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On Location Experiences: Taking over the Super Bowl

How On Location became the dominant hospitality company for America’s biggest annual sporting event

When the venture-capital-funded Super Bowl hospitality company On Location Experiences set out to extend its hold on the goings-on around the NFL’s supersized event four years ago, its first acquisition, not surprisingly, was the nation’s largest packager of sports-related trips.

John Anthony founded Anthony Travel with two employees in a Dallas office in 1989. It booked and managed travel for 75 major college athletic programs. Along with moving a vast array of teams hither and yon, it built packages for alumni and fans, taking as many as 10,000 on one memorable excursion to Dublin for a 2012 Notre Dame-Navy football game.

For On Location, the attraction was obvious. Spun off from a department within the league office and funded as a joint venture between NFL owners and three venture capital firms — RedBird Capital Partners, Bruin Sports Capital and Carlyle Group — OLE would need to lean heavily on traditional travel agency services to build hotel and hospitality packages around the Super Bowl. It made no sense to build what it could buy.

“One thing I really appreciate about the private equity piece of this — as opposed to my 25 years at leagues — you can move pretty quickly,” said On Location CEO John Collins, who took the helm in December 2015 after accomplished stints as COO of the NHL, CEO of the Cleveland Browns and head of marketing and sales at the NFL. “You can deploy capital in strategic ways to make acqui-hires, where you need a capability and buy a company, as opposed to you do a search and hire one person, see if that person works out, have that person hire one or two people, and maybe in six months to a year you have a department to activate.

“You go out strategically and go get what you need.”

The acquisition of Anthony Travel was the first in a spate for OLE that were driven initially by the quest to unify the concentric circles of the Super Bowl. Collins soon realized, however, that the same premise that drove OLE’s creation could apply to other major sporting events, and even beyond sports.  

The end of 2016 brought the purchase of Kreate Inc. and Nomadic Entertainment, two event production companies known for pop-up concerts and other big events orbiting the Super Bowl, including the massive party DirecTV sponsors each year.

Then, at the end of 2017, OLE added its chief competitor, PrimeSport, which was born as a ticket brokerage around the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and grew into a travel and hospitality provider with relationships with 25 NFL clubs, including 36 of the previous 44 Super Bowl entrants. That acquisition also took OLE deeper into the music business, thanks to Prime’s earlier acquisition of CID Entertainment, which builds high-end VIP packages for fans. OLE made another music acquisition in December with Future Beat, a VIP experience provider that works directly with artists.

Along with expertise, OLE has acquired a breadth that reaches well beyond its NFL roots, the sort of extension that it believes will allow it to grow existing business with the Final Four, the Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the Ryder Cup and the Rose Bowl, as well as to chase upcoming events such as the Olympics, the World Cup and the F1 circuit. 

OLE now employs about 500 people in eight U.S. offices, with revenue that last year exceeded $600 million, a breathtaking leap from the $23 million its predecessor logged in 2014, when the NFL ran it internally.

Three years after generating $43 million from about 4,700 packages that included 800 hotel rooms at Super Bowl 50, OLE grew revenue to $175 million this year in Atlanta, an increase of about 20 percent over last year, driven largely by the three new concerts. It sold more than 13,000 ticket packages; managed more than 4,500 rooms; hosted more than 15,000 guests at five pregame parties and 7,000 guests at other parties; managed Super Bowl Live and Super Bowl Experience areas that attracted about 500,000 visitors; and delivered 68 live music performances while operating a three-night Bud Light music festival that brought a combined crowd of about 41,000 to State Farm Arena.

“When NFL On Location was an in-house company, it was really two or three people internally filling that need for the higher-end hospitality experience and putting things together,” said Peter O’Reilly, senior vice president of events and club business for the NFL. “What On Location has become in the last few years has gone to such a different place.”

Wrapping up breakfast with Anthony at the Ritz-Carlton a few days before the Super Bowl, Collins flashed back to the case study that provided OLE’s foundation, and its quest to corral the Super Bowl.

At Super Bowl 50, held near San Francisco, On Location studied the experience of those in attendance, considering not only those traditionally serviced by the league but the many who bought tickets and packages through other channels.

“The NFL had the big hospitality tent where they took care of their 10,000 most important people,” Collins said. “If you were in that tent, you had the greatest experience of your life. So the NFL could feel proud about that. What we focused on is: What is the beginning of the game-day experience for the 50,000 other fans who are coming in to the game?”

