Why booking a hotel and flight together can save you big bucks

Savvy travellers know that snagging a bargain means sometimes bundling expenses. Here's why booking your hotel and flight together can save you big bucks if your timing is right.

Getting a bargain when planning your next trip can be hit and miss: which website will offer you the best deal? Should you call the airline and hotel separately to see if they have better in-house deals? What fine print should you pay attention to?

Here's why booking your hotel and flight together could save you loads of cash!

Bundling your airfare and hotel together could potentially save you thousands of dollars. Booking at optimal times can help you score those deals.

• If you're planning your trip ahead of time, booking your flight, hotel and car online together can help you save money. This is especially true if you’re travelling during peak seasons. Travel sites are given preferred partner discounts, which are passed on to the consumer.
• If you're planning your trip at the last minute, you can also score the best deal by bundling your flight, hotel and car rental. However, this does not always apply during peak travel times, when the demand is higher for flights and hotels. What's more, you run the risk of limited availability.

Most online travel sites have specific terms for purchasing your travel bundle. Watch out for these:

• The trip could be non-refundable, have a zero-cancellation policy or it may have a penalty for cancelling. There may even be a zero-tolerance policy for emergencies or rescheduling.
• Hotels and airlines may not deal with the customer service issues for these particular trip bundles. Moreover, the customer service terms from the website may not be as favourable as those offered by the airline or hotel.
• Because you purchased the accommodations from a third party, sometimes hotels and airlines may not include what is otherwise standard in their services and products .

There are times when booking your hotel and flight together isn't the best course of action to take.

• If your flight has several stops: Most online travel agencies cannot accommodate a multi-flight trip. The few sites that do help you schedule a trip with multiple stops will not offer much in terms of savings. Also, if you decide to book in this manner you can run into several restrictions that come with bundling travel sites.
• Last-minute plans: Availability can be unreliable and prices can get hiked up.
• Greater flexibility: Travel plans can be unpredictable. If you want more control over being able to cancel or change your plans without restriction, booking your flight and hotel separately lets you travel better on your own terms.