Anyone with a computer, or access to one, knows that there are no shortage of sites offering “deals” and savings on travel. These digital clearinghouses and marketplaces aggregate hundreds, thousands, even millions of flights, rooms, tours and more in one location for you to sort through with clicks of a mouse. At least this is the idea, and while it may have once been the case, that is changing quickly.

A recent article on Skift travel points out some interesting facts about online booking sites that we thought our readers should be aware of.

The main thing to be aware of is that a series of mergers, acquisitions and other business deals have led to a consolidation of sorts in the world of “travel deals” sites as well as the travel industry in general.

Finding Savings With Online Travel Sites

The article mentioned has an interesting breakdown of just who owns who at the current moment, it is an interesting read though it will inevitably change again soon. So what are the takeaways?

First, the variations these days may be slight, so it may not pay to spend hours browsing every travel deal site on the web. Many will have the same offerings or at least very similar offerings and prices. You might spend half a day searching and only end up saving about the cost of a cup of coffee.

There ARE still deals to be had, but many may be last minute deals or very limited time offers. The real deals are usually time and/or location specific for the family who has a little more wiggle room in their schedule. Translation: booking that room in that city 6 months ahead is going to net you very similar pricing most ways you book it, but if you are willing to jump on a more tailored offer, you might get a real steal.

LUCKILY for you we here at RealFamilyTrips.com are experts in just these sorts of deals for family vacations. We love sharing deals like kids stay, eat, cruise or fly for free, family oriented packages and much more. Sign Up on our homepage (at the bottom) for our newsletter and get the latest deals delivered straight to your inbox every week!