The pros and cons of discount travel sites

Discount travel websites are a dime a dozen, and although most of them are pretty good, each comes with its own set of pros and cons that every consumer should be aware of.

Discount travel sites

General information
In recent years, discount travel sites have been popping up all over the place, and anyone who has access to the internet is bound to have seen an ad from sites like Orbitz, and Cheapair, which has made travel planning the easiest it has ever been. Knowledge
For example, the person that is looking for trips to Vegas, or a cheap hotel rate in Florida, or even one way tickets to New York, can accomplish their goal with just a few clicks. However, although there are many sites around, most of which provide favorable results for people who use them, there are many pros and cons that people need to consider before paying for their trip.

Points Positifs

Competition
When airfare and hotel are booked together, the cost is usually significantly cheaper than if they were booked separately. The prices are always competitive. So, in some cases when travel is booked from a site, if a cheaper price is found elsewhere, another discount may be offered to beat the other website's published price. Most sites offer travel comparisons to other sites to prove that their site is the best for that particular package.
Packages
Since packages are available, it is much easier to just pick a package as opposed to going to an airline website, hotel website and rental car website individually, which can be a waste of time. Most sites offer travel insurance for travelers, which can be great in case of inclement weather, canceled flights and such.

Points Négatifs

Different sites
Most sites only work with certain hotels, airlines, or rental car agencies, so a package booked on one site may have come up cheaper if a comparable package were booked on another site if the airline were a different one than the ones that are offered.
Tax not included
Many prices are shown without taxes and fees added, so when the total price is added up, it can be shockingly more expensive than the price that was advertised.
Cancellations
Most people book their vacation plans way in advance, so if at any point an emergency comes up or the trip has to be canceled for any other reason, it may become very difficult to obtain even a portion of the money that was spent, even when travel insurance has been purchased.
Resort fees
Resort fees are usually not included, so when checking in, it is possible to still have to pay the hotel a certain amount per day to cover the cost.