For those fans, Collins said, game day opened with a hodgepodge of tailgate parties, often thrown together by ticket brokers, held under tents in hotel parking lots. “And when someone doesn’t have the best experience,” O’Reilly said, “it reflects back to the NFL.”

OLE also reviewed how guests spent the days leading up to the game. 

“On Saturday night, there’s 15 different events that are kind of unaffiliated, pop-up entities that are basically riding the back of the NFL to come in and create hospitality around the Super Bowl,” Collins said. “People may want to go, but it happens totally outside the NFL, and that can lead to frustration for the clubs and their best customers.”

Having done time as president of the Browns from 2004-06, Collins remembered the frustration that many teams found at the Super Bowl. So he surveyed the clubs about their experience.

He divides his findings into two camps, split about evenly. Some said that they had long ago stopped bringing guests, because their best customers would be disappointed by the lack of access they’d find after being on the field, in the locker room and in the owners’ suite for the team’s home games. 

The other half reported the same frustration, but still brought 50 to 100 of their best sponsors and suite holders because of the magnitude of the Super Bowl. On Saturday and Sunday, they’d hold events at their hotel ballroom, because they couldn’t land enough space at a restaurant or secure enough tickets to parties.

“So here you have the 32 NFL clubs who in theory own the Super Bowl,” Collins said. “And they can’t leverage the Super Bowl for their own business needs the way some of these third parties were leveraging the Super Bowl. Our perspective was: Here are all the things that are happening at the event that you don’t control. That was the $350 million hospitality opportunity, of which we would say the NFL was capturing less than half. We thought there had to be a better way to do it.”

OLE’s approach in Atlanta was emblematic of that new approach, bringing more pregame hospitality into the NFL fold, where teams could easily access it. The concert series created with Bud Light gave teams an obvious place to turn for entertainment for three nights.

“Having more things be part of the NFL ecosystem via On Location allows them more opportunities for their guests they are hosting to have access to high-end, authentic, NFL Super Bowl experiences that in the past were more on the periphery,” O’Reilly said. “So you hear from the clubs that it widens the aperture that they look at the Super Bowl with. Because Super Bowl is important even to the clubs that are not in the game.”

Held across three nights at State Farm Arena and headlined by Ludacris, then Aerosmith and Post Malone, and then Bruno Mars and Cardi B, the concerts gave teams and sponsors a place to turn for entertainment, delivered within a state-of-the-art NBA arena.

“If you weren’t doing your own event or had people who wanted to do something else, you used to have to beg to get into DirecTV or hope you can get in to Maxim, and you never knew if it was the same NFL caliber,” said Nick Kelly, head of U.S. sports marketing for Anheuser-Busch InBev. “One year Maxim could be Snoop Dog and Kid Rock and maybe not the right talent for your clientele. At least when you’re working with the NFL and On Location, you’re not worried about bringing anybody, because it’ll still be first class. They’ve got their name on it like we’ve got our name on it.”

This latest Super Bowl marked the first time that OLE came to a major event with all of its companies integrated, the first, best test for whether something cobbled together so quickly could work efficiently. It was the OLE of old marrying its focus on high-end NFL sponsors and guests with Prime’s business, which came together around fans of the two teams and others who decided to dig deep for the game.

“Before [the acquisition], On Location would sell their corporate package and be done with the market by November or December,” said Sam Soni, founder of PrimeSport. “PrimeSport would get into the market from December on. Now it’s all together and it’s one fluid strategy endorsed by the league.

“The thesis of putting these two businesses together for a full year for the Super Bowl has definitely been proven out and will continue to be proven out. And not only for the Super Bowl.”

OLE already has seen the benefit of its connection to both Super Bowls and Final Fours, particularly with Minneapolis hosting each event in consecutive years. Anthony pointed to one bucket lister who last year bought 50-yard-line packages to the Super Bowl in Minneapolis for himself and five friends, then bit again when OLE offered him a similar package for this year’s Final Four.

OLE has a database of about 4 million customers in North America who have traveled for one of its premium experiences.

“All the different buckets of customer types you have are very important,” said Jessica Gelman, CEO of Kraft Analytics Group, which has done data work for OLE. “That’s how you create an ongoing relationship. That’s one of the unique elements that On Location has. With many of these big events, you would think they might be one-off events for customers. But they’re not necessarily. There is a lot of interesting overlap between the different events that they are interested in.

