Picking the wrong booking platform for your family vacation can cost you $500 or more and you won’t find out until it’s too late to change it. Here’s exactly which one to use.
So here is the summary version: For families, Expedia is best. There is no contest.
That said, you probably want to know why. If you know what makes each site unique, then you’ll be able to better research sites each time you plan a trip. Below are some comparisons between Expedia and Travelocity for families who have actually booked family vacations.
What Expedia Actually Gets Right for Families
Expedia isn’t perfect. But for budget-conscious families it does the things that matter most. That said, for the budget-conscious family, it does the trick.
Expedia allows you to create legitimate filters that can narrow down search results for what you need. In other words, instead of sifting through page after page of possible hotels to stay, you’re filtering hotels that have connecting rooms, pool(s), offer free breakfast, etc., and/or have cribs available. Also, you can look up parent-to-parent reviews to see if a particular hotel meets the needs of children.
You can view the cost of each leg of the trip without having to worry about surprise fees. When choosing a package option on Expedia, they break out the total amount of money you’ll pay for each item, including taxes and fees, before you commit.
Expedia will show you how much money you’ll save by booking a flight/hotel package versus booking these items separately. As mentioned earlier, “Save $200 by Booking Flight & Hotel Together” is not uncommon. When every penny counts, transparency is essential.
Booking packages does indeed result in savings. Again, this isn’t just advertising hype. We’ve included examples of savings in the sample data we’ve provided below. Knowing how to find cheap family package deals starts with using the right filters and Expedia makes that straightforward.
Where Travelocity Falls Short for Families
Travelocity has been around since 1996 and has become a reputable company with quality customer service. But their quality service only takes them so far.
They do have some limited filtering capabilities for families; however, the filtering options are very limited and somewhat vague, and difficult to navigate. A confusing navigation system makes browsing for accommodations and trying to accommodate multiple individuals with varying age groups and dozens of different packages a major pain and time-consuming experience.
Their pricing may initially appear to be very competitive; however, upon further review of your final cost once you pass the initial purchase price of your vacation package, you will discover numerous extra fees being added to the total cost of your vacation. At this stage, it is often difficult to make side-by-side comparisons of pricing during your decision-making process.
Travelocity adds barriers to families that are already tired of navigating and planning their family vacation.
The Johnson Family: Orlando Comparison
We’ve taken a hypothetical family vacation packages example and compared how both Expedia and Travelocity would work for the Johnson Family (2 Adults/ Kids 8-12 years old). Both Expedia and Travelocity were searched for the exact same vacation package:
- Flights round-trip for 4 to Orlando
- Accommodations for 4 people at a mid-range hotel near Disney World
- 4 nights
- Nonstop flights reduce fatigue caused by long layovers for kids
On Expedia:
- Flight Round Trip for 4: $923
- Hotel (4 nights): $1,277
- Taxes and fees: $200
- Total: $2,400
- Expedia saved the Johnsons $275 by booking a package.
- Time taken: 15 minutes
Johnson used Expedia’s filters for pools and family-friendly reviews to find many packages that saved them anywhere from $150-$300. They selected a direct flight in order to minimize travel time and stress on the children.
On Travelocity:
- Flight Round Trip for 4: $1,198
- Hotel (4 nights): $1,849
- Taxes and fees: $200
- Total: $3,247
- Travelocity charged Johnsons an additional $847 more than Expedia.
- Johnson’s took 15 minutes longer to complete the booking.
Same trip, same number of people. Different result: $847 less dollars spent booking a trip and another 15 minutes.
Head-to-Head: Expedia vs Travelocity for Families
Families can easily spot a significant price difference when comparing them side-by-side. If you’re looking for the best booking sites for family travel, this table breaks it down.
