If you usually buy flight tickets online, perhaps you have come across the situation where the same ticket could be purchased on several different websites.

It’s possible that all these websites may seem similar to you, but even though the differences are not always immediately apparent, the fact that you conduct your search on an airline’s website, through a travel agency, or using a search engine can influence aspects such as availability, after-sales service, or price.

Therefore, it’s worthwhile that next time, before booking your ticket, you take a moment to pause and consider where you are and what you can expect.

Buying from an airline website such, British Airways, American Airlines, Ryanair or EasyJet

Airlines, besides offering passenger transportation services, also directly manage the reservation process, making flight tickets available for purchase.

Since agencies are not intermediaries, airlines often sell tickets at cheaper rates. In a study we conducted on a random sample of 20,000 searches, we found that 76% of the time, the airline offered the best price. However, this is not a fixed rule, and the percentage varies considerably when analyzing prices separately for low-cost airlines and traditional airlines.

Generally, airlines will offer better prices on straightforward tickets without complex connections, whereas agencies, through GDS, are able to provide better options.

Buying from a travel agency such as Kiwi, Trip.com, Budgetair and many others

Travel agencies act as intermediaries, meaning they acquire tickets from airlines and then sell them to the end traveler.

As intermediaries, their prices tend to be higher than if the ticket is purchased directly from the airline website, but this is not always the case. Airlines offer volume discounts to travel agencies that also affect the prices offered to the traveler.

So, if buying from a travel agency is almost always more expensive, why would the end user want to pay the difference?

The main feature of agencies is that they provide added value to the purchase, although the value provided may be more or less interesting depending on the specific agency.

For example, a good agency will offer interesting promotions or vacation packages in combination with various airlines they work with, along with services such as hotel and car rental reservations. One of the cases where it is more interesting to book through an agency is for long-haul trips with layovers, as by considering routes from various airlines, travelers will have more options to choose from, including different prices.

Using a meta-search engine

When it comes to renting a car, making the right choices can make a huge difference in your travel experience. Here are some essential tips to help you navigate the car rental process smoothly and get the most out of your rental:

1. Check out prices from different car rental companies. Prices aren’t set in stone in this industry, so you might find big differences between companies. Sometimes, it’s even cheaper to book through a travel agency instead of directly with a rental company. But hey, always go for providers you trust. Trabber Cars lets you compare prices from all the big rental companies and travel agencies.
2. Plan ahead, mate. Rental companies often have sweet deals if you book in advance. Plus, if you leave it to the last minute, you might miss out on the car you really want. Rushing never leads to good decisions, so try to avoid those last-minute bookings.
3. Get yourself a decent insurance coverage. It might seem like an extra expense, but if something goes wrong on your trip, it could save you a load of hassle. Trust me, what you pay for insurance will seem like chump change if you’re in a jam.
4. Rent an electric or hybrid car. You will avoid the restrictions imposed by many cities and you will be able to park for free. If you rent a combustion engine, let it be diesel, which usually consumes less and the fuel is usually cheaper.
5. Upon receiving the car, inspect it thoroughly and report any anomalies. That way, you won’t get slapped with extra charges when you return it. And don’t forget to check those tires – it’s something most people overlook.
6. When you’re booking, make sure to add any extras you need, like kid seats or GPS. That way, you know they’ll be ready for your trip. Keep in mind that in general, any extra is usually expensive and it may be worth it to bring it with you on your trip.
7. Bring back the car with a full tank. Fuel is not included in the rental price, so if you return it with less than a full tank, they’ll charge you a premium for the fuel. Always better to top it up before you hand it back.

And remember, always read through the rental contract carefully before you sign it. If there’s anything in there you’re not cool with, don’t sign it. Once you’ve put pen to paper, you’re stuck with it – no going back.

It’s possible to visit two destinations for the price of one? the answer is yes, you read that right. And the key concept is the term Stopover. Do you know what we’re talking about?

Layovers involve staying at the airport while connecting flights. However, stopovers offer extended breaks, allowing you to explore the city for at least one day. Stopovers are layovers or intermediate stops of more than 24 hours on international flights (it can even be several days). In short, they are layovers or connections between flights that are longer than usual.

Why a stopover allows you to travel more for less money? Because you will have the option to visit the stopover city, spending a day or a few days there, and then going to your final destination without paying extra. And, in addition, you will save hours of waiting at the airport.

There are several airlines that allow you to extend your stopover without paying extra for your tickets, as they are european airlines Swiss International and TAP Portugal, among others.