“Sometimes, all you need to do is go back to them with the right opportunity.” 

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The Pros and Cons of Booking Through Online Travel Agencies

Booking direct often gets you more perks and flexibility, but OTAs do have their benefits.

Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or click to take an action on their website. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

You’re likely already familiar with online travel agencies, even if you don’t travel often. These companies — such as Priceline , Expedia and Orbitz — act as intermediaries between you and a travel provider.

Booking your travel through an OTA can be a good idea in some circumstances, but you’ll want to be wary of its pitfalls. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of online travel agencies, so you’ll know what to use to book your next vacation.

Pros of booking through online travel agencies

There are certainly advantages booking through online travel agencies, though you’ll find different experiences whether you’re using public OTAs — such as Kayak — or private ones like those offered by your card issuer, such as the Chase's travel portal .

✅ It may be cheaper

When searching for flights online, you may see different prices for the same routes that vary across websites. Although it may be a result of fare type — for example, some search results may not clarify that a fare is basic economy rather than main cabin or economy — other times, the difference comes down to competition for your business.

Online travel services will often offer slightly lower prices on flights in an effort to entice you as a customer. This is true for both hotels and airlines.

» Learn more: Best credit cards for online travel-booking websites

✅ It can earn you more rewards

Have you ever heard of shopping portals ? By logging into a shopping portal, you can earn rewards for purchases made with many online merchants. Some hotel chains, such as Hilton , Marriott and IHG , can be accessed through shopping portals while still booking directly on the hotel website. In this way, you can earn rewards with the hotel directly as well as with the shopping portal.

The same isn’t true for shopping portals and most airline sites. However, many public online travel agencies are accessible through shopping portals, which can then earn you rewards for airfare bookings. By opting to book in this way, you’ll be able to earn points or cash-back rewards through the shopping portal that you’d otherwise miss.

Some card issuers will also reward you heavily when using their online travel services. Clear examples of this can be seen with Capital One and Chase. With the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card , for example, you’ll get 10 miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel .

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is similar. With this card, you can get 10 Ultimate Rewards® points per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Chase's portal.

While these numbers are high, it’s important to remember that there are trade-offs when booking through an OTA rather than directly with a hotel or airline. We’ll get into that a little later.

Online travel agencies offered by your card issuer may not feature the same prices as booking directly; you’ll want to compare these before committing to a purchase.

Some card issuers will go so far as to give your points more value when redeeming through their online travel agencies.

This is true with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card . When redeeming points on Chase's travel portal, you’ll get 1.25 cents in value per point rather than 1 cent elsewhere.

» Learn more: How much are your airline miles and hotel points worth this year?

Cons of booking through online travel agencies

There are several downsides when it comes to using online travel services for booking travel. It mainly comes down to the fact that travel providers prefer that you book directly with them — and offer more perks to woo your business.

❌ It can be harder to change a booking

Ever needed to change a flight after it's booked? No matter the reason, attempting to alter or otherwise cancel a flight can be a hassle — especially if you’ve booked through a third party.

Generally speaking, rather than offering you direct assistance, both hotels and airlines will recommend you contact the online travel agency you’ve booked with in order to make any changes.

While you may be able to make changes or get refunds with the travel agency, airlines and hotels can — and will — offer much more flexibility when you’ve booked with them directly. You may also be subject to additional fees charged by the online travel agency, which can erase any savings you’ve received.

❌ You may not receive elite benefits

This is the real kicker for anyone wanting elite status. Although airlines will almost always recognize your elite status and allow you to earn miles even for bookings made through an online travel agency, hotels and rental car companies will not.

This is especially important for hotel chains. Earning elite status with hotels generally relies on elite night credits. Although these can be earned in a variety of ways — including having complimentary status by holding certain credit cards — the main method of acquiring elite night credits is by spending nights in hotels. Rooms booked through an online travel agency do not count toward elite status as elite night credits.

Additionally, you will not receive any of the benefits of your existing elite status if your booking is through a third party. This can mean the loss of perks such as room upgrades, complimentary breakfast and even free Wi-Fi.

» Learn more: The best airline and hotel rewards loyalty programs this year

❌ It may be more expensive

Did you know that many hotel chains have best price guarantees? Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott and IHG all have a guarantee that’ll give you either points or a discount if you find a better rate elsewhere.

