Best Travel Agents & Booking Services

Based on 102,455 reviews
Location
Brand
Rating
Service Types

Luxury Escapes

Luxury Escapes 🏆 2026

4.7 Summary
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Fiona GradidgeVIC
 

Chanchal went over and above to help sort out an issue with flight tickets. He was helpful and very responsive. Very grateful Show details

Mann Travel

Mann Travel

4.9 Summary
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Ahmed A.
 

I always buy tickets from Mann Travel, no issues as of yet, very polite and helpful staff. Pridhi was supportive and very supportive, answered to all my inquiries with patience and understanding. Thank you Mann Travel. Show details

Ticket Merchant

Ticket Merchant 🏆 2026

4.8 Summary
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Paraskivie3 posts
  Fair Incentive

I bought to tickets for my beautiful friends for there birthdays and they loved him ... Ives seen some videos off his and I thought this guy is… Read more

awesome .. and my friends could use some laughter .. hopefully next time I'll be joining them ...Thankyou for giving them a fabulous show ..kind regards Paraskivie

Odynovo

Odynovo

5.0 Summary
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MariaNSW3 posts
  Verified

We had not heard of Odynovo Tours until I came across them on a google search. I made an enquiry for our South Korea trip and was so impressed with… Read more

the service from initial enquiry from Ms Joan Qin, a consultant from Odynovo. She accommodated all our requests, was patient while we changed our minds many times and was pleasant and helpful. Her itinerary suggestions were amazing. We have just finished our South Korea Tour and everything was seamless. The hotels were all centrally located, the drivers and guides were all locals who knew the area well. We were so impressed with Odynovo, value for money, and a pleasure to deal with. Joan was always there to answer questions about arrangements, and all communication was concise and clear. We highly recommend Odynovo for your next trip and a huge shoutout to Ms Joan Qin for all her support.

My Holiday AU

My Holiday AU 🏆 2026

4.8 Summary
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laronneNSW3 posts
 

Temira was very helpful on Saturday when we ring and booked our trip to Samoa. She not only got us the same deal as our friends who booked prior but… Read more

went the extra step for us and sent through some great suggestions for scuba diving while we are there. She was polite and efficient and we would definitely book another holiday with her. Thanks again Temira

flybuys travel

flybuys travel

4.6 Summary
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YvetteQLD2 posts
 

If I could do zero I would. I found the agent pushy ringing multiple times a day. I ended up having to block the number. It has turned me off using flybuys travel

Imagine Cruising

Imagine Cruising 🏆 2026

4.6 Summary
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Gary
  Verified

Very good assistance with booking Responded very quickly to additional information Show details

AmazingCo

AmazingCo

4.6 Summary
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Breanna
  Fair Incentive Verified

Our friends and us enjoyed the murder mystery at Westcott Manor dinner party we threw at our house. All of the resources helped add to the vibe of… Read more

the night. I was able to join in as the host too, as the resources told me not to look. A fun experience and very reasonably priced!

Clean Cruising

Clean Cruising

4.9 Summary
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JulieNSW
 

Friendly & responsive service from all staff at Clean Cruising. My contact is usually Dannielle, but if unavailable get quick response from other consultants. Show details

China Highlights

China Highlights 🏆 2026

5.0 Summary
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PEDRO
  Verified

We took the full tour of Beijing and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was very comprehensive and informative thanks to the explanations of our wonderful… Read more

guide, Carmen, who took excellent care of us and explained all the sights perfectly in fantastic Spanish. Thank you so much, Carmen!

TripADeal

TripADeal

4.1 Summary
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shaun
 

We just finished a 14 day tour bus tour with Trip a Deal around Japan with our Host a d Tour Guide, Ayumi and had a fantastic trip. Ayumi was very… Read more

knowledgeable and funny with a great sense of humour that we found to be right up our alley. Not only was she a great tour guide she was exceptionally attentive to all o. The tour especially those who at different stages did not feel well for whatever reason. Additionally she enthusiastically celebrated everyone's birthday with song and gifts to make the occasion even more memorable. You could not ask for a better tour guide when visiting Japan. So much so we extended our stay and spent another few days with Ayumi after the tour ended and she continued to show us even more sights around Yokohama and Tokyo. She is a credit to her profession and has a wonderful personality and demeanour that makes tour trip a trip to remember. Thank you Japan. Thank you Ayumi. 5 stars.

