| The internet has been responsible for many changes | | | | visitors they attract to a client's website, so the |
| in the way we do things, but one radical difference is | | | | more unscrupulous amongst them may not care |
| the way we now book holidays. As recently as ten | | | | whether they target the right visitors. For example |
| years ago, most Britons booked a package holiday | | | | they may know that 'Flights to Florida' is a popular |
| through their local travel agent who took care of | | | | search term and so design their client's website |
| every aspect of their trip from home to airport and | | | | pages to include that term, even though they don't |
| holiday hotel, and back again. But, the internet has | | | | currently offer flights to that location. |
| enabled us to cut out the middle man and compile | | | | As a result, the initial excitement of getting a great |
| our own considerably cheaper package holidays. It | | | | deal on the internet is now being replaced by the |
| has became easy to book flights, car hire and | | | | frustration of endless searching, only to find that |
| accommodation online, direct from a number of | | | | entering the term 'Flights to Florida', links through to |
| different sources rather than through one travel | | | | websites that don't actually offer flights to Florida; or |
| agent. | | | | finding that when drawn to advertised 'cheap flights' |
| But, now the choice is becoming overwhelming, there | | | | you ultimately discover that the cheapest available |
| is quite simply far too much! For example, entering | | | | fare on the days you want to travel are a substantial |
| the search term 'flights to Florida' into Google will | | | | multiple of the advertised 'cheap' cost. Even the |
| return almost 300,000 results. That is a ridiculous | | | | information on flight availability comparison sites is |
| amount from which to choose. Even if you opt to | | | | quite often out-of-date meaning that when you click |
| look at only the top ten returned results, by the time | | | | through to the page on which you expect to see |
| all your desired flight options have been entered into | | | | cheap flights at the time you want, you'll be greeted |
| flight searches, you'll be looking at taking an inordinate | | | | with a "not available". |
| amount of time. Unfortunately, it's all become rather | | | | So, what's the alternative? Certainly not going back |
| confusing and ironically it could be the initial massive | | | | to the bad old days of over-priced package holidays! |
| success of booking flights on the internet that is now | | | | But, now it is often proving cheaper to stick with |
| the reason why it is failing to live up to people's | | | | one provider for flight and hotel, than try to do it |
| expectations. | | | | separately. Many specialist holiday sites and airlines will |
| To add to the confusion and frustration at finding the | | | | offer a much better deal for a combination that |
| right flight, some online marketers are not particularly | | | | opting for separate flight and accommodation options. |
| bothered about how accurately they market their | | | | It is certainly less frustrating than wasting many |
| terms. They may be paid merely for the number of | | | | hours searching for that elusive cheap deal! |