These guarantees are generous; Hilton, for example, will match the rate and then discount it by a further 25%.

Although you’ll need to file claims for these guarantees and they face limitations — such as a 24-hour window from when you made the booking — you can save a lot of money on your stay if your request is approved.

Online travel agencies can be hit or miss

There are two sides to every coin and this is no different, as there are several benefits and limitations of online travel services. Depending on your needs and loyalty program status, you’ll want to choose whether to book directly with a travel provider or rely on OTAs to do the job for you.

Booking travel through credit card portals from issuers like Chase and Capital One can earn you big rewards. But if you anticipate altering your travel plans or aim to earn elite status instead, booking directly is the way to go.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024 :

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

on Chase's website

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1.5%-5% Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

Up to $300 Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

on Capital One's website

2x-5x Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options

75,000 Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel.

ResortPass: Is It Worth It?

A guide to yotel hotels, how to plan a destination wedding.

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Anthony Travel is becoming On Location!

Same outstanding team, same outstanding service, new name

As you might be aware, Anthony Travel has been part of a collection of companies under the On Location Experiences umbrella and purchased by Endeavor in January of 2020. We are excited to let you know that the On Location Experiences collection of companies, including the Anthony Travel Housing Division, are coming together under one master brand: On Location.

This decision was made with a great deal of thought towards our partners and our customers. The decision has been focused on a single goal that we believe will benefit all of these constituents: to create the leading master brand that defines premium experiences. We continue to be dedicated to providing outstanding customer service and providing creative and comprehensive travel solutions .

Our email addresses are  transitioning from anthonytravel.com to onlocationexp.com and all previous email addresses will be forwarded to the appropriate accounts.

This is a very exciting time for us! We will be sure this is a seamless transition for you and your travelers. We plan to come out of the pandemic as a newly aligned and considerably stronger partner working on your behalf. While so much in the landscape of live events has changed, we remain optimistic on what the future holds working together with you.

For the latest news and updates on upcoming events, follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter ,  Instagram  and  LinkedIn .

About On Location On Location is a global leader in premium experiential hospitality, offering ticketing, curated guest experiences, live event production and travel management across sports, entertainment, fashion and culture. On Location provides unrivaled access for corporate clients and fans looking for official, immersive experiences at marquee events, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four, New York Fashion Week and more. An official partner and/or service provider to over 150 iconic rights holders, such as the IOC (Paris 2024, Milano Cortina 2026, LA28), NFL, NCAA, UFC and PGA of America, and numerous musical artists and festivals, the company also owns and operates a number of its own unique experiences. On Location is a subsidiary of Endeavor (NYSE:EDR), a global entertainment, sports and content company. For more information about On Location, please visit  onlocationexp.com .

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Best Online Travel Agencies

Booking.com is our top choice for making your trip arrangements

Ligaya Malones is an editor, blogger, and freelance writer specializing in food and travel. Ligaya's work has appeared in publications including Lonely Planet and BRIDES.

Planning a trip can be easier through an online travel agency than if you handle each aspect of the planning separately. You can book hotels, air travel, rental cars, and more through a single site, and booking everything together sometimes results in discounts. By inputting a destination, a range of dates, and other preferences, you will see a list of options for each aspect of travel.

The best online travel agencies offer options from the largest number of airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, and more. Look for sites that offer discounts for combining reservations for different aspects of your trip. For example, the best sites will have lower rates if you book both plane tickets and a hotel through their services. The best sites also provide reviews from customers who actually have booked through the service. These are our top picks.

• Best Overall: Booking.com
• Best Budget: Skyscanner
• Best Price Predictor: Hopper
• Most Innovative: Kiwi.com
• Best for Eco-Conscious: Kind Traveler
• Best for Social Impact: I Like Local
• Best for Design-Forward Homestays: Plum Guide
• Our Top Picks
• Booking.com

Kind Traveler

I Like Local

• See More (4)

Final Verdict

Frequently asked questions, methodology, best overall : booking.com.

 Booking.com

This industry leader offers one of the most comprehensive trip planning platforms on the Internet.