Getawayz NSW

Getawayz NSW

5.0 Summary
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Andrena
 

We had such a wonderful time staying at Casuarina . It is a very stylish home, great for a getaway. Everything is beautifully set up, nice and cosy.… Read more

Our host has been so thoughtful and have given us little treats to make our stay more memorable. The place is very private and we had kangaroos and horses around us. We have definitely enjoyed our 2 nights stay.

Cheers Travel

Cheers Travel 🏆 2026

4.8 Summary
Bernadette S.
  Fair Incentive

Brilliant service! Very trustworthy and efficient. I am a very happy customer

TravelOnline

TravelOnline

4.5 Summary
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Laurie WQLD
 

Just completed the first of 3 holidays through TravelOnline and could not be happier. Our consultant was just so helpful and any questions we had she… Read more

answered very honestly and accurately. Well done Kimberley. We will continue to use TravelOnline for further bookings.

Global Work & Travel

Global Work & Travel

4.5 Summary
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karlbar799
  Verified

Be very cautious dealing with Global Work & Travel. What stood out wasn’t just one issue, but how GWT's process is structured - all the risk sits… Read more

with the customer.

Things can move very quickly from an initial enquiry to paying a deposit, even while important points are still not fully clear, such as eligibility, conditions that need to be met, and exactly what you’re committing to. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and momentum, but at that point you’re being asked to pay before you really know if the service can go ahead.

The reality is that once you’ve paid a deposit, you don’t know how your circumstances might change. Visa outcomes, health issues, or life events can all affect whether you can proceed.

When that happens, this is where GWT’s approach causes the most stress. You can find yourself stuck with credits that aren’t actually usable in your situation, and no realistic way to get your money back. In practice, you end up out of pocket and carrying the financial risk.

Trying to resolve things afterwards is also difficult. It often turns into long back-and-forth communication with no clear outcome. Where there’s disagreement about what was said or agreed, there isn’t clear access to the underlying information needed to properly verify it, which makes it very hard to challenge their position.

Looking at other reviews, this doesn’t appear to be a one-off. A similar pattern comes up repeatedly. Once payment has been made, the incentive shifts and the risk sits with the customer, not the company. That naturally affects things like how suitable or well-aligned placements are.

The key takeaway is this:

- Don’t pay anything until you are completely clear on what exactly you’re getting and whether you can actually proceed. - Confirm eligibility and any conditions upfront - Get key details in writing, don’t rely on verbal conversations - Understand exactly how refunds, cancellations and credits work in practice - Question anything that isn’t clear - Most importantly, slow the process down

These programs are designed to feel exciting and time-sensitive, which makes it easy to commit quickly.

Take a step back and make sure everything is clear before any money changes hand, because once you’ve paid, you are the one carrying the risk.

Cruise Guru

Cruise Guru

4.4 Summary
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Elizabeth S.QLD
 

Cruise guru, has an amazing range of tours and cruises at very reasonable prices, very happy withthe service. Show details

HolidayMax

HolidayMax

4.7 Summary
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Anne Embley
  Verified

We were extremely happy with our holiday. Obviously the extra excursions cost a lot more than we expected however we did them and thoroughly enjoyed… Read more

them. Our guide was extremely helpful Would like to have had a bit more spare time to wander however we understand that when on a trip like this it is a lot of rushing to get to the next once. Too many temples and shrines however done were optional and we chose not to do them.

