I have used expedia.com to book two domestic trips (one to Florida and one to Arizona) and was quite pleased. I am skeptical, however, to use them when booking an international vacation.

I was wondering if any fellow fororites have used expedia to book an international vacation (flights and/or hotels) and if so, what are your thoughts? Will I get a better rate from a travel agent? (I have contacted various airlines directly via web and phone and found them to be much more expensive.)

Beth23, I'm really confused by your thinking. How can you be "quite pleased" with expedia for domestic travel, but "skeptical" for international travel. What's your reasoning for the skepticism? I've used them several times for both flight and hotel reservations for our international travel including my flight next week to Switzerland and Rome. I have never had a problem with them. Have a Great Trip !!! Mike

barmike: my skepticism stems from the fact that i have found it easier to research domestic travel (easier to call hotels etc).

I don't think there's any benefit to using a travel agent just to book airfare and hotels, unless you really have no time to do any research on your own.

And I agree - expedia is the same company whether you're booking domestic or international travel. So, if you trust them for one, trust them for the other.

Also - it's still quite easy to research hotels abroad online. Many have email addresses or fax numbers, and most have people at the front desk during normal business hours who speak English, so it's really no more difficult than researching US hotels, except for accounting for the time difference. There are several 10-10 numbers that you can use to get cheap rates to call Europe, so it's not even too expensive to make the call.

I have booked international flights via expedia several times. I haven't done hotels, but it's worth using it to compare prices. It is set in US$ so that may be an advantage. Although, I would never book a hotel anywhere without checking prices directly with the hotel and other booking websites as well (in US or otherwise). I find the prices do vary, quite a bit in some cases. I also travel with my family and booking quads any way other than the hotel itself when it comes to Europe is tricky because I want to know the exact configuration of the room or rooms before I book.

I used Expedia for both international flights and hotels and never had a problem (yet ) The only problem is the cancellation policy.
Generally you do save money buying air and hotel together as a package.
I just booked my air+hotel to Europe. 2 round trip tickets would be $1400. I Paid $1500 for 2 tickets and 3 nights at a 5* hotel.
Just to be fair and satisfy my curiosity I always search other sites, but always come back to Expedia. They seem to have better prices, less hidden fees, more choices, more photos, more info and their booking system is more flexible (you can book a hotel for a part of your stay, book multi city travel, etc)
Sometimes hotels have great specials. Usually in larger cities. In Amsterdam I stayed at a 5* hotel in a $450 room for $120 per night.
You may find and amazing deal on air as well. My friend just booked a direct flight for late May from NYC to Italy for $450 r/t!
If you see something great- book it. It may not be there in 5 minutes. Can be very disappointing.

Hi.

I already posted this episode, but to answer your question: I booked a hotel room in Amsterdam through Expedia. A short time later I found a better deal from another discounter. In accordance with Expedia's guarantee, I called them and told them about my better deal. They instantly refunded the difference.

This assures my further patronage.

B.V

ana222 and Pilchard: I know what you mean about things not being there in 5 minutes. I have experienced that. As for expedia having the lowest prices, that is also always correct; it is also the easiest of the sites to navigate. I didn't realize that expeida had a lowest price guarantee policy--that's good to know. is that for airfare as well as hotel?

I use expedia often to research and sometimes to book air fares, but I prefer whenever possible to book directly with the airline because sometimes the airline websites have web specials or frequent flyer bonues.

So far my experience has been that whatever air fare I find on expedia (or other similar sites) I have been able to find with the airlines or hotels directly. It is possible that package specialists like go-today and others can do better on packages rather than booking hotels and air separately, as long as you are looking at a double occupancy arrangement.

I've booked air tickets with 3rd party online site only twice, both Air Canada. I found that you usually won't get any better price for US airlines, and sometimes you even have to pay $5 or $10 extra.

Even if the price is the same, definitely book directly with the airline. During one of those Air Canada trips, the destination airport (YKA) was shut down by heavy fog for 2 days. Since I didn't book directly through AC, I could not get a refund from them immediately, and have to pay out of my own pocket for a bus fare, and takes me weeks dealing with Travelocity to get my money back.

But of course, if you find a good deal (more likely with a hotel package), then go ahead.

Beth -

I just got back from a trip to Italy that I booked through Expedia. I had no problems - confirmed my airline reservation with the carrier 3 days in advance of first flight. I checked into the two hotels on my trip by just giving my name. They both had my reservation - no problem.

Martha

I would like to add another vote for using Expedia for both domestic and foreign travel. I have always found the cheapest rates on Expedia and have been very pleased. Have a great trip. Jackie

Expedia seems like the clear winner in online travel sites. However, when booking this trip to Spain I checked Expedia and called Iberia directly and the price is exorbitant. When I spoke to a few travel agents I was given a much lower price. I think this is because travel agents use wholesalers and are able to get more competitive prices.

Obviously one should research hotels in their destination. Once this has been done, I usually find that Expedia tends to offer the best deals. This year I have booked all my flights, and accomodation through them.