Many of us have had the experience of walking into a physical travel agent and paying what seemed to be a rather large sum for a vacation. I have often found myself wondering what type of commission those agents are earning, recently I found out and was completely shocked. Many travel agents are making up to 10% commission on overseas vacations. That means we literally are paying 10% extra when we purchase our vacations from an agent. This is where online travel agents come into play, as they are literally not human (computer powered), there are no wages to pay directly and the cost to run is minimal.

One of the major benefits of online travel sites is the special deals they offer solely to online customers. There really are some great vacations to be had, some of them are discounted to below 50% of the cost you would pay in a physical store. Another benefit that you receive when you buy online are other additional add-ons for great prices. I have seen several different sites offering passes to different theme parks and attractions for as little as one dollar.

Of course many people prefer to have some human contact when it comes to booking an expensive vacation. That's why once you have searched for an online vacation using a web search you are able to book it via the phone with a representative. However as online shopping (even for vacations) has become to simple there is actually no need to ring for outside help.

Just remember when shopping around online for travel deals that quite often the bigger sites are able to offer better deals as they sell in bulk and in turn need less of a markup. You should also double check your dates before you order, as it can sometimes be a hassle to cancel a vacation purchased online.