Overview of Expedia
Expedia is an online travel agency operating in more than 60 countries. It allows you to book flights, lodging, transportation, and vacation activities in one place. It remains one of the primary trip-planning websites in France and across its neighboring countries.
Company History
Expedia was founded in 1996 in Seattle, Washington. It began as a subsidiary of Microsoft before eventually becoming an independent company. Expedia grew significantly by acquiring other brands, including Hotels.com, Hotwire.com, Egencia, Venere, Expedia Local Expert, Classic Vacations, and eLong. This strategy allowed it to establish itself as a heavyweight in the online travel agency sector at a time when the industry was still emerging. The company continued to expand by purchasing other firms, such as the car rental comparison site Auto Escape and the short-term vacation rental platform HomeAway.
Comprehensive Booking Options
The Expedia group became a standard in the industry by helping travelers navigate countless options for their trips. Hotels, cars, and plane tickets can all be booked to plan an entire itinerary on Expedia. The platform serves both vacationers and business travelers. Expedia aims for exhaustiveness by also offering the ability to book activities on-site, such as outdoor sports, spa treatments, or sightseeing tours. A search engine allows you to filter results by dates, price, or comfort level. Budget-conscious travelers will appreciate the frequent promo codes, last-minute deals, and discounts on package vacations that are available throughout the year.
A while back, using Expedia's hotel booking services was my first time ever booking an overnight hotel stay online. It was a positive experience that led us to use this online travel agency several times after that. Today, there are so many of these agencies, and Expedia is often no longer the best option in terms of pricing. Tools like Trivago are super useful now for hunting down the best deal.