Top 6 hotel booking websites

Top 6 hotel booking websites

Accommodation is usually one of the most expensive aspects of any vacation. Though booking a hotel has become easier than ever, the sheer number of platforms and offers can overwhelm most travelers. In general, the best websites feature great deals, numerous room options, and results based on your preferences. Here, we’ve listed top hotel booking websites that can help you get an excellent room at a reasonable price.

Booking.com
Booking.com has become a go-to hotel-booking website for millions of travelers worldwide. It’s reliable, easy to use, and offers eclectic search results, consisting of hotels, apartments, hostels, and guesthouses. Plus, the platform provides impressive deals year-round that can help you book inexpensive accommodation in any destination around the world. Additionally, Booking.com offers excellent customer service.

HotelsCombined
HotelsCombined is a top-rated metasearch engine, also referred to as an aggregator. This means it compares listings from hundreds of websites, including top travel agencies and major hotel brands, and puts them in one place. The website makes it excellent for last-minute bookings. One of the highlights of HotelsCombined is that it offers a “Best Price Guarantee,” which promises customers a refund of the difference if they find a hotel listed cheaper elsewhere on the web.

Kayak
If you’ve book flight tickets frequently, you might already be familiar with Kayak’s interface. It’s uncluttered and easy to navigate, which helps you find what you’re looking for quickly. Like HotelsCombined, Kayak is a metasearch engine that collates the best hotel deals from across the Internet. It has many excellent filters, including a “nearby” tool which comes in handy when you want to find accommodation closest to a particular location.

TripAdvisor
Most of us have read reviews on TripAdvisor at some point, but not many people know that the website also offers hotel booking services. In fact, it’s a great place to find some of the very best hotel deals in locations around the world. The website even allows you to sort your search results by best value, price, and distance to the city center. And thanks to the many reviews, you’ll always know if the hotel is worth it.

Agoda
If you’re searching for the best prices on hotels anywhere in Asia, you must check out Agoda. The platform, founded in Thailand, has been a reputed, go-to hotel-booking site across Asia. With its many filters, like star rating, facilities, payment options, and property type, it can help you find a suitable hotel in no time. 

Priceline
Priceline is yet another popular online travel agency. Like other websites in this list, it offers great deals on hotels throughout the year. That said, it stands out with its Express Deal offers, which help you secure a booking at an incredibly low price. The catch is that the hotel name will not be revealed until your booking is complete. It may be a good option for people on a very tight budget.

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5 amazing hacks to book flights for cheap

Airfare is generally the most expensive part of a trip. If you’ve tried booking a flight before, you realize how frustrating it is to see the fare rise every time you search for the same flight. Airlines are trying their best to pull money out of our pockets, so we’ve to become smarter too. Here’s how you can find the cheapest flight possible:Go incognitoHave you noticed a fare hike after searching for the same flight a few times? This is not exactly happening because your flight is in demand. While the exact technical details about how this happens are uncertain, experts say that your browser cookies are to blame. So, it’s always recommended to search for and book a flight in your browser’s incognito mode. The incognito window resets your cookies each time you open it and can help you find a flight at a lower price. Having said that, it is still best to avoid searching for the same flight multiple times.The search engine mattersUsing the right search engine is very important to find the cheapest flight to your destination. Although there’s no single flight search engine that can help you get great deals, Skyscanner, Momondo, and Google Flights are the three favorite search engines among travelers right now. That being said, there’s never a guarantee that they are showing you the lowest prices, so you should check out a couple of other websites before booking.Pick the cheapest day to flyYou might have heard people saying that you can save money by flying on a Tuesday or Wednesday, but it’s not a consistent truth, and there is no “cheapest day of the week” to fly out. Instead, if you want to get an idea of which day(s) can be the least expensive to fly, you must get a quick visual of prices for a whole month. Flight search engines like Skyscanner, Kiwi.com, and Google Flights offer tools that can help you identify the cheapest days or months to fly to a particular destination.Choose a budget airlineFlying via budget airlines is a great way to get a really cheap flight. Budget airlines mostly offer significantly lower rates than bigger airlines, but this comes with compromises like less legroom and no free food or drinks and movies. If you’re ready to lose these luxuries to get a cheap flight, budget airlines are an ideal option for you. A word of caution: always read the fine print before booking, and check the location of the airport where the flight lands, as some budget airline flights land on airports further out of town.Subscribes to airlines’ newsletterSometimes, you can find the best deals directly on the airlines' websites. You can access these deals by subscribing to their newsletter and receive promo codes and special offers that help you book a flight for cheap. If you sign up for the newsletters of multiple airlines, you can create a separate email ID or use filters that automatically move emails to a specific folder so that you find them easily.

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4 best budget-friendly cruise lines

A vacation at sea can be as exciting as a land-based getaway. Many cruise line companies offer excellent package deals, which include lodging, food, and entertainment, to provide an experience of a lifetime. These companies offer a broad range of destinations for you to choose from. Make sure you read their guidelines thoroughly. Have a look at the following cost-effective cruise lines with exciting itineraries and select the one that suits your preferences and budget. Royal Caribbean International The Royal Caribbean is one of the best cruise ships that can give you an overall cruise experience. It has more than 20 cruise ships that offer different itineraries to choose from based on your preference. The cruise fare for the Royal Caribbean starts at around $225 per night. The cruises offered by Royal Caribbean are suitable for all kinds of travelers ranging from families with young children to solo travelers. Carnival Cruise Line The cruises offered by the Carnival Cruise Line are known to be a little cheaper than several other providers in the market. Despite the low fares, Carnival cruises offer great amenities for travelers, including different forms of entertainment. You have the option to chose from different cruise lengths. You can opt for shorter or longer cruise lengths, depending on your choice and requirement. The lowest basic fare for a Carnival Cruise is approximately $200 per night. Norwegian Cruise Line Another cruise company that is known for offering excellent cruise itineraries at attractive prices is the Norwegian Cruise Line. Their lenient dress codes and younger crew members add to the laid-back atmosphere of the cruise ships. They also offer a wide range of amenities and dining options for the passengers. The casual dining timings are an added benefit of these cruises. They are perfect for those looking for a getaway from city life to relax without adhering to a strict schedule. The minimum nightly fare for a Norwegian cruise is approximately $200. Celebrity Cruises Although Celebrity Cruises are not as inexpensive as the rest of the options on this list, this cruise line is known to offer the most complimentary benefits with their cruise. The most commonly bought packages are the Elevate and Indulge packages since they offer complimentary premium drinks, shore excursion credits as well as fast Wi-Fi. These packages deals can cost approximately $200 in addition to the daily fares. It is recommended to book these cruise lines well in advance so that you get additional benefits during their early bird access. Make sure you keep an eye on their sale period to get the most of their deals. Also, do your own research about the cruise and its itinerary offered. This can help you be prepared for the whole experience if you are a first-time cruiser. 

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