Experience Oz

Experience Oz

4.7 Summary
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Mercedes S.SA
  Fair Incentive Verified

We have bought experiences through experience oz multiple times over the last 5 years & its great because they've had great pricing & I've saved a bot of money. Definately recommend. Show details

My Fiji

My Fiji

4.5 Summary
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Katie Logan
 

Emily Lewis gave great service and was very patient with lots of back and forth to get the right holiday experience booked - we cannot wait until Nov for our trip to Fiji. Thank you Emily :)

Classic Holidays

Classic Holidays

4.0 Summary
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LorraineSouth Australia
 

Room 302 was extremely noisy. The sofa bed was unacceptable which meant with 3 of us all wanting separate room because of snoring etc had to share a room. The lift was very slow. I was disappointed. Show details

Bookme.com.au

Bookme.com.au

4.7 Summary
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Garth5 posts
  Verified

I booked an expensive tour but realised it was for the wrong date and had to cancel. I emailed straight away but their terms and conditions state… Read more

there is a 10% cancellation fee. Greg in the customer support team helped me with this promptly so I have gone from a disgruntled customer to a returning customer.

Ecruising Travel

Ecruising Travel

4.5 Summary
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David O.TAS
  Verified

Please don't fall into the same trap as us. Our July 2025 booking and deposit (cruise, flights, accommodation for an October 2026 trip) led to an… Read more

invoice that clearly, boldly stated that payment of balance not required until June 2026. In January, the story changed. We were now required to pay a further deposit of $12000 immediately to secure our trip and, by the way, our flight costs had increased by a total of $4800 despite initial assurances that the quote definitely covered our requested flights. We cancelled in January (9 months ahead of planned trip) and were informed that a $1000 penalty would apply, and that the balance of our deposit would take up to 12 weeks to refund. This despite assurances from the actual cruise line, the airlines and the accommodation venue that any cancellation that far ahead would not, from them at least, require a penalty. We regard ecruising's approach to be classic bait-and-switch misleading advertising and have lodged a submission with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission accordingly.

Ecruising Travel
Ecruising Travel    

Hi David Thank you for taking the time to share… Read more

Australian Escapes

Australian Escapes

4.8 Summary
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Marg2 posts
 

We were very happy with all the effort Armi made to ensure we had a great holiday. Lord Howe was very beautiful and the people were lovely. Armi (… Read more

from Australian Escapes was excellent with her communications at all times and answered our questions promptly. The accommodation was a bit different to what we had thought it would be, but that was due to the fact that no development is allowed on the island, so it’s difficult for locals to update. Armi organised three tours for us and they were very well run. I highly recommend working with Armi to plan your Australian Escapes holiday.

Aunt Betty

Aunt Betty

3.4 Summary
Fahad K.VIC2 posts
  Verified

Ticket was cancelled by airline they have deducted 200 dollars for seat selection and cancellation protection from my side. Show details

Wendy Wu Tours

Wendy Wu Tours

4.2 Summary
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JoyceNSW
 

Silk road explorer tour was excellent and more than filled my expectations. Did not encounter additional or unexpected fees Show details

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Jason
 

Booked Rainbow Beach and Kgari through Peterpans, epic trip highly recommend Show details

Alwin
 

Amy was very excellent guide. Very knowledgeable and professional. Very well spoken in English. Local knowledge and pride in the city. Overall excellent experience! Show details

HotelsCombined

HotelsCombined

4.3 Summary
Lisa C.WA2 posts
 

Only inexperienced or naive travelers use these or Trivago. Both have been find millions for price fixing and dodgy practices. Booking.com is the only site I use because they are cheapest and most trustworthy.

iFly

iFly

4.3 Summary
Joana G.
 

Just so wonderful the level of service- after 6 years they managed to get a refund from the airline from a Covid flight cancellation without me having asked. Just incredible . Show details

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Dan K.
  Verified

I complained about the cleanliness of this property to Professional Holiday homes and was offered a $200 credit to stay at the same dirty holiday… Read more

house.... Not really a 'gesture of goodwill'. The place is crawling with cockroaches and littered with cockroach poo all through the kitchen and bathroom. There were dirty underpants outside, the gate was off its hinges and the door couldn't be accessed as it the screen for the code was so scratched. I paid more for what looked like a 'nicer' place than others in the area. Its not. Go for something cheaper.

This is the response from Professional Holiday Homes after I had raised concerns during my stay. I will never book with them again.

