Hello all, quick question.... if you book with either of these services, do you follow up with the lodging locations and airlines to confirm ??

I've never used either for flights, but I do routinely use booking.com for lodging, and I do follow up a week or so before my scheduled arrival just to confirm my likely time of arrival and any specific arrangements I requested. I consider it a convenient courtesy, not a necessity.

I have used Expedia for flights. You will get an Airline Confirmation code in addition to the Expedia one. You use the airline code to reserve airline seats, meals, etc..often can be done online, sometimes you need to call.

I don't always communicate with lodgings. Sometimes the lodging sends you an email on their initiative asking if you need anything such as a pickup or travel arrangements, sometimes not.

I've had issues a few times with booking.com in South America. Only once did the lodging not honor my reservation despite having a strict cancel policy (actually they found it in a file folder). They gave me worse room the first night and upgraded me the second night for the inconvenience. Once there were renovations happening (like carpet being glued in the hallway) and once they did not properly log me in as having checked in which results in you being a "noshow" and getting billed by booking. This can be a problem if the lodging is cash only. Issues were resolved, more or less to my satisfaction. Be sure to save your receipts!

BTW I also use Hotels.com, which sometimes has better cancel policies and added coupon codes.

Definitely not, I never follow up with hotels directly, it simply isn’t necessary.

My trip isnt until May 2019, when will that email arrive

You already have it.

For an airline res, usually within 24 -48 hrs You get a confirmation with both letter codes. Also look for a ticket number.

Hotels do not always respond. They aren't required to do so.

Depends on the hotel. If for some reason I've got a worry I'll drop them an email using the booking.com messaging system. If I'm driving I'll check if they have parking for example. Many places claiming parking may have on street parking in the next town. But in general I don't

I book a lot of hotels through Expedia and on ocassion Booking.com. I never contact them to confirm but I did once as I didn't request the correct bedding. The hotel glady corrected it for me. I once booked through another 3rd party hotel site and somehow my reservation got cancelled before I showed up. I had two reservations but only the one got cancelled and they couldn't tell me who cancelled it. They had no more rooms left but they gave me a handicap room instead. After that, I started to confirm but stopped as it was the only time I had an issue and changed where I book from.

I used to follow up for the peace of mind but eventually stopped since I never came across issues of a reservation missing

Some third party sites that do not have real time connections to the lodging facility may simply fax or email the reservation info and maybe your credit card to the venue. At times, by the time, an agent at the hotel goes to input the booking, they may not have a room or at least a suitable room. Then you have to hope that the agent contacts the third party and that the third party contacts you. Often, the agent simply tosses it away and pretends they didn't get it. Therefore, it is very important to select a hotel that has good ratings; those that cut corners, especially some smaller ones, do not invest in real time and direct booking systems. I have owned lodging places and have done some consulting work in the hospitality business where I have witnessed these problems, but I don't worry about it. I book highly rated places (often airbnb), and the few times there have been issues, a good place will put you into a better situation (nicer hotel next door or an upgraded room).