There is no question that the internet has changed the travel business. Online airplane reservations and electronic tickets combined with the loss of the commission structure or we called it online travel agent has taken a primary travel function away from traditional travel agents and automated the service. People can shop for hotel and car reservations on their own, on the web. Consumers can book vacation arrangements and cruises with a mouse and a keyboard.

And they can also get badly burned. It seems that the anonymity of the web has spawned unscrupulous business operators in every industry and the travel business is no exception. Travel has had its share of stories about unfulfilled promises due to airline strikes and cruise line bankruptcies. In fact, insurance companies now routinely offer travel insurance that covers a consumer’s loss if a trip that has been paid for fails to materialize. Add fraudulent travel websites to the mix and the result is an entire industry that is suspect in the public’s eye.

Travel agents have had to lower their prices and fees to compete with the internet. Most people who can afford vacations or go on business trips also have access to the internet. There are many sites on the internet that allow a person the ability to quickly and easily make all their own travel arrangements.

In addition, airlines and hotels have upped the prices they charge travel agents because the airlines and the hotel companies want people to book directly through their own places. Because of these factors, travel agencies have had to lower their prices considerably in order to compete, resulting in cheap travel agents.

Just because there is a excess of cheap travel agents doesn’t mean that the quality is any less than it used to be. Indeed, many cheap travel agents, in addition to lower prices, offer many more services than they used to in order to attract and keep more business.

So.. starting to use online travel and get the best price for our holiday.