Thank you for your feedback regarding your recent stay. We have reviewed the concerns you’ve raised. We acknowledge that some aspects of the property presentation and maintenance did not meet the expected standard, particularly in relation to cleanliness and the items you noted. These matters are being followed up internally with our housekeeping and maintenance teams. In relation to the fire pit, this is a seasonal feature and is only available for use between May and September. As your stay was in April, it was not available during your booking period. We also note that concerns are best raised during the stay so our team has the opportunity to attend and resolve them promptly, in line with our Rental Agreement. As a gesture of goodwill, we would like to offer you a $200 credit toward a future stay at this property. Please note that this credit is valid for use at the same property only.

Professional Holiday Homes
Professional Holiday Homes    

Thank you for your feedback. The… Read more

Two women sitting across from each other at a desk and pointing at destinations on a world globe.

What does a travel agent do for you?

Travel agents plan and book trips for their clients, whether for business trips or holidays. They listen to your travel preferences and source anything from flights and accommodation to tours and restaurant bookings for you.

Ultimately, a travel agent’s job is to ensure you have the best possible experience. To do this, they also:

  • Liaise with hotels and hotel agents, airlines, tour operators, and other travel companies to ensure you have a great experience without you needing to put in much effort.
  • Assist you if you get into any sticky situations abroad.

Using an agent is generally thought to save you hours of research, which is why using a travel agent instead of booking online may be a good idea for time-pressed people. Of course, you will be paying extra for these little luxuries, but for many travellers, the trade-off is well worth it.

Pros
Save you time and effort by doing all the research and bookings for you.
Can provide advice on destinations and activities that might interest you.
Provide reassurance to travellers, as agents handle all the details and double check bookings to ensure dates are all correct.
Offer up greater access to special deals only available or known to travel agents.
Cons
Often more pricey than booking your own holiday.
May not get refunded if you have a change of plans and want to tweak your holiday.

What is a booking service?

You can now act as your own travel agent and use airline, car rental, hotel, and other sites, such as Odynovo and Travel Online, to book your own trip. These websites let you compare different travel deals and purchase whichever ones strike your fancy.

Those who still want a little bit of guidance can still consult an online travel agent or travel consultant without enlisting them to plan their whole holiday for you.

Booking your own travel is generally more suited to spontaneous travellers who like to plan as they go, shoestring travellers who aren’t picky about where they’ll stay, and travellers who have an exact idea of what they want to do and aren’t necessarily seeking advice from an agent.

Pros
Usually works out to be cheaper, as you’re not paying for the labour of an agent.
Still relatively simple to make online bookings.
You can easily compare prices of different services with a few clicks.
Cons
Can be more of a hassle and more time consuming to plan your trip yourself.
May not have access to all the deals on the market.

What are comparison-only services?

Comparison-only services, such as HotelsCombined and Skyscanner, only let you compare prices of different travel services, without letting you book these directly on the website. This means that clicking through on a deal will usually take you to a third-party website, such as the website of an airline or a hotel.

Consider what kind of travel you want to do

Those who like to travel with a daily itinerary and have their activities planned out may be more inclined to use travel agents, while those who prefer off-the-cuff, spontaneous travel with just a general idea of what they want to do rather than a specific plan may suffice with making their own bookings.

Many travel agents these days will also specialise in a certain area, such as cruises (like cruise agents at Clean Cruising) or honeymoons. If you’re after a particular type of getaway, then finding an agent who knows all the ins and outs of exactly what you want to do could be a good place to start.

You can think of it as dating of sorts - you’re in better hands with a travel agent who takes a genuine interest in you and your travel ideas. Whether you want to do a rail trip around Europe or backpack through South-East Asia, an agent whose eyes light up at the sound of your plans and adds their own personal touch is a good match.

A man wearing a travel backpack standing in an airport looking at flight times.

What to look for in a travel agent

Accreditation

Travel agents in Australia aren’t required to be licensed, however they can still get voluntary accreditation with the ATAS, or the AFTA Travel Accreditation Scheme. This is run by the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA), the peak travel agent body in Australia, which vets agents to ensure that they meet industry standards and are adequately trained.

