services for tourists like booking flight tickets, renting transportation mediums (cars and buses), booking reservations for tourists at excellent hotels, and lots more. How To Create An Account In Expedia? When you open the website for the first time, you can see the list of all the places you can go to, their associated holiday packages, and more. If you decide to book anything from its website, you will be greeted with a text that says you need to be a registered user of Expedia. After traversing through the various menus of this website, I have found out that creating an account and registering on the website is entirely free and easy to do, along with the registration process being completely free. To do so, you need to: First, open your browser on your smartphone or computer. Next, go to the official website of Expedia. Next, click on the “Sign In” menu in the top right corner of the screen. A form will open up where you must give your account details like email addresses, names, and passwords.  Another page will open up after that, where you need to provide your house address and bank account details.  After you have provided all the details, the agency will send a verification mail to your email address. Click on the link sent to you to complete the process.  That's the whole process of becoming a registered user of Expedia. Now you can make any bookings through the website and plan your vacation in the best way possible. Services Offered By Expedia The primary services offered by Expedia are: 1. Book Flights Booking Expedia flights is one of the easiest things that I have ever done, and I am not bragging. After years of being an active tourist and going on several vacations every year, I found out that it provided the quickest means of booking flight tickets to any destination that you want. You have to go to their website and set the location you want to book a flight to. After you have done so, the webpage will show the current price chart on the screen, which shows which flights are available from the airport of your choice, its prices, and many other amenities like what food and provisions will be given to customers on the flight. 2. Book Hotel Reservations When you go to a place for a trip, you definitely need to book a hotel room that gives you the best services and rooms for its price. However, your smartphone and an internet connection will suffice instead of going to various hotels and checking them out individually. When I decided to go on a vacation and wanted to make Expedia hotels reservations, I found it easy to do so through the website. The web pages have all the information about hotels like their price structure, picture of the rooms, customer reviews, and even their distance from the best coffee shops nearby. Booking hotels from this website is intuitive because it provides essential information about hotels and even customer reviews. In addition, you can get the option to book hotel rooms when you are booking a flight. 3. Rent Cars If you want to go to a place that requires you to travel by car, you can do so beforehand from this website. This website allows you to rent cars, bikes, vans, and even buses depending on the size of your party. This is great since it will enable you to make a short trip to the closest Starbucks or Cafe Coffee Day with rented vehicles. 4. Go On Cruises If you are interested in going on a cruise with your partner, you can easily do so through this website. Just select a place and the time you want to go on a cruise. The website will automatically search for all the available cruises during that period. This makes it fast and easy to book cruises and even check out the events and amenities provided on deck.  User Reviews Of Expedia After using the services of Expedia to plan a holiday trip of mine, along with reading the reviews left by other users. Together, I figured out some benefits and drawbacks of using this travel agency as your holiday planner. They are: Pros Some of the best things about Expedia that I liked are: 1. Lots Of Choices The amount of choice presented by this website is staggering, making it one of the best travel sites. You have details about every important tourist place globally and even have travel and tour plans made up for such positions. Therefore, deciding on what to do during the trip and booking flights, hotels, and even other transportation options is pretty easy using this website. You can also check what is near the hotel, like the closest Cafe Mocha. 2. Affordable Packages If you decide to book your flight, hotel, and other amenities using this website, you can offer various discounts. They allow you to avail of these offers if you opt to book the total package. 3. Intuitive Website The website is designed smartly to get every information about the tour you are planning right from the get-go. It is effortless to navigate the various menus of the website, making it easily scrollable even on mobile devices. Cons Some of the major drawbacks of Expedia that many users and I have faced are: 1. Poor Customer Service In my honest opinion, and according to reviews left by other users, the Expedia customer service is abysmally poor. This is the most common complaint that almost every user has complained about. The biggest complaint is refunding canceled bookings. It is almost impossible to get a refund in such situations. This has happened a lot because when it comes to asking for refunds, this agency never seems to care and purposely decides to stop all communication.  