Alright, so I’m gonna walk you through how I recently booked my vacation package. It was a bit of a journey, not gonna lie, but I figured out some tricks along the way that might help you out.
First things first, I knew I wanted to go to Cancun. Obvious choice, right? Sun, sand, and all that jazz. So, I started with the big names – Expedia, Kayak, Priceline. You know, the usual suspects.
I kicked things off on Expedia. I like their interface, it’s pretty clean. I punched in my dates – flexible, because who cares when you go as long as you go? – and started browsing. The initial prices looked decent, but I didn’t jump the gun. Pro tip: Clear your cookies or use incognito mode. Seriously, I swear they jack up the prices if they know you’ve been searching.
Next up was Kayak. I like their “Explore” feature. You can basically see a map of where you can fly for a certain price. It’s more for finding a destination, not your destination though. I double-checked my Cancun dates anyway. Found a slightly cheaper flight, but the hotel options weren’t as appealing as Expedia’s. I made a note of the flight details though – important for later!
Priceline was next. This one’s a bit more of a gamble. Their “Express Deals” can save you some serious cash, but you don’t know the hotel name until after you book. I wasn’t feeling that adventurous this time. I did check their regular package deals, but they were pretty much the same as Expedia and Kayak.
Here’s where things got a little more interesting. I remembered hearing about using Google Flights and Google Hotels separately to potentially find better deals. So, I hopped over to Google Flights. I plugged in my dates and looked for flights to Cancun. Remember that slightly cheaper flight I found on Kayak? Google Flights showed it too, and even a bit cheaper sometimes! Winning!
Now, for the hotel. I went to Google Hotels. This is where it gets good. You can filter by price, rating, amenities, all that jazz. I found a hotel that looked amazing, and Google showed me prices from different booking sites. I spotted a deal on the hotel’s own website that was significantly cheaper than anything I saw on Expedia or Kayak. Another pro tip: Always check the hotel’s website directly! Sometimes they have exclusive deals.
So, here’s what I ended up doing: I booked the flight through Google Flights (redirected to the airline’s website, which I prefer for peace of mind). And I booked the hotel directly through their website.
Was it a little more work than just booking a package on Expedia? Yeah, a little. But I saved a good chunk of money – enough for extra margaritas, at least!
- Bottom line: Don’t just settle for the first deal you see.
- Shop around.
- Use Google Flights and Google Hotels separately.
- And always, always check the hotel’s website directly.
Hope this helps you snag a sweet vacation deal! Happy travels!
