Launched in 2005, WellesleyWeston Magazine is a quarterly publication tailored to Wellesley and Weston residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in two of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.
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embracing this one-stop shopping. "We planned a ten-day trip to Ireland using TRIP ADVISOR, cross-checking with other sites, as well as country guides that I borrowed from the library," reports Wellesley resident Lisa Rogers, "and it worked out beautifully." When searching, a huge percentage of travelers like Lisa Rogers will start with the Big Three: TRAVELOCITY, ORBITZ, or EXPEDIA. These sites are third party aggregators that use multiple online sources to get the best deals from around the web. They look simi- lar, offering the same wide swath of features, with options to search hotels, flights, and destinations. The differences among them tend to be subtle (for example, Travelocity is the only one to offer rail travel searches). All promise a lowest-rate guarantee, though the onus falls on the traveler to send new pricing proof to the site in order to get a refund. "There is still no silver bullet," warns Wellesley resident John Ivey, "there is no one site that has everything. A reasonable, well-educated consumer will never stick with one site." Often a user's choice is based on navigability and comfort level. "I tend to use Orbitz for all of my low-end travel needs, for example when my kids are at an out of state athletic tournament," says Wellesley resident Sarah Pedersen, "though we are talking about Motel 6, not the Ritz." Pedersen has never had a problem with the site, though as usage soars, so do the com- plaints associated with some of these third party sites. The Better Business Bureau is lit- tered with tales of frustrated travelers who were disappointed when their travel plans went awry or when what they thought they were promised varied from the reality in front of them. "It's an area that makes me nervous with using sites like Expedia for hotels and things," says Gillian Kohli. "If you need to change something, I am never quite 186 W e l l e s l e y W e s t o n M a g a z i n e | s p r i n g 2 0 1 4 excursions "trust, but verify" top: kayak.com; bottom: viator.com 184-192_WWMa14_excursions_travel_v3_WellesleyWeston Magazine 2/2/14 1:37 PM Page 186