2. Infrequent Updates The updates to the website are rare because older information about hotels is present, along with seats available on flights. When I tried to book a flight, it showed me that no seats were available for the flight even when the website showed that seats were available. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Q1. How Do I Talk To A Real Person At Expedia? “How do I speak to someone at Expedia'' is one of the most asked questions. You can do this by visiting their website and calling the customer care number provided there. Q2. Can I Cancel An Expedia Trip? Yes, you can cancel an Expedia trip. Q3. Does Expedia Have Free Cancellation? Free cancellation is only available if you cancel within 24 hours of booking a flight or a hotel. Q4. How Do I Get An Expedia Refund? You need to contact customer care to get a refund. Conclusion If you want to book flights, hotel rooms, and even extra transportation services, Expedia is one of the best choices. It has an intuitive website that provides a lot of information about the flights to and from the location. However, even though it provides excellent services, its customer support service is its weakest point. It appears that the staff presented had no idea about how to respond to certain situations. You can also read about other travel websites like Agoda and Booking com by reading the other articles on this website! Read More: Priceline.Com – Best Review By Users In 2022 10 Best Places To Travel In May – Travel Guide 2022 10 Best Places To Travel In October – Travel Guide 2022

BY Barsha BhattacharyaMar 11, 2022

When the last two years forced me and the rest of the world to stay home, my favorite pastime was looking up the best travel sites online. The moment things turned a little normal and restrictions were lifted, I packed my bags and tools the help of these sites made as many as four trips in a time span of four months. It’s 2022, and I already have my travel plans for the year sorted, thanks to these terrific sites. It was surprising when people started asking me questions related to travel. One of the most common questions was, ‘what are the best travel sites?’ So I decided to answer the question with a list featuring the top 10 best travel sites in 2022. Scroll down to find out which can help you the best! Best Travel Sites In 2022: So, here are the top 10 travel sites that you can check while travelling anywhere in 2022. 1. Expedia If you are planning a long trip with a lot of people, your best option is Expedia. Expedia is one of the best travel sites of all time and is also pretty well-known. People love their wide range of bundle alternatives and the customization feature for meeting the requirements of every vacation type. Pros: Extensive alternatives for every type of vacation. Updated deals. Easy user-interface. Cons: At times, competing sites might have better offers or deals. 2. Priceline One of the best travel sites known for its sheer accuracy even during last-minute deals, Priceline has several sources all over the internet. However, the site became famous when Canadian actor William Shatner started promoting it in the late 90s. So, if you were wondering what are the best last-minute travel sites, then Priceline is definitely one. Pros: Very well-known, which means the brand is trusted by customers. Updated and user-friendly website. Prioritizes accuracy, especially when it comes to booking data. Cons: At times, competing sites might have better offers or deals. 3. Booking.com A number of people might find it annoying that I am mentioning Booking.com on this list. But let’s face it! The site has lucrative deals, and I simply couldn’t ignore it, but then again, they have a horrible customer support team. So if you prioritize crazy deals over poor customer service then you can totally check this one out. Pros: An underrated site that allows you to book places all over the world. Users can book as well as list properties for rent. Better reviews from users compared to Tripadvisor. Cons: Terrible customer support. 4. Kayak There was a time when Kayak used to be legendary. Those were the days when Kayak gained popularity after offering crazy deals to users that other competing sites could never match. However, the popularity was short-lived because once competition arrived, Kayak was reduced to just another great site.  