Updated October 21, 2026 · NomadCue Editorial Team
Top booking sites and package holidays compared
We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings. Partners with a live offer in your country come first, then every other brand by score. How we rank
| Order | Travel provider | Score | Features | Key facts | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 161 |  Virgin Atlantic flightsPartner Hotel-only holiday sale: save up to GBP 175 | 9.6/10 |
| ReviewCompareSee alternatives | |
| 162 | Virgin Atlantic HolidaysPartner Sale extra savings code VAHSALE: Save up to £300 per booking | 9.6/10 |
| ReviewCompareSee alternatives | |
| 163 |  ČedokPartner | 9.6/10 |
|
| ReviewCompareSee alternatives |
| 164 |  EmiratesPartner | 9.6/10 |
|
| ReviewCompareSee alternatives |
| 165 | First ChoicePartner Student Beans: GBP 75 off your trip | 9.6/10 |
|
| ReviewCompareSee alternatives |
| 166 |  Aer LingusPartner | 9.5/10 |
|
| ReviewCompareSee alternatives |
| 167 |  Atlantis Paradise IslandPartner Fall Into Paradise: Save up to 35% + USD 250 resort credit | 9.5/10 |
|
| ReviewCompareSee alternatives |
| 168 |  Cathay PacificPartner Student fare for your winter break: up to 10% discount | 9.5/10 |
|
| ReviewCompareSee alternatives |
| 169 | Despegar MexicoPartner | 9.5/10 |
| ReviewCompareSee alternatives | |
| 170 |  Ethiopian AirlinesPartner Up to 10% off in the Ethiopian Airlines mobile app: up to 10% off | 9.5/10 |
|
| ReviewCompareSee alternatives |
About Top booking sites and package holidays compared
Booking sites and package holidays sit close together in this category, and the 132 brands in this ranking separate mainly on what they bundle and what they add on top of the fare. Some sell a seat and stop there. Others attach hotels, transfers, tours, car hire or a resort to the same checkout, which is why packages and hotels carry the heaviest product weights here. Cost is judged through published fees, deposits and cancellation terms rather than a headline fare, and entry prices in this category start at €0.07 while the median entry price is €5. Setup matters too: a mobile app and a help centre both push a brand up, while phone support carries more weight than chat. WayAway leads by covering the widest product list, and its fee line reads Free, no sign-up or ongoing fees. The entries behind it trade narrower scope for deeper support or a specialist niche.
How we picked
Each brand here is scored on three published weights: cost at 40%, offer at 40% and trust at 20%. Cost covers the booking fee, surcharge and deposit a traveller actually pays, so a supplier that adds nothing at checkout scores well and one that layers a percentage or a card surcharge scores lower. Offer weighs how much of a trip a brand can book in one place, measured against the product weights for this category, which put packages and hotels above parking, rail passes and hostels. Trust reads the named legal entity, the headquarters country, the stated cancellation terms and the support channels on offer, with a help centre and phone contact counting for more than chat alone. A mobile app counts as part of setup rather than trust. Sources are the operators' own terms, support, about and app listing pages, and the set covers 132 brands with 0 partner listings. Partners that serve your country are listed first in this ranking, then the rest by score.
How we rankOur top picks
2. Booking.com: best for Booking.comBooking.com is an online travel agency for booking hotels, apartments, homes and other places to stay, with flights, car rentals and attractions also bookable on the same account.
- Products: Flights, Car-rental, Transfers, and 4 more
- Booking fees: No booking fees
- Cancellation terms: Free cancellation at most properties
Pros
- One account covers flights, car rental and transfers, so a group can hold transport and beds together instead of searching supplier by supplier.
- No booking fees keeps the booking charge out of the price you compare.
- A mobile app is available, so bookings and changes travel with you between searches.
- Support runs on help centre, phone and email, which puts a person as well as self-service behind every reservation.
- Free cancellation at most properties gives a group room to move dates at most properties.
Cons
- FlixBus is the shorter decision when the trip is bus only, where flights, car rental and transfers asks you to weigh many choices.
- Hertz Bahamas WiFi covers car rental and transfers, so a car and a transfer trip does not need the wider list.
- Latam Travellers states its fee promise as 0 hidden fees, no contracts, which writes the position out in full words.
3. Hotels.com: best for Hotels.comHotels.com is an online booking site for hotels and other places to stay worldwide.
- Products: OTA, Hotels, Flights, and 1 more
- Mobile app: Yes
- Legal entity: Hotels.com, L.P.
Pros
- Provider-specific terms are presented before booking
- The main condition types are identified
Cons
- Payment, cancellation and refund rules depend on the selected travel provider
5. AgodaAgoda is in this ranking as a hotel-led marketplace: hotels, flights, transfers, tours and an online travel agency arm, which lines up with the category weights, since hotels sit at 76.5% and packages at 84.8%. It is run by Agoda Company Pte., founded in 2005 and based in SG. Set against Air Canada Vacations, the member below, Agoda lists stays independently of any single airline, while Air Canada Vacations builds its packages around its own flights. For a traveller comparing rooms first, that difference decides the order.