Lots of options to choose from

Interface is easy to use

Numerous filters to customize your search

Tricky to tell whether changes/cancellations can be made with Booking.com or the vendor directly

Booking.com was founded in 1996 and has grown into an industry leader that stands out for being one of the most comprehensive trip planning platforms out there. From one website, you can compare and book accommodations, flights (including one-way and multi-city flights), sightseeing activities, and even airport taxis. The website lists more than 28 million accommodation options, from hotels, hostels, and B&Bs to vacation homes and luxury resorts—you can browse more choices per destination on Booking.com than other online travel agencies. The website also performs well on cost and typically returns lower-than-average prices for flights and hotels. 

Booking.com's interface is also easy to use. On the home page, search for a hotel by entering your chosen destination and dates. Then, use the extensive list of filters—such as price range and distance from the city center—to narrow the results down and find the best fit. You can also search for a specific hotel, or seek inspiration by clicking through options grouped by destination or property type or by topic such as the country’s best Michelin-starred hotel restaurants or the top cities for vegan travelers. The flights, car rental, and other tabs are just as intuitive. 

Best Budget : Skyscanner

 Skyscanner

You can compare prices across airlines, hotels, and car rentals.

Simple interface

Option to toggle searches between specific dates or by monthly calendars

Search Everywhere button is great for spontaneous planners

Extra clicks are required to make a final purchase

Must read fine print for changes/cancellations—may need to deal directly with the vendor

Ads on the sidebar can be distracting

Find deals on airfare, hotels, and car rentals with an aggregator site like Skyscanner , which uses a metasearch engine to compare prices from all online travel agencies and the airline, hotel, or car rental company in question. Run searches with fixed dates, opt to compare airfare prices month to month, or click “Cheapest Month.” Searches also include options for nearby airports or non-stop flights only. With hotel searches, you can choose to select only from properties with free cancellation, a cleanliness rating of 4.5/5 or higher, or 3- or 4-starred hotels only. Car rental searches include an option to select “return car to different location.”

Once you’ve found the best rate, click on the link to be redirected to the third-party site to make your booking. Feeling spontaneous? The Search Everywhere button on the homepage offers a list of the cheapest flight deals for destinations both locally and across the world—just plug in your departure airport first.

Best Price Predictor : Hopper

The company claims a 95 percent accuracy rate at predicting when flights and hotel rates will be cheapest.

Color-coded system makes it easy to determine cheapest days to buy

App is easy to use

Option to track flights and receive alerts when the best time to buy arises

Some have mentioned the app functions better as a research tool than a booking tool

Unclear whether Hopper will price match if you find a cheaper flight elsewhere

Hopper is a travel app available on iOS and Android that aims to help travelers save on airfare by usng historical data and their own algorithm to predict when flights will be cheapest. Just type in where and when you’d like to fly and Hopper will present you with a color-coded pricing calendar indicating how much tickets are likely to cost. (Green is the least expensive, then yellow, orange, and red for most expensive.) Hopper will also recommend you either buy now or wait, or you can choose to watch a trip and receive notifications on the best time to buy. In addition, the app has expanded to offer hotel and car rental price predictions, too.

Some newer features since the app’s inception in 2009 include an option to freeze a price for a limited time—for an extra fee—as well as exclusive app-only discounts. Hopper is free to download, and you can choose to book directly through the app, though some users mentioned they use Hopper as more of a research tool before booking directly with the airline or hotel. The company claims a 95 percent accuracy rate at predicting flight rates up to a year ahead.

Most Innovative : Kiwi.com

This metasearch engine scours the web to piece together the ideal itinerary using planes, trains, buses, and more.

Creative itineraries get you where you need to go, especially if you’ve got a multi-stop trip

Kiwi Guarantee offers rebooking or cancellation protections

Nomad option appeals to travelers with a lot of flexibility

Creative itineraries mean you may not fly out of the same airport you flew into

Kiwi Guarantee has an additional fee

Charges all-in-one fee for booking flights, trains, buses (though you can always purchase a la carte)

Travelers planning multi-city destinations and seeking a bargain, as well as those looking to take planes, trains, and automobiles to get there, might consider Kiwi . Kiwi is a metasearch engine that scours and pieces together itineraries from various airlines (even if they don’t have a codeshare agreement), considers multiple airports (even if your arrival airport is different from departure), and offers booking options, whether you’re looking at very specific dates or more general ones (up to 60 nights).

Some will find the ability to make multiple bookings for a particular trip more convenient than going at it manually several different times, though note that you must opt into the Kiwi Guarantee program to access rebooking and refund protections should your reservation change or be canceled. Kiwi’s Nomad option allows you to plug in a bunch of destinations you’d like to visit and the length of your intended stay, and the website will churn out the most affordable itineraries for review.

