International travel has made a comeback and is now more improved than ever before, thanks to the past few turbulent years that gave the industry a chance to develop new and advanced procedures to facilitate your travels from point A to B.
The expenditure on worldwide travel amounted to $2.37 trillion in 2020, which is a whopping trillion dollar figure. Notably, this represents a 49% decrease from the preceding year.
The travel industry offers numerous opportunities for financial gain, resulting in a diverse range of travel resources and options available for travelers to streamline and facilitate their journeys.
We have put together a list of the top ten online travel agencies that can assist you in getting the most out of your upcoming journey. Our suggestions cater to both leisure and business travel needs.
Let’s start by examining the functions performed by online travel agencies.
What are online travel agencies?
A website that deals in travel-related services is called an Online Travel Agency (OTA). It provides customers with the convenience of booking hotels and travel arrangements through a single platform. Essentially, they are the modern-day version of a traditional travel agent.
OTAs such as Expedia, Booking.com, and Agoda are available online. While some, like Kiwi.com, concentrate on a single service, others, such as Skyscanner, provide a full range of services.
The top 6 online travel agencies
To begin with, we’ll examine online travel agencies that cater to individuals seeking leisurely travel. These platforms are utilized by ordinary people to make reservations for their upcoming major trip or family excursion, regardless of whether the destination is New York or the Caribbean.
1. Booking.com
Booking.com is an extensive OTA that provides travelers with the opportunity to book not only their accommodations but also their travel and car rental needs. It’s the biggest accommodation booking site globally, with a wide range of accommodation types, destinations, and discounts for the average traveler to discover.
Key offerings and characteristics:
- Intuitive booking tool and website
- Flight + Hotel booking for easily planning trips with no cross-referencing travel websites
- Simple car rental options and taxi hire
- Available in over 40 different languages and offers over half a million properties across 207 countries
- You can book experiences in your destination city to entertain you on your travels
- Genius rewards program
In general, booking.com is a travel website that offers a wide range of hotels and flights worldwide. However, it has been criticized for its cluttered user interface, so you may need to focus when using it.
2. Agoda
Agoda, which is most popular in Asia, is an OTA that’s rapidly expanding due to its impressive offerings. The company’s Market Managers work diligently to secure the most favorable rates for the destinations covered by Agoda’s services, which are primarily focused on lodging.
Although Agoda’s flight booking services are limited, it is an excellent resource for locating lodging options, particularly private residences and apartments.
Key services and characteristics:
- Simple interface and booking tool
- Deals when making more than one booking
- 38 different languages and offers a 24-hour, multilingual customer support service
- Free cancellation within 24 hours of booking
- Millions of reviews to help make your decision
Although useful, the flight booking tool does not offer complete coverage, hence it might be preferable to search for a tool with broader availability.
3. Lastminute.com
Being among the top three travel companies in Europe, Lastminute.com is favored by many for city-hopping due to geographical proximity. The OTA functions similarly to others in that hotel bookings are made through the site while flights are reserved through an aggregator platform.
Lastminute.com is adept at discovering excellent bargains on flight-and-hotel deals and all-inclusive vacation bundles for spontaneous travelers. Those willing to take a risk will discover the ultimate travel opportunity through lastminute.com.
Primary products and characteristics:
- Filter hotels according to budgets, star ratings, guest ratings, board types, and more
- ATOL protection on flight + hotel bundles
- Flash sales for last-minute deals
- Payment plans to spread out the cost of travel
- Extra entertainment booking for your trips, like theatrical productions and day trips
- Gift cards for gifting travel
For travelers who tend to wait until the last minute in search of the best bargains, this OTA is an excellent option. You can count on discovering it here, along with a diverse variety of flight and hotel deals.
4. Expedia
Since the nineties, Expedia has been granting travelers the convenience of booking flights, hotels, and cars, and remains a powerful player in this industry. Being the largest global travel agency, it not only owns hotels.com, trivago, and Travelocity but also serves as a reliable source for the best possible deals.
Primary products and characteristics:
- Expedia rewards for hotels, cars, and more
- Experienced support
- Compare cruise lines
- Big savings when booking flights, hotels, and car
- Operates in nearly 70 countries and in over 35 different languages
- Luxury travel options
For those who prefer to make one payment for their flights, accommodation, and car rental, Expedia is an especially suitable choice.
5. Hotwire
Since its establishment in 2000, Hotwire has remained a reputable online travel agency that is famed for its ‘secret deals’. These offers provide travelers with amazing discounts for trips that they may not have much information about. A sense of adaptability is necessary, but it presents a fantastic opportunity for those who enjoy adventure to travel without spending too much.
Primary offerings and characteristics:
- Book hotels, flights, cars, and bundles
- 24/7 support
- Lower prices on the app
- Great last-minute deals for spontaneous travel
Hotwire could be a good option to consider if you are making a reservation at the eleventh hour.
6. Bookmundi
Bookmundi is a fast-growing travel booking platform with tours to an excess of 130 countries around the world. They provide travel solutions to customers based on their accommodation preference, budget, preferred duration, and an option to customize preferred tours.
Customers have the option to ask the operators for modifications to their itinerary so that it aligns with the preferences of the travelers. Additionally, the organization’s customer support team serves as a mediator between potential tourists and tour operators.
