I use Travelzoo....and those are completely normal travel problems.

ie: I booked a hotel online. Got there and the hotel accidentally charged me their rate instead of using the online booking....and it was half price directly through the hotel....

Got to St Martin @ 11pm and the taxi driver told us our hotel had burned down.

:0) ya gotta smile...

I book hotel, air, car rental, etc. by myself. Using AAA discounts and my memberships (free) in several hotels(gold), airlines, and Hertz(Gold).

I have used Expedia for many of our trips and have been pleased....so glad I did not have the problems the OP encountered~~

When we went to Alaska, I used them for our air and car, but made my own hotel reservations via the internet.....mostly used bed and breakfasts....and they were amazing!

I have used Orbitz numerous times, and the only issue I had was difficulty in choosing airplane seats for me and my DH to sit next to each other. It took 1 phone call to Orbitz to get it fixed. Sorry you've had so many problems when traveling!

The more you travel, the more you'll learn the need to start each day or each episode (even when doing the booking) with a smile on your face, a flexible attitude and a sense of humor. You'll need them because things always go wrong, unexpected problems and mix-ups always arise.

I've long thought of the inevitable problems as part of the adventure of travel. When you ultimately get to your destination, congratulate yourself for having survived the ordeal.

You can always start with one of the vacation packagers, then look at what you can get by booking direct with the hotel, condo, airline, car rental agent. You will have more 'clout' if you are the direct customer of the hotel, etc. than if you are the packager's customer.

It takes some work to learn about a place and what's available there, but you can also discover something you'd like better than the run of the mill marketed to appeal to 'everybody'.

You might try working with a travel agent. They can then help you if something goes wrong. I'm not sure the travel sites will do that.

I've booked both thru a travel agent and thru the internet. I can't remember what the site was though. I've had no issues either way.

Used quite a few, prices vary a lot. No problems. OP needs a jug of Tequila.

Thanks for your input, everyone. I have used a travel agent for international travel with mixed results... everything about the actual travel arrangements went wrong, but the hotel was fantastic. lol!

Based on the comments made, it sounds like each person is either lucky with travel or not -- regardless of how the arrangements are made.

I always book directly with the airlines and the hotels. I won't book through third party agencies. And, yes, travelling is often an adventure, with unforeseen bumps in the road.

DH and his brother use a travel agency and traveled with Globus tours. Never had a problem and they are well know especially overseas. They used AAA for some and some special Asian agency in Los Angeles CA for the China tours. Regardless who you use, be sure and get complete travel insurance, including medical. That is very important.
Oh yes, be sure that any hotels that you do get booked actually work with the agent/company that does the booking.. We were at a hotel in AZ several years ago and a couple went to check in and the hotel said they had no record of the reservation. They told the couple they had to check it out because the hotel did not have access to any records from that agency. It was a company that both the hotel and myself had never heard about. And the hotel was full. The hotel refused to help them at all, and they had helped me because I had booked directly with the hotel using the AAA card and a CC. Just a thought to check out.

This post was edited by marie-ndcal on Wed, Oct 22, 14 at 15:46

Trip Advisor forums can put you in touch with others who have 'gone before you' or who may live in destinations you are considering. Some travel agents only know places from reading about them or having them pitched to their agency. Some only know the places that pay good commissions. OTOH, if you find an agent with extensive personal knowledge and recent experience of the places you want to travel...that's wonderful.

I've had good luck bidding on Priceline for hotels only but the best deals are usually near the date you want the room. You can save up to 1/2 the hotel rate if you know the area you're wanting to stay in as you bid on zones & you don't know which hotel you'll get until you've won the bid but you pick the star rating for the type of hotel you want.

You can check the areas by going to such sites at biddingfortravel or betterbidding.com (betterbidding is much nicer) & those sites give tips on how to do it plus you can see what people have recently gotten with their bids.

My last few trips I have used Expedia for my airfare. No problems at all!

Hotels, I research with the internet and then usually call the hotel directly

Have very few hiccups when traveling. I had a trip where the flights were delayed and delayed and delayed... that can happen. Not typically though. Weather can interfere. Like the hurricane Arthur this past 4th of July, but it was minimal interference. Last time, I booked it all on Expedia. I was glad I did. Worked out well. The only thing I encountered was, I had an upgraded room when I got there. Cost me the same. Darn the bad luck! (wink, wink)