Pros: A solid search engine with accurate information. Competitive price structures for busy times during the travel schedules. Has maintained the consistency of being a good travel site. Cons: The website has zero mobile-friendliness, especially if you are still using older versions of Android or iOS services. You could still make do with the mobile app, though. You May Also Like To Read This: Most Exciting Places To Visit In Bulgaria In 2022 5. Airbnb When Airbnb had just appeared on the scene in 2008, people couldn’t quite relate to the idea, and the company was under a debt of 40,000 dollars. However, the brand got itself out of all the problems and made a name. Presently, it is known as one of the best travel sites, with listings in 34,000 cities and 190 countries across the globe. Pros: Users can book as well as list properties for rent. The concept of a unique experience is unique in reality. Simple to use and comprehend. Cons: During busy travel schedules of the year or even during weekends, it is difficult to get a booking on your preferred dates. Also, property owners are not always honest about describing their properties. So inaccurate information is present in several areas. 6. Hotwire If you were asking around what are the best last-minute travel sites, then Hotwire is another alternative other than Priceline. If you are an adventurous explorer, you will love Hotwire. The site allows you to buy hotel rooms at dirt cheap rates, but the catch is you won't know where you will be staying before the booking is made. Pros: Dirt cheap rates for hotel rooms. Crazy vacation packages are always available. Cons: You might have to compromise on quality just to pay less money. Read More: Few Excellent Ways To Get Discount On Hotel Booking 7. Vrbo Vrbo is pretty similar to Airbnb. It is also a vacation rental, but it is far cheaper than Aribb. This is because Vrbo charges costumes way lesser than Airbnb in terms of service fees. Industry experts have often compared pricing between the same property listed on the two sites before arriving at this conclusion. Pros: Cheaper than other vacation rentals like Airbnb. The concept of a unique experience is unique in reality. Cons: During busy travel schedules of the year or even during weekends, it is difficult to get a booking on your preferred dates. 8. Agoda Agoda is one of the best travel sites for people with impromptu and low-budget plans. The app allows users to find rooms in more than 200 locations depending on which city they are staying in. Users love it because it saves time and even lets you compare places side by side. Pros: User-friendly and always have plenty of alternatives to choose from in terms of hotel rooms. Deals are cheaper than both Booking.com and Airbnb. Quick bookings and even faster check-ins. Cons: Poor customer support. Additional fees are charged in specific locations. Refund-related issues crop us often. 9. Southwest You might love them or hate them, but you can definitely not ignore Southwest. So if you are wondering what are the best travel sites for flights, then you have come to the right place because Southwest is one of the best travel sites for people who prefer traveling on flights. Pros: Very cost-effective with the lowest price being honored by the brand. Trustworthy and adheres to timings. Two pieces of checked bags are given for free, accompanied by a companion pass. Cons: Southwest tickets do not come with meal provisions. The brand also does not believe in confirming seats. With no partnerships in the airline industry, Southwest has only those Boeing 737 airplanes. 10. AA.com One of the biggest competitions to Southwest and the last name on my list, AA.com, is very similar to its competition. Moreover, AA.com managed to make it to the list of best travel sites solely depending on the plethora of positive reviews on its site. After all, customer reviews are the backbone of the hospitality industry. Pros: Cheap, punctual flights. Great customer reviews especially highlighting the ‘comfort’ aspect. People have also highlighted other elements like ‘value for money’ and security. Cons: There are several customer reviews indicating that there were no provisions for water on some flights. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Q1. Which Travel Website Is Best? The best travel sites in 2022 are as follows, Expedia.com Priceline.com Hotwire.com Kayak.com, and CheapTickets.com Q2. What Is The Number 1 Vacation Spot In The World? The Great Barrier Reef is the number one vacation spot in the world, closely followed by Plitvice Lakes in Croatia and the Taj Mahal in India. These are all results depending on the popularity of the locations with travelers. Q3. Where Is The World's Most Beautiful Place? The most beautiful places in the world are as follows, Milford Sound in New Zealand, Santorini in Greece,  Isle of Skye in Scotland,  Huashan in China, and  Prague in the Czech Republic Conclusions: Now that you know all about the best travel sites in 2022, all you need to do is pack those bags and leave. Because if you don’t leave now, then you are stuck in front of your desktop till you are 60 one day and it’s time to retire. After all, let’s be realistic. Yes, at 60, you will have enough time but will you be able to jump off a cliff by the sea just for the fun of it? Then what are you waiting for? Put those travel plans into action today! Read Also: Reasons To Book Cottages For Your Honeymoon! Dharamshala’s Snow Story: A Guide To Visit During Winters 7 Key Points To Remember While Planning Your Honeymoon Trip