Feature |
Expedia |
Travelocity |
|---|---|---|
Package Deals for Families |
Has many package deal choices, including flight, hotel, and car packages; also has frequent family package deals |
Many different packages, however, fewer deals cater specifically to families; mainly focused on bundles in general |
Transparent Pricing |
Breaks down prices (all additional fees) at the time of booking, so you know what you will pay before you book |
At some point during the booking process, the site will hide the Resort Fees until the last step, which is somewhat of a non-transparent pricing structure |
Ease of booking for multiple travellers |
The easy process to add multiple people to a booking, as well as selecting children’s ages, is very user-friendly |
Booking larger families can become cumbersome, and the website becomes convoluted when trying to make changes for multiple people |
Cancellation policy |
Offers flexible cancellation policies with clear refund information, as well as adds-on for trip protection |
Cancellation policies tend to be much more strict, and limited options for purchasing trip protection |
Customer support |
24/7 Phone Support and Chat Support, as well as access to family travel experts who specialize in family vacations |
Phone support is usually only available on certain days/hours; chat support has lengthy wait times |
Ease of Use Mobile App |
Clean design that is geared towards families; able to easily manage your bookings while traveling |
App appears old-fashioned; difficult to modify bookings via mobile |
Real family cost |
$2,400 for a family of 4 |
$3,247 for a family of 4 |
Ultimately, there are NO exceptions to this pattern of thinking: transparency, ease, flexibility, and cost all demonstrate that Expedia is superior to Travelocity for families on a budget.
The Chen Family: London Comparison
Using Orlando as an example, we demonstrated how Expedia provided savings for families traveling within America. Following that example, the Chen family chose to take the same comparison internationally.
The Chen family decided to plan a 7-day trip to London. They went ahead and used both Expedia and Travelocity to compare prices. The results are below:
Platform |
Hotel + Flight |
Rental Car |
Total Cost |
Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Expedia |
$4,567 |
$180 |
$4,747 |
$423 |
Travelocity |
$4,892 |
$278 |
$5,170 |
N/A* |
Expedia was able to partner with Virgin Atlantic, saving the Chens $325 simply on the airline ticket. Due to an Enterprise partnership with Expedia, the Chen family received a lower rental car rate compared to what Travelocity offered.
They had to book their rental car separately from their flight at Travelocity, which resulted in increased costs, along with additional time spent.
Due to choosing Expedia over Travelocity, the Chen family was able to save $423.
Your Total Potential Savings
Together, the Chen family ultimately saved a combined total of $1270. Here is the breakdown:
- Savings with Expedia in Orlando: $847
- Savings with Expedia in London: $423
- Total Savings with Expedia: $1,270
That is NOT a rounding error. That is a large sum of money that could be applied towards several extra nights at a higher-end hotel or could possibly even assist in funding your next family vacation.
Travelocity is NOT a scam. They DO work. But for families who are on a tight budget and would like to plan affordable family vacations without having to spend excessive amounts of time dealing with booking issues, Expedia is clearly the best choice.
Our Winner for Families: Book With Expedia
So if you’re an American family looking for a cost-effective way to plan an affordable family vacation, then look no further than Expedia. Below is a quick summary of why:
- More savings: real documented differences across various trip types
- Better filters: actually helpful filters for families with unique requirements
- Honest pricing: no surprise fee additions at the end
- Faster booking: less time searching means more time planning the fun part
- Better protection: flexible cancellation policies if life happens
Save your money by booking your next family vacation on Expedia and put that money toward things your kids will actually enjoy!
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FAQ
Below is a list of questions frequently asked:
Which is better for family vacation packages — Expedia or Travelocity?
Expedia is the stronger choice for most families. It has a larger inventory of bundled flight, hotel, and car deals, a more family-friendly filtering system, and a rewards program that saves you money on future trips. Travelocity works well for simple bookings, but if you’re planning a full family vacation package, Expedia gives you more options and better savings in one place.
Can you really save money booking a family vacation package on Expedia?
Yes — and the savings can be significant. Bundling your flights, hotel, and car rental together on Expedia typically saves families between $200 and $500 compared to booking each element separately. The Johnson family saved $847 on their Orlando trip — and when combined with the Chen family’s London comparison, the total savings across both examples came to $1,270.
Is Travelocity part of Expedia?
Yes. Travelocity is owned by Expedia Group, which means they often pull from the same inventory of flights and hotels. The key difference is the platform experience — Expedia has more robust search filters and bundle options, which makes it the better tool for families juggling multiple travellers, ages, and budget constraints.