Best for Eco-Conscious : Kind Traveler

A give-and-get business model means booking accommodations with exclusive perks, a donation to environmental organizations, and more.

All participating hotels include a local give-back component

Exclusive savings and perks

Participating hotels are located in some of the most beautiful places in the world

Inventory is much smaller compared to other booking platforms

Some of the amenities mentioned are based on availability only

In 2022, Kind Traveler (an online trave agency focused on hotel bookings) announced an increase in environmentally and socially conscious hotels, charity donations, voluntourism opportunities, and additional perks like waived resort fees or a welcome amenity.

Unlock exclusive hotel rates and perks from participating Kind Traveler hotels with a minimum $10/night minimum donation to a local charity. For example, stay at the Six Senses Laamu in the Maldives and receive up to $33 off the nightly rate and perks such as a food and beverage credit and an Earth Lab or Alchemy Bar workshop when you make a donation to Manta Trust. The organization funds coastal research to protect the island nation’s large yet fragile population of reef mantas.

Select from more than 140 participating hotels from the Hawaiian Islands to Bozeman, Montana, and the Maldives. Charities include wildlife, human rights, arts, education, and environmental preservation organizations.

Best for Social Impact : I Like Local

Choose from a host of travel experiences with the peace of mind that 100 percent of the cost goes directly to local partners.

Social impact mission woven into organization’s business model

Immersive experiences led by local guides

Range of experiences offered

May not be best fit for those seeking upscale, luxury experiences and stays

Can’t sort experiences by a list of countries (though an interactive map is available)

No experiences outside of Africa and Asia

For an online travel agency with a booking platform designed to route dollars spent directly to the communities travelers intend to visit, consider I Like Local . Visit the website to browse a host of travel experiences in countries including Indonesia, Kenya, and Cambodia. Experiences include homestays and farmstays as well as wellness and culturally oriented experiences—from cooking and cycling tours to weaving classes.

To search for an experience, select from drop-down items like travel dates and experience categories, or view a global map and click on a country to view experiences that way.

The platform got its start in 2014 and has grown to 4,000 local hosts across nearly 20 countries. As a social impact organization, 100 percent of each booking fee goes to local hosts. To date, 16,000 travelers have booked with I Like Local.

Best for Design-Forward Homestays : Plum Guide

Browse and book seriously vetted, design-forward vacation homes.

Highly curated inventory of vacation rentals across the world

Design-forward

Thorough vetting process

Does not publish guest reviews

Other platforms have homes available across more destinations

When it comes to booking a vacation home, serviced apartment, or condo, travelers are spoiled for choice. Plum Guide is an online travel agency that specializes in accommodations—though not just any home makes its directory. The company claims that each potential home listed on its site must jump through 150 hoops to be included, from internet speed and mattress and pillow quality to the showers’ water pressure and the home’s proximity to dining, shopping, and attractions.

Search by a featured collection on the website such as “ pet-friendly homes ” or “one-of-a-kind homes in Palm Springs.” Scroll to the bottom of its homepage to view its top destinations, as well as a list of all destinations where Plum Guide homes are available, including Barbados, Mexico, Portugal, Switzerland, the U.S., and Turkey. Note: From the top right-hand corner of the site, use the dropdown menu to select currency of choice.

As long as you know what you value most out of your travel experience—such as affordability, social impact, or luxe accommodations—there’s an online travel agency to help plan your next trip. Be sure to read the fine print, as some agencies are third-party websites and not direct vendors. If you're not sure where to start, Booking.com is your best bet for a smooth user experience and hard-to-beat offers on flights, hotels, and other travel arrangements.

What Is the Biggest Travel Agency?

Our choice for best overall, Booking.com, is known as an industry leader with listings for all major hotels, airlines, car rental companies, and more. It boasts more choices for accommodations per destination than any other site, and we found its interface to be user-friendly.

Are Online Travel Agencies Worth It?

This depends on your needs and priorities. The best online travel agencies certainly can save time by booking everything all at once. However, if you're someone who is good at haggling and enjoys the details of planning a trip, you might be able to find better deals by reaching out to hotels or other destinations and speaking to someone personally.

Is It Cheaper to Book Online Than With a Travel Agent?

