You don't need to have a degree from an online travel agent school to know how to search for and find some potentially huge discounts when booking a trip online - you just have to know how to surf the web...

The idea of handling one's travel arrangemnets online through an online travel web site is nothing new; for over a decade, websites such as Expedia, Travelocity and Priceline (to name just a few) have been offering internet-savy consumers the opportunity to handle such things as the booking of airline tickets, hotel room reservations and optional extras (such as insurance, transportation to and from the airport and or hotel, and advance tickets to numerous tourist destinations) all from the comfort of their home computer. Most people are even aware that there are very useful services offered by numerous travel sites, including various airline homepages and the official websites of many world airports that offer helpful travel info online about flight delays due to extreme weather conditions as well as possible regional weather warnings and travel advisories about politically unstable regions around the globe.

However there is another obvious reason why so many people have made the move to online travel websites to handle their travel reservations: making online airline travel bookings and online hotel reservations can potentially save you a lot of money over dealing with a traditional travel agency. One area that this is evident is with booking fees: with the traditional travel agency you would normally face a minor booking fee for making use of their services whereas the travel sites have started to move towards the practice of lowering or even in some cases removing their booking fees. This is usually only a matter of a few dollars which would represent only a token online savings for the consumer (and which a cynic would suggest are probably being made up by raising the base fare price), but in the mind of the contemporary consumer every little bit helps and that savings is very easy to achieve by making the booking oneself. If you are worried that by handling the bookings yourself you might be missing out on any insurance you feel that you might need there is always an opportunity to order/purchase online travel insurance through the travel website that you are using - the online travel businesses will never miss an opportunity to upsell you on optional extras such as various forms of travel insurance that cover the cost of missed flights and health related concerns that might arise during your travel. The real potential to save some money however is when choosing the actual fares and hotel rooms. The online seller may be able to offer you a lower price than the travel agent because of such things as block purchases of fares - basicaly buying in bulk on such things gives the travel site a lower base price with which to work with and which they can pass on to the consumer. The travel sites can also take advantage of last minute specials because of the influence that instant information has on internet commerce. The travel sites can put last minute deals out there and have a markety for them at any time of the day or night, 24-7. Just go to any online travel site and you will see them advertising last minute air and hotel specials.

Okay, so everybody knows how to search online and find what they consider decent prices for their travel needs, but not everyone knows some of the extra steps that you can take to possibly save even more money online booking travel. For starters, when comparing prices online, make sure not to leave the airlines or the hotels own official websites out of the mix. Over half the time I find that when I compare an official website for any given airline with other sites such as expedia and others, the airline site is offering at least a comparable if not even better price for the same flight. Airlines have caught on to the fact that more and more people are shopping for their airfares on line and have apparently decided to capture part of that market. It makes sense for the airlines since every fare that they sell directly to the public is likely at a better/higher price for them compared to the discount/bulk price that they have to give to online resellers. They can even undercut the resellers and still make more money because they are working with a higher profit margin thanks to no middleman being involved and no booking fees being collected. It has gotten to the point where I almost expect to find a lower price at the airline's own site. the hotels are much the same way, with many of them almost guaranteeing the consumer that the lowest price online is at their own websites. However, I still find that the travel sites are cheaper for hotels at least half of the time. Anotheroption is to try the sites such as priceline that let you put in a bid for a certain level or quality of hotel and if it finds a taker then you are committed to the purchase. This method has seemed to work for many people who care more about the quality of a hotel more than knowing the actual name of the hotel in advance. Another means of saving online is by shopping for your flight at the right time of the day and week; by shopping at the times when airlines are releasing their special fare prices you could save a lot. Typically, I have found that Friday is a good day to search as it leads into any weekend sales that might be happening with an airline. Another good time to search is later on a Sunday or early Monday for any weekly specials that might be offered. It is a good idea to check with your preffered airlines site to see if they have a set day of the week when they offer weekly online specials to the public. One last tip that has saved me quite a bit in the past and that many people just don't bother to do, is to search online for travel promo codes. What I am reffering to are promotional codes offered by various travel sites, airlines and hotel websites that could save you 10% or more on your bookings. There are many sites out there offering promo codes, but many of them are nothing more than sites trying to get a commision by getting you to go to the travel sites through their affiliate link. A rule of thumb to make sure you are actually getting a discount is to look for any site that is offering an actual promo code that you can use with the appropriate or relevant travel site. On my last trip to Las Vegas, I saved $50 on my hotel room by using a promo code on Expedia that I found by searching online. I also saved over 10% on my airfare by using a promo code on an airline's own site. Again this was found by searching a little online. A good way to search for such codes is by simply doing a google search for "promo code" + the name of the airline, hotel, or travel site that you wish to use. I almost always find something by doing this.

Well there you have it, some suggestions that will hopefully save you a few bucks the next time you decide to book your trip online...