While the dominance of Expedia and Booking.com has led to some benefits, such as convenience and "competitive" pricing, it has also raised several concerns within the travel industry and among consumers:

Limited Competition: The duopoly's dominance has limited competition within the online travel agency market. Smaller players struggle to compete with their marketing budgets, which further consolidates power in the hands of the two giants.

Price Control: Expedia and Booking.com's dominance influences all pricing in the industry. Hotels and other travel providers may be forced to offer deals on these platforms to remain competitive, potentially leading to price pressure on smaller, independent businesses.

Commission Fees: The duopoly's significant market share allows them to charge high commission fees to hotels and other accommodations listed on their platforms. This can put financial strain on smaller establishments.

Data Monopoly: The vast amount of data collected by Expedia and Booking.com gives them a significant advantage in understanding traveler behavior and trends. This data monopoly can stifle competition and innovation in the industry.

While giants like Booking Holdings and Expedia Group have long dominated the travel industry, there exists a vibrant ecosystem of alternative booking platforms that offer unique advantages and experiences. World Ventures was a good example of this. It was founded in 2005 and was one of the first successful travel companies that started to break the mold of traditional travel booking platforms. They emerged as one of the most prominent communities when it came to global travel. Unfortunately, when trying to create a momentous push to expand into a greater portion of the duopoly controlled market share - they made some costly mistakes to which they couldn't recover from. They were forced to file for bankruptcy in 2020. Events like this are not uncommon and speaks to the continuing dominance of power from Expedia Group and Booking Holdings.

These platforms, unencumbered by the duopoly's shadow, provide travelers with diverse choices, personalized services, and innovative solutions for their journeys. In this exploration of the alternatives, we unveil a world of travel possibilities beyond the well-trodden paths of the two behemoths. Discover the richness and diversity of booking platforms that cater to every wanderer's desire. Whether you seek distinctive accommodations, budget-friendly flights, hidden gems off the beaten path, or a community of like minded travelers; this journey through the realm of independent booking platforms promises to open new doors to travel dreams.

Travorium: This Travel Club can show almost anyone on any budget how they can immediately start realizing more community and travel out of life. They are disrupting the single largest industry in the world and challenge the “huge markup model” being run by the monolithic companies who currently control the space today. Most people who visit popular travel retail sites have NO IDEA how much they are overpaying. Travorium is here to show people a better way to experience more community and travel out of life.

AirBnB: It all started when two Hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 4 million Hosts who have welcomed over 1.5 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe.

Hopper: An accredited travel agency. they partner with airlines, hotels, homes, and car rental providers across the globe so you can feel confident you’re booking the perfect vacation at the best price they can find.

Hostelworld: The leading online travel agent (OTA) focused on the hostel market. They help inspiring adventurous minds to experience new places, meet new people and come back with extraordinary stories to tell.

Skyscanner: They pride theirselves on being transparent and unbiased, searching billions of prices for flights, hotels and car rentals to help find you the best deals they can.