When it comes to travel booking, there are so many great deals out there and so many places to find them. Let's explore KAYAK.com, a travel one-stop-shop allowing you to book flights, hotels, and added extras for your next trip. Get ready to dig out those passports, grab the sunscreen, and pack your case!
Whether you're looking for a solo holiday, an adults-only getaway, or an all-inclusive package for the whole family, our selection of holiday providers has you covered. Click below to start your holiday search!
So, what does KAYAK do?
Specialising in finding the best travel deals, KAYAK is like a search engine for travel. All you have to do is enter your departure airport, destination, number of guests and travel dates, before sitting back and letting KAYAK find you the best deals. The site even offers handy tips and tricks to help you get the best flights and accommodation for your pennies (more on these later!).
Along with cheap flights and hotels, KAYAK allows you to do a more comprehensive travel search for things like car hire and extras such as early check-in, free WiFi, and additional baggage - perfect for when you just can't resist that extra souvenir. This means that rather than spending hours researching across different sites, you can find everything you need to book your perfect trip in one user-friendly space. So, let's fasten our seatbelts, stow away our tray tables, and begin by finding the perfect flight.
How to book the best flight
Booking your flight with KAYAK is a pretty straightforward process. The site offers a dedicated flight search bar which enables you to enter your dates and destination before finding the best flight deals out there in real time, sourced from hundreds of travel sites.
KAYAK displays both direct flights and those with stopovers, so you know exactly when you'll arrive at your destination. Once you hit search, KAYAK will direct you to the best flight offers so you can purchase them from the provider. It's all quick and easy, and it's simple to click through to the relevant provider from KAYAK at each step.
In addition, KAYAK also has some extra features to help you find the best airfare.
Search by destination
This tool is ideal if you want to narrow down flights quickly and easily by destination. Whether you're hoping to travel to US hotspots like Washington, D.C., Los Angeles or New York, or if you’ve got your sights set on a trip to a beautiful location in Europe, Asia or Australia, wherever you’re planning to travel, simply click on your flight destination and let KAYAK do the rest.
The Anywhere search
If you are happy to see where the search takes you, look no further than the Anywhere search function. All you have to do is type in your preferred dates, and KAYAK will deliver a range of flights across various popular destinations. You'll be spoiled for choice in no time.
Hacker Fares
This KAYAK trick is possibly our favourite for saving money on your flights. Hacker Fares allows you to book two separate one-way tickets for your journey, even if you are taking a return trip. KAYAK searches across every airline to bring you the best total flight price available, meaning your round trip is as affordable as possible. It does this by finding outbound and return plane tickets on different airlines, such as British Airways and Virgin, so you can be sure your flight doesn't cost any more than it should.
Tailor your travel
If you can be flexible with your flight time, then KAYAK’s flight time display is really helpful. Enabling you to see airline tickets plus or minus three days on either side of your travel dates, you can see when flight prices are at their cheapest. In addition, if you don't need to plan travel around specific dates, like school holidays, you can select flexible weekend or month options to explore even more opportunities to save money on your flights.
Flight Price Forecast
This helpful function uses historical flight data to show you how flight prices will likely fluctuate over the coming week. This means you have more control over finding the cheapest flights for your trip, so you can tell when prices are more reasonable and when is the best time to avoid booking. Your credit card will definitely thank you for it!
Filter away!
Once it's found your flight, KAYAK's range of filters allows you to compare options across flight itineraries. Simply tweak things like flight times and the number of stopovers until you find the best flight to suit your needs.
Find your perfect stay
Now that you’ve found your perfect flight, it’s time to find a comfortable place to stay. It’s a good job, then, that KAYAK also allows you to search for the perfect home away from home, all on one site. As with booking flights, finding and reserving the ideal accommodation couldn't be more straightforward than using KAYAK's search function.
How do I book my perfect place to stay?
Like its flight search facility, KAYAK allows you to search for apartments and hotels by date and destination via its dedicated search bar. Are you looking for a chic hotel in Edinburgh? Do you want to be poolside in Miami? Perhaps a grand hotel in London's West End is more your thing? No matter what trip you're planning, enter your dates and destination and watch as the choices roll in.