How to find stopover flights on Trabber

Read all »

Are you looking to save some serious cash on your next flight? Well, buckle up because we have some insider tips to help you find the best deals in the sky. From booking ahead to staying flexible with your travel plans, we have compiled a comprehensive list of strategies to help you navigate the world of airfare pricing like a pro. Whether you are a seasoned traveler or gearing up for your first adventure, these fourteen pointers will arm you with the knowledge and savvy to find affordable flights without sacrificing on quality. So, if you are ready to take your travel game to the next level and make those savings soar, dive into our guide and share with friends!

We have just started a brand new year and we desire to achieve the purpose that leads our list of desires: Travelling. But, for a change, our budget is not as large as our eagerness to travel. Does the same happen to you?

If it is like that, we have good news. In Trabber we have carried out a study in which we reveal the best moment to book cheap flights and also to travel.

If we make use of the logic, we that the most expensive dates will be those that clash with vacation periods: Easter, Summer and Christmas. In other words, during the peak season. But the year is very long and it is full of good times to book flights at the best price. Do you like to know which ones they are?

Read all »

Our four-legged best friend is another member of the family and, as such, we like to share our holidays with him. Until not very long ago, it was a rather challenging task to find a hotel which accepts pets. But, luckily, tourist establishments have become aware of this necessity and, the pet traveller has a wider range of possibilities to travel with his best friend.

Curiosity to know which are the best countries to visit with your pet? Take a look to our new ranking of dog destinations.

With the latest update of Trabber search engine, we are getting close to the round number of 100 providers on all our vertical search engines.

We add the following airlines websites to the Flight search engine this time:

• Olympic Airlines. This airline was the flag carrier of Greece until 2009. The company operates services to 37 domestic destinations and to 32 destinations world-wide.
• Evelop Airlines. This airline belongs to Barcelò Group and it is based at Palma de Mallorca airport. This year the company has transformed itself from a charter airline to a regular airline. For now it offers flights from Madrid-Barajas airport to destinations in the Caribbean.
• Croatia Airlines. It is the national airline of Croatia. It operates from its base at the airport in Zagreb.

We also add two new providers to the Car Rental search engine on this update: GoldCar and Enterprise Rent A Car. We believe that after adding these two news providers, you will notice an improvement on many of your searches. Definitely we encourage you to try this new version!

Finally, we add to the Hotel search engine a new provider, Budgetplaces, an online consolidator specialized in budget hotels, hostels and B&B, with over 10,000 accomodations in 100 countries worldwide.

We continue the development of Trabber Planner, a tool that can help you organizing your trips and reservations.

This new version of Trabber Planner is capable to interpret confirmation emails from almost 150 travel sites, including all the most popular travel sites on the Internet.

Trabber Planner is really easy to use:

1. Create the page for your trip and add your travel friends to discuss options.
2. Save flights, hotels and rental cars that interest you, by clicking on the “save” link on Trabber search engine results.
3. Once you book, forward the confirmation emails from online travel agencies, airlines websites, etc. to .All the data will be processed and made available for you and your travel friends.

   Note that you can use Trabber Planner even if you use other tools to search. You can also forward confirmation emails for other tourism products and they will also be attached to your trip in Trabber.

Here is the full list of travel websites that we support:

Read all »

We have added support for five new airlines websites to Trabber flight search engine.

Currently, we are focusing on adding support for new airlines and other travel suppliers to enhance Trabber’s results on all international Trabber versions.

Probably at the moment there is no other travel search engine that offers users such a broad set of results as Trabber.

After this new update, users will see flight results directly available from the following airline websites:

• Jet2.com is a British low-cost airline that operates from several UK airports to more than 50 destinations in Europe.
• Austrian is the flag carrier of Austria and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. The airline operates from Vienna International Airport. The airline is a member of the Star Alliance.
• Air Viva, travels to exotic destinations and has international connections in Africa, Alaska, Russia, China and India.
• Avianca is the national airline and flag carrier of Colombia and one of the largest airlines in South America. It operates flights to 100 destinations in 25 countries.
• Aegean Airlines is the largest Greek airline by total number of passengers carried, by number of destinations served and by fleet size. It operates flights from Athens and Thessaloniki to other major cities in Greece and destinations in Europe, especially to Germany. Aegean Airlines is a member of Star Alliance since June 2010.

We always like to hear your suggestions, so please tell us; What other airlines should we add to Trabber?

We continue releasing Trabber in new countries…

This time it is the turn for local versions in Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and Portugal, which complete a total of 19 countries where we have launched Trabber.

With these new versions, we want to improve the experience and support for all users already using Trabber on those countries.

If you find any translation error, please contact us.

Besides the new localized improved versions in some countries allowing searches multicast flights. This functionality is now available in Trabber Italy and UK, and even in the new version for Ireland.