According to ATAS, the benefits of booking with an industry-accredited ATAS agent include:

  • Expert guidance. Agents know how to wade through the abundance of travel information online and have access to high quality product suppliers.
  • Extra value. ATAS agents have access to exclusive deals and can find the most well-suited products for you.
  • Professional advice. They offer insightful, timely, and professional guidance to get you where you want to go.
  • Consumer advocacy. If there are any problems while you travel, your agent will act as your advocate, providing support and assistance in the case of events like flight delays or cancellations, rescheduling, natural disasters, and personal accidents.

Know your rights

Even though travel agents don’t need a licence, they still must comply with relevant laws, such as Australian Consumer Law and any relevant state Fair Trading laws. This means that you’re entitled to appropriate remedy from a service if the product or service you’ve purchased doesn’t meet consumer guarantees.

Knowledge

No travel agent is going to have local knowledge of every single city and country on the planet. However, finding an agent who has been to, knows about, or is ready to go the extra mile and do research on your destination is usually a good sign.

Customer service

A high level of customer service is key to ensuring you get the most out of your holiday. Of course, a friendly travel agent will help you enjoy the process of booking your travel, not just the travel itself. On top of this, you should keep an eye out for transparency and timeliness when comparing agents.

Transparency

A good agent is transparent about their fees and charges, the terms and conditions of your trip, and why they think certain deals are better than others - some even show you their computer screen so you know they aren’t hiking up prices. If they wait before revealing hidden or extra costs, then that’s a red flag.

Timeliness

A travel agent who replies promptly is often a keeper. Not only does constant communication make booking your travel a whole lot quicker and easier, you’ll also be able to nab up the latest deals without a hitch. If things go wrong on your trip, an agent who helps you in a timely way when you’re in need can make or break your whole holiday.

Deals

Some travellers, such as students and pensioners, may have access to special travel deals, information, and discounted fares that they normally wouldn’t be able to find with a few queries on a search engine.

Don’t expect every travel agent to know about all these concessions. For example, students may want to look for a youth-oriented travel agency or agents situated in backpacker-heavy locations.

Cost

The price that travel agents charge for their services can vary greatly, and will also depend on the length, complexity, and nature of your trip. For a week-long holiday, you can generally expect to pay somewhere between $100 for more inexpensive solo trips to over $2000 for a luxury stay.

It’s normal for travel agencies and tour operators to charge reschedule and cancellation fees, so make sure you know these costs before you book.

What to look for in a travel booking service

Ease of use

A decent booking service should be clear and easy to navigate. Clicking on a link should get you where it tells you it will, rather than to an advertisement or some other pop-up. Complicated booking sites may be that way to obscure hidden fees or sway you into choosing a flight or hotel of their liking.

A website which lets you save information as you search, such as the dates you want to fly on and any hotels you’ve “favourited”, will make the whole process a lot quicker and easier.

Transparency

A booking site may advertise a certain price, but then show a different price once you click on the deal. This could mean that either the pricing just isn’t up to date, or that the website is intentionally showing you a cheaper price to get you to click through. Either way, these booking services are misleading and you may be better off avoiding them altogether.

Read the fine print

Make sure you’re well-acquainted with any terms and conditions of your booking so that you’re not slapped with a hefty fee once you’ve returned from your holiday. This is particularly important if a deal just sounds way too good to be true.

Rewards

Many travel booking sites will reward you for using them to plan your holidays, incentivising you to use the same service for any future trips.

Expedia, for example, lets you earn Expedia points with every trip you book through them, which you can then use to save on hotels, travel packages, and car rentals. Some services also offer you perks the more you travel, giving you things like discounted spa days and free Wi-Fi on your trip.

Prices

Just because using a booking service is generally cheaper than using a travel agent, that doesn’t necessarily mean that there won’t be fees associated with using them, so ensure you double check details to see whether you’re actually paying a good price.

Some booking services also offer price matching, offering the same or a better price than the lowest price you’ve found.

You can always use both

There are pros and cons to using a travel agent and a booking service, so don’t feel like using one means you can’t use the other.

Some people like to do their own research and compare prices they find to quotes from agents before deciding who to go with. Some also use travel agents for bigger purchases - such as flights and accommodation - but prefer to do car bookings, rail bookings, and organise day trips themselves.

At the end of the day, it’s your trip, and how you plan it is entirely up to you.