Not always. A travel agent you know and trust should have the experience and connections to find deals that can match or surpass what you'll find online. Additionally, if something goes wrong, travel agents provide you with an actual person you can use as an advocate to correct the problem . But if you don't have access to a good travel agent, online sites still provide plenty of ways to streamline planning and save money .

We considered dozens of online travel agencies and narrowed down the options based on user experience, volume and quality of inventory, unique offerings and specials, and customer reviews. We also assessed travel companies’ environmentally and socially conscious policies.

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DREADFUL experience at the front desk. We have been members for 24 years and NEVER been treated with such indifference & disrespect. Absolutely a ZERO for customer service.

Fast and Friendly. I have no idea where these negative reviews are coming from. I went to AAA St. Petersburg to get an International Driving Permit. I was greeted immediately in a friendly way. The lady who took my photo was also friendly. The whole process took about 10 minutes. I did prepare a completed form beforehand.

Really enjoyed working with Cheryl Finnerty on my Royal Carribean cruise. It was a terrific experience and a great price from AAA! The Coco Cay club was worth the extra money for the Lobster dinner, private beach and pool. Thank you to Cheryl for suggesting this option. It made the trip really special for us!

We called for service on a dead battery and the service technician said they didn't have the battery they would have to come back the next day with the battery because it was still under warranty from the first time they replaced it. When they came back they worked from 10:45-1:45 and weren't able to replace the battery and said we would have to have the vehicle towed to a place that could replace the battery. It is now 1:56 and we are still waiting for a tow truck for a dead battery call we placed yesterday. I would NOT recommend AAA for service at all.

I needed an international drivers license so I called to confirm my pic would be taken at this site. I was told to come in anytime. I arrive 30 min after I Called. . The woman at the front desk was marginally nice and the woman who took my picture for the license was beyond grumpy and rude; the camera did not work instantly, took her quite a while to get the camera to hook to the internet. She was annoyed my eyes close when I smile and the pic had to be redone. The atmosphere here is not comfortable. Will never go back to this site.

The WORST customer service... lied that they close at 5 the it was 5:30. With free rod side service with my insurance company and GPS on my phone BYE BYE AAA

Horrible experience at St Petersburg 66th location location at 4pm on March 28,2023 . The AAA branch manager that hired and retains this person ( details to follow) must either be an idiot or related to her . My negative experience was with a sharp tongued , female employee at the so called customer " service" counter . Did not catch her name-but mid 50's , short dyed blond hair , 5 ft 2 " , 20 lbs overweight , wearing prescription glasses . She has a really ,really bad customer service skill set ... very nasty over- get this ...a map I ordered. The entire staff AND Manager MUST know this person right ... ? The details of this adventure ... well suffice to say that after my 20 year membership at AAA , I was going to terminate membership on the spot. A Really nice older black lady ( her colleague ) figured out the issue and was actually embarrassed about her colleagues4 caustic behavior. Wake up and have the courage to terminate crappy employees before you lose customers ! Mark

rude employees! very short answered. not wanting to help needing to be spoonfed all information. we have been members since 1986.. I hope Terri has a better day and she gets so additional customer service training she needs. looking in to going with Good Sam's.

We are so thrilled to have Cheryl Finnerty at AAA helping us plan our next cruise. So very helpful - thinking of things before you know it needs to be thought of. We love Cheryl!!

Worst customer service experience in my whole life. Made a first call at 10:12pm needing roadside assistance and we were promised help by 12:25am. Being an hour away from home with two kids in the backseat, we decided to wait. Nobody came. Made around 15 calls pleading for help (all we needed was the tool to change a tire, we had everything else) and we were told we had to wait till 3:37am. Not only that, but the help actually arrived at 4:28am, over 6 hours later. And yes, we've called multiple businesses and emergency numbers (since AAA was no help), and everybody was either closed or didn't have the proper tools). NEVER AGAIN! Considering canceling the membership entirely.

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Welcome to St. Petersburg, Russia!

The Petersburg Voyage travel agency welcomes you in St. Petersburg, Russia! Our tour company offers you various Private and Group Tours and Excursions in St. Petersburg and its outskirts. Any personal sightseeing program with the desired schedule, duration, and places of interest to visit can be worked out for you; or you can choose one of our Typical Programs, among which you will surely find the tours you are searching for! You will see all the main Saint-Petersburg sights and attractions with our Tour Packages (Shore Excursions for Cruise Passengers available).

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