CR's Guide to Do-It-Yourself Travel Planning
Booking your own vacation online doesn’t have to be complicated. Here, insider strategies for finding the best and cheapest flights, hotels, cruises, and rental cars.
It all seems so easy. To go somewhere wonderful, you just have to open your laptop and start booking flights, hotels, and rental cars. Who needs a travel agent, anyway?
But then the dizzying number of choices you’ll need to make stops you in your tracks. Which booking sites should you use? Which airline? Should you reserve that cruise directly? And does it make sense to prepay for hotel rooms and rental cars, or should you wait until later?
Such decisions matter, and not just because you’re looking to save. You also want to feel confident that you’re getting the best experience you can for your money.
Flights
How to Search
Starting two to three months before departure for domestic flights, or three to six months for international, use Google Flights, Kayak, or Skyskanner to get a general sense of prices and flight times for your destination. (All are aggregators that pull results from the major airlines.) For last-minute flights, try CheapOair.
Get Flexible
To find the lowest possible price, click on Kayak’s calendar feature or Google Flights‘ “date grid” to see which dates have the lowest fares—and consider changing your plan if, say, it’s cheaper to fly on Saturday than on Sunday. Consider nearby alternate airports, too—instead of Los Angeles International Airport, it might cost less to fly to Long Beach Airport, for example.
Booking two one-way tickets instead of round-trip, or flying different airlines for different legs of your journey, can also save you money, says Jesse Neugarten, CEO of Dollar Flight Club, a discount travel organization.
Pounce Now—or Wait?
Kayak uses historical data to forecast whether prices are likely to go up or down over the coming days. (Look for “Our advice.”) If prices may be heading down, you can set up an alert to email you if they do. (Several booking sites do this; look for “track prices” on Kayak.)
Photo: Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
Book With Confidence
Once you’ve settled on particular flights, head to the winning airline’s website to book. The reason? If your flight is canceled or changed, getting it rebooked or refunded tends to be slower and more difficult with a third-party website such as Expedia or Kayak, says Chuck Bell, CR policy advocate.
And what about choosing a fare class? Sure, those basic fares can run 20 percent less than the next fare class up. But beware: On many airlines, the cheapest ticket category now means no carry-on bag, no seat choice, and no sitting with your travel companions. And if you start adding optional upgrades for luggage or seat selection, that basic ticket can end up costing as much as a standard main cabin ticket or more.
Finally, if you find a better deal or just change your mind, federal rules say you can cancel a flight within 24 hours and get a full refund if you bought the ticket at least seven days before the scheduled departure.
Get Help
If walking long airport concourses is a challenge because of a disability, airlines will provide free wheelchair service. (Click “special travel needs” when you book.) Two companies, Global Airport Concierge and Royal Airport Concierge, also offer meet-and-greet services at major U.S. and international airports. For around $450, depending on the airport and the size of your party, a Royal Airport Concierge agent will meet you curbside, check your bags, get your boarding passes, escort you through security (and into an airline lounge, if available), and take you to your gate.
Insider Tip
Got a layover of more than a couple of hours? Check your credit card’s perks: American Express Platinum cardholders, for example, have free lounge access in about 500 airports worldwide. And many airlines sell day passes to their lounges: American for $79, for example, and United for $59.
Get a Perk!
Celebrating a birthday or an anniversary? Mention it to an agent at the desk or a flight attendant as you board—it might get you free Champagne or even an upgrade. That’s how travel pro Jesse Neugarten and his wife flew first class to Hawaii on their honeymoon.
Cruises
How to Search
The best cruises require advance planning, so start your search at least six (and ideally 12) months before you hope to set sail. To narrow the options, go to cruisecritic.com, where you can sort cruises from the major lines by popularity and consumer ratings, as well as region, days at sea, and price.
Once you’re focused on a half-dozen or so, use the cruise line websites to dig deeper into the dates, itineraries, prices, and details about onboard activities, amenities and on-shore excursions. Then pop your dates into the booking page and select a cabin type to see a price, including taxes, fees, and upgrades—but stop before entering your payment details.
This is important: The prices you’ll see generally won’t include a lot of additional costs, such as alcoholic drinks, excursion fees, gratuities, transportation, and hotels before and after the cruise. For a ballpark idea of your final cost, Don Bucolo of Eat Sleep Cruise, a cruise news and tips website, suggests doubling the advertised price—and says the extra expenses could be even greater for cruises lasting longer than a week.
Book With Confidence
When you’re ready to book, use an independent cruise specialist, Bucolo recommends. These travel pros can often get you valuable onboard credits or free WiFi packages that could save you upward of $45 per person per day.
A good way to find an independent agent is through Avoya Travel or CruiseCompete.com. These sites submit your desired itinerary to cruise agents, who then send you quotes, including any perks they can offer. When we sought quotes for a six-night western Caribbean cruise on Princess Cruises’ Regal Princess ship in February 2025, one agent’s offer beat the cruise line’s price by $80 and threw in onboard credits and perks worth $150. Another agent got it for almost $660 less.
Insider Tips
Cruise lines advertise per-person prices but assume two people will share a room. Solo travelers will usually have to pay twice the per-person “double occupancy” price for a room—but not on Holland or Norwegian, which on certain ships offer single rooms for less than what you’d pay for a voyage in a cabin meant for two. And solo cabins on Virgin do not incur a single supplement, which can translate into savings of up to 50 percent.