Hotel, apartment, guest house…
No matter whether you're free and easy on where you stay or if you know precisely what sort of accommodation you're looking for, KAYAK has you covered. Click on the type of lodging you're dreaming of, and KAYAK will show you what's available in your destination for your travel dates. From hotels and apartments to guest houses, camping and hostels, KAYAK has the perfect accommodation to suit everyone's tastes.
Some accommodation inspiration
Perhaps your visit to KAYAK involves searching for inspiration for a fabulous place to call home on your next trip? If so, you'll love the 'Tips for your next stay' function, which offers wonderful travel ideas and worldwide accommodation options. With well-known hotels and hidden gems available to book, you might just find yourself staying somewhere you never imagined.
Can I book my flight and hotel together on KAYAK?
Yes. A bit like a traditional travel agency, KAYAK allows you to find your perfect flight and hotel together in one search. Not only are you saving time, but this option also allows you to collate your bookings and find each part of your perfect trip at once. It is online travel booking made super easy.
How do I do it?
As with the individual flight and accommodation booking functions, you can use the handy search bar. Enter your airport, destination, dates, and number of guests and hit that tiny magnifying glass. Within seconds, KAYAK will return a range of accommodation and flight packages from hundreds of the best travel sites.
Can I book there and then?
Yes. Once you've found your perfect deal, KAYAK will transfer you to the booking site to reserve your trip. It's worth remembering that KAYAK is a travel search engine that looks through hundreds of travel sites to find the best deals, so take note of the site you are booking with to ensure you know their individual booking and cancellation policies.
What about hiring a car for my trip?
As if finding the perfect flights and hotels wasn't enough, KAYAK also allows you to reserve a hire car for your trip. If you love nothing more on your holiday than hitting the open road and getting off the beaten track, organising your car hire through KAYAK is a must.
Hiring a car quickly and easily
You've guessed it: once more, the search bar is your friend when reserving your hire car through KAYAK. You enter your car pick-up point, the driver's age and your vehicle pick-up and drop-off times, and hit the search button to see those deals. As a bonus, you can even choose another point to drop off your car if you will be in a different location at the end of your trip.
How do I select the car?
As with flights and accommodation, once you hit search, KAYAK will return various cars for you to choose from. Whether you want something small and chic to take you around the city, or you're looking for a bigger family car to transport the kids, you will find the perfect vehicle to keep you comfortable on your holiday.
Can I book the car online?
Yes. Just remember to note what's on offer from your car hire provider. Ensure you have adequate and correct insurance for your trip, and take note of the individual provider's terms and conditions to ensure the policy has everything you're likely to need.
Did someone say train and bus tickets?
Yes, they did. Along with flights, accommodation and car hire, KAYAK also offers train and bus ticket bookings, so if driving on holiday is not your thing, you can reserve your transport tickets before you get to your destination, saving you time and money. Once again, hit that search bar to book, enter your details, and away you go. It couldn't be easier.
KAYAK’s added extras
Flight tracker
Flight tracker is one of KAYAK's most popular and valuable extra tools. Whether you're keeping tabs on your own flight or getting ready to taxi friends and family to the airport, type in the airline and flight number or select the arrival airport. Before you know it, you'll have real-time flight info at your fingertips. You'll never worry about missing a flight again.
Price alerts
Once you're signed up to KAYAK, you can get price alerts based on your searches. This means you can be up-to-date when prices rise or fall on flights and accommodation in all your favourite destinations. You can also organise your travel plans and access special member-only deals once you have signed up. Can we sense a last-minute trip on the cards?
KAYAK: The best travel booking site around?
As we've discovered, KAYAK offers an easy and convenient way to search for flights, hotels and more from the comfort of your front room. With special deal functions, flight tracking, and the option to tailor your travel exactly how you want it, the next time you're looking for a travel site that saves time and money, why not try KAYAK?
Image Credit: LN_Photoart at Pixabay