The booking platform of Bookmundi is owned by themselves and run by a committed team of tech experts who guarantee that the system remains operational 24/7.
BONUS: Best Travel Management Software
Outdated practices and inefficient expenditure processing often hinder the operations of numerous organizations, leading to a loss of valuable time and resources. However, companies that regularly arrange business trips can now benefit from specialized travel-management software that provides an excellent solution to these issues.
These solutions possess a level of intuitive sophistication that effectively addresses numerous issues that arise from an inadequate expense management system. Moreover, they are capable of significantly streamlining and accelerating the procedures involved in booking flights and hotels.
In addition, effective travel-management software can aid management in adhering to corporate travel policies. Furthermore, it can offer beneficial information about travel costs, create tailored processes, and facilitate seamless reimbursement of employees.
In this article, we present a selection of top-notch travel management software that can be utilized today. Our team tested and assessed the capabilities of each one, and we are confident that all of these tools listed will effectively address any travel-related concerns you may have.
List Of Best Travel Management Software
#1) Paramount WorkPlace (Recommended)
For any size of business, Paramount WorkPlace is the most suitable.
The management process of travel-related issues can be significantly simplified by using Paramount WorkPlace, which is a software fully integrated for this purpose.
Employees are supported by a comprehensive travel and expense solution that features a clever booking engine. This engine captures top-tier travel content and presents trip options based on the company’s policy. The booking engine integrates all aspects of corporate travel policy, from pre-trip authorization requirements to negotiated rates for airlines, hotels, and car rentals. It offers a seamless booking path, with synchronized travel data effortlessly flowing into the expense solution.
The traveler finds the process effortless as the system matches digitally recorded receipts to the relevant expense report. Utilizing advanced OCR technology, it accurately recognizes all pertinent details needed for receipt management, eliminating the possibility of any mishaps.
Whenever necessary, it is effortless to send the created expenditure reports to their designated recipient. Additionally, approval requests may be swiftly sent via email for speedy approvals. Comprehensive reporting metrics readily provide dependable information on your spending habits.
#2) TravelPerk
Ideal for small businesses.
For small-scale business operations, TravelPerk functions as an intelligent travel partner that encompasses all aspects of proficiently managing work-related travels within a single comprehensive platform. The software facilitates various tasks like making flight and lodging reservations and handling travel-related financial records.
The interface of TravelPerk is exquisite, offering great oversight and management to users. The software streamlines the process of generating expense reports and obtaining useful analytics on a company’s travel costs. Additionally, the mobile app enhances the booking procedure, making it more accessible.
In addition, TravelPerk provides access to possibly the most extensive selection of flights, accommodations, and rental vehicles worldwide. Additionally, TravelPerk takes care of creating travel policies automatically, so that managerial staff need not concern themselves with ensuring business trips adhere to regulations.
#3) Flightslogic
Ideal for travel agencies.
Travel agencies may find Flightslogic’s end-to-end travel solution to be a perfect match, as it includes a personalized booking engine for flights and hotels that simplifies and automates the entire operation.
By consolidating all essential information related to a company’s travel costs in one central location, this solution facilitates efficient management and coordination of employee travel by company administrators.
The software is capable of managing all aspects of travel management, including both minor and major details. It can assist with reserving flights and hotels, organizing travel arrangements for individual workers and whole teams, and ensuring all necessary travel documents are obtained.
#4) Salestrip
Ideal for SMEs.
With Salestrip, companies can efficiently handle their expenses and travel arrangements, leading to significant growth opportunities. Salestrip employs AI technology, providing a comprehensive range of flights, accommodations, and rentals for employees to select from.
The tool eliminates the need for employees to search multiple websites for their travel arrangements by offering the ‘Intelligent Trip Request’ feature. This feature allows employees to submit their travel requests in one place and allows managers to review and approve them.
By automating the entire process of receipts and expense reporting, Salestrip enhances its travel management services. It streamlines receipt management, allows bulk approvals, and enables effortless allocation of expenses across various business activities with minimal effort.
#5) Flightfox
Ideal for companies of medium and large size.
Flightfox is a software tool that allows managers to delegate their administrative tasks to smart automation, providing a worry-free experience as it takes care of all aspects of flight, hotel, and rental vehicle bookings, including reporting and analysis.
With a secure and extensive database, the software offers a dynamic user interface that consolidates all essential data related to corporate travel. Essentially, the software operates automatically, aiding your team to discover the most suitable rates for their business journeys.
Additionally, because it is primarily a cloud-based system, managing your travel arrangements is far more accessible from any location worldwide. If alterations need to be made, they can be accomplished quickly and easily with only a few clicks.
#6) SAP Concur
Most suitable for big corporations.
SAP Concur is the ideal destination for companies seeking bespoke travel management software that caters to their specific needs and demands. SAP Concur offers an array of travel suppliers and tools necessary for effective travel management, helping companies achieve their travel and expenditure objectives.
The solution has the ability to collect travel data globally, regardless of the booking location, and compiles all important information in a single, user-friendly dashboard for convenient access and reporting. Additionally, the software manages travel in compliance with established policies to avoid any breaches.
However, the software proves to be exceptional in automating and incorporating expense management. It facilitates the acquisition of expenditure information from various origins and furnishes enhanced understandings for sound decision-making. It simplifies policy enforcement and guarantees that employees receive their reimbursements promptly.