Also, if you need to fly into your departure port, plan to arrive at least a day early in case your flight is delayed. Certain cruise lines offer discounted flights and hotel rooms, and a booking agent can help arrange those.
Photo: David Clement/Shutterstock Photo: David Clement/Shutterstock
Need Special Assistance?
The industry’s newer ships are generally the most accommodating to travelers who use wheelchairs, scooters, or walkers. Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas, for example, has 46 accessible cabins, lifts in pools and hot tubs, special seating in dining rooms and theaters, and automated doorways and ramps. (Learn more at specialneedsatsea.com.)
What If You Get Sick on a Cruise?
Cruise ships have doctors and medical facilities that can treat common illnesses and injuries and dispense common medications.
Appointment fees typically need to be paid for on-site. (Your insurer may reimburse part of the fee if you submit the invoice when you get home.) Bucolo suggests getting travel insurance in case of more serious health issues. If you show symptoms of or test positive for COVID-19, he says, “you’re likely to be quarantined in your room or another cabin.”
Get a Perk!
Some folks prefer a room in a specific location on a cruise ship—near the dining room or pool, for example. But if you don’t mind rolling the dice, consider booking a “guaranteed” cabin within your selected cabin class rather than selecting a specific room. The price will be lower, and the cruise line will assign you a room that’s at least as good, but it leaves open the possibility of getting a better cabin type or location if your original cabin tier is sold out, says Don Bucolo of cruise website Eat Sleep Cruise.
Hotels
How to Search
Starting at least two weeks out, search by city and date at Booking.com, Google Travel (google.com/travel), or Kayak to find lodgings, availability, and prices. (For boutique hotels, try TabletHotels.) How to narrow the options? The ratings and customer reviews on Tripadvisor are a good place to start. The Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure websites are useful sources if you’re looking for a fun new boutique hotel or an off-the-beaten-path gem. If you’re putting together a dream trip, SmartFlyer or Virtuoso can point you to travel agents who specialize in certain regions or types of trips.
Two warnings: Don’t be dazzled by supposed discounts off the published room rates. “No one pays those list prices,” says travel expert Bill McGee. And don’t fall for “50 people booked in the last hour” or “Only 1 room left at this price!” pressure tactics. The latter may be true of the site’s designated block of rooms, but the hotel itself might still have plenty of rooms available.
Photo: Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
Book With Confidence
Once you find a hotel you like at a great price, check its website, where you can often find exclusive discounts if you reserve directly. Don’t see any deals? Call the hotel and ask whether it’s offering any. Some will give you discounts or free nights if you stay for three or more nights. And remember that many major hotels accept AAA and AARP discount codes and may offer military, teacher, and senior discounts. Another benefit of direct booking: Hotel staff are more likely to provide upgrades and perks.
Insider Tip
Many luxury hotels offer free amenities that aren’t widely promoted and thus get overlooked—but can save you money or make your stay special. Some, for example, will offer local rides in hotel cars, saving the cost of a rental car or an Uber ride. And many hotel spas let you use the steam room and sauna without requiring you to book a pricey treatment.
Get a Perk!
Hotel front-desk staff can often grant late checkouts, give out free breakfast vouchers, or upgrade you to a room with a view—so ask. Keep in mind that such favors are more likely if you made your reservation directly, not through a third-party booking website.
Car Rentals
How to Search
A quick search on Booking.com, Expedia, or Kayak will give you a sense of what’s available at your desired pickup location and at what price. Start searching a month before your trip and check your reservation again two weeks out and again right before the trip. For last-minute deals, try car rental agency websites or independent sites such as AutoSlash and Priceline.
Book With Confidence
Once you settle on an itinerary, book your car at the rental company’s website—again, to avoid the inconvenience of dealing with a third-party travel website if problems arise or you need to change your plans. Make sure to use any discount codes you have access to through AAA, AARP, or military affiliations, which can cut your cost by 20 to 35 percent—enough to effectively offset some of those mandatory fees and taxes that add to your total rental cost, says CR’s Chuck Bell. And consider specifying “gas only” to make sure you don’t unintentionally end up with an all-electric vehicle, which can sometimes be cheaper to rent on a per-day basis but can be a problem if you are staying somewhere without charging hookups or are driving long distances without easy charger access.
Photo: Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
Insider Tip
While you can often get a hefty discount if you pay up front online, don’t do it. You may end up finding a better deal closer to your travel date. To that end, after making your reservation, head over to AutoSlash and enter your reservation request plus any available discount codes. The site will scan the web looking for better deals and email you a list of offers.
Also, note that you may be able to save money by picking up your car at a nearby rental car facility rather than at the airport. Just be sure the cost of getting there (and back) won’t eat up all the savings.
Does Personal Insurance Cover You in a Rental Car?
Not necessarily. Personal auto policies and credit card coverage have major limitations for rentals, including the kind of vehicles they cover, for how long, and in what countries. Personal auto policies do not typically pay daily “loss of use” fees charged while a damaged rental is being fixed. And credit cards don’t offer liability protection. So check your policies before declining coverage.
Get a Perk!
Loyalty program members can often bypass the line at the rental counter and go right to their car. Some programs let you take any car in the lot you want.
Editor’s Note: This article also appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