- Products: Hotels, Flights, Transfers, and 2 more
- Legal entity: Agoda Company Pte.
- Headquarters: Singapore
Pros
- Hotels sit next to flights, transfers and tours in hotels, flights and transfers, so a trip can be arranged without moving between sites.
- A Agoda Company Pte. business founded in 2005 sits on a long trading record rather than a recent launch.
- Tours appear alongside stays in hotels, flights and transfers, so activities at the destination can be settled in the same flow.
Cons
- Rail, bus and car rental are absent from hotels, flights and transfers, so ground travel is limited to transfers.
- Everything is booked through Agoda Company Pte. in SG, with no separate named company behind the site.
What to look for
- Packages and hotels in one checkout
- The heaviest product weight in this category is 84.8%, with hotels close behind at 76.5%. A brand that books flights, stays and ground transfers in one checkout solves more of the trip than one that sells a ticket.
- What the fee adds at checkout
- Cost carries 40% of the score, so read the booking fee, the card surcharge and the deposit before the headline price. A percentage of the booking total and a flat card surcharge are not the same charge, and one is per passenger.
- Support that actually answers
- Phone support is weighted at 82% in this category, above email at 83.6% and well above chat at 39.3%. A named phone line and a self-service help centre carry more trust than live chat alone.
- Whether booking works on a phone
- A mobile app is worth 80% of the score in this category, useful when a plan changes at an airport or a station. Booking in a browser works with every brand here, so it is worth knowing which setup you are getting.
- Ground legs after landing
- Transfers are weighted at 40.2%, above parking at 7.6%. A brand that can add the ride from the airport to the hotel removes a second booking and a second support queue.
- Add-ons sold by the same operator
- Car rental scores at 40.2%, ahead of tours at 59.1% and far above rail passes at 3%. Check that the add-on is sold by the same operator so disputes stay in one place.
Frequently asked questions
Which booking site is cheapest to use?+
It depends what you book. WayAway lists Free, no sign-up or ongoing fees, so nothing is added at checkout. Air Canada Vacations lists No booking fee; change fee from CAD $25 per person, Almosafer lists Service fee, % of booking total, per passenger, and Altezza Travel lists 3.5% credit card surcharge on every booking. Entry prices in this category start at €0.07 and the median entry price is €5, so compare the total at checkout rather than the headline.
Which ones book a whole holiday rather than a single flight?+
Look for the brands that list packages. WayAway books flights, rail, bus, cruise, car rental, transfers, hotels, packages and tours in one place, and Air Canada Vacations pairs flights with hotels, cruise, car rental, packages and tours. Adaaran Resorts travel-agent program is the specialist, offering hotels, packages and transfers only, which suits a resort stay booked end to end. Packages carry the heaviest product weight in this category at 84.8%.
Do any of these ask for a deposit up front?+
Altezza Travel lists USD 100 non-refundable deposit; 10-80% by date as its deposit terms, and Air Canada Vacations works to Deposit 45+ days out; 50% 44-21 days; 100% 20 days or less. Adaaran Resorts travel-agent program lists free cancel up to 30 days before, then 100%, and AirportParkingReservations lists Free cancellation up to 24 hours after booking. Amounts and cut-offs differ enough that the deposit line is worth reading before a package holiday is paid for in full.
What happens if a flight needs cancelling?+
Each site sets its own terms and they differ sharply. Aer Lingus lists voucher or cash refund up to 2 hours before departure, while 12Go sets Change or refund requests at least 24h before departure. Almosafer lists Airline charges + SAR 30 per passenger, max SAR 120 on top of airline charges. Read the terms for the specific fare before paying, because a package holiday can carry separate cancellation rules for the hotel, the transfer and the flight.
Do I need an app to book?+
A mobile app is weighted at 80% in this category, so it counts, but every brand here can be booked without one. AirportParkingReservations is the exception on record, with a mobile app not offered, so plan on a browser there. Where an app exists it tends to be where rebooking and document checks happen after a schedule change.
Which brands offer phone support?+
Almosafer lists email, chat and phone, covering email, chat, phone and a help centre. Adaaran Resorts travel-agent program works on email and phone, and Altezza Travel on email, chat and phone. AirAsia MOVE runs on email and help centre only, so travellers booking a regional carrier run may be planning around email and a help centre. Phone contact is weighted at 82% here.
Top booking sites and package holidays compared by country
Related by the facts
The data behind this ranking
| Metric | Value | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Products: flights | 54.5 % | 132 |
| Products: rail | 13.6 % | 132 |
| Products: bus | 10.6 % | 132 |
| Products: ferry | 3 % | 132 |
| Products: cruise | 20.5 % | 132 |
| Products: car-rental | 40.2 % | 132 |
| Products: transfers | 40.2 % | 132 |
| Products: parking | 7.6 % | 132 |
| Products: hotels | 76.5 % | 132 |
| Products: ota | 25.8 % | 132 |
| Products: packages | 84.8 % | 132 |
| Products: tours | 59.1 % | 132 |
| Products: rail-pass | 3 % | 132 |
| Products: hostels | 4.5 % | 132 |
| Products: lounges | 10.6 % | 132 |
