Despegar.com: Everything you need to know

“Despegar.com: Everything you need to know” is a post to learn a little more about one of the most recognized travel agencies in Latin America.

When the idea of ​​taking a trip arises, in your country or abroad, planning is very important, and if the idea is to do it on your own, Despegar.com is surely one of the agencies that can be on the list of pages where Consult everything you need to know to travel.

Flights to Cancun, accommodation in Guadalajara, activities in Acapulco, car rental in Los Cabos, or why not, a cruise or a trip to Disney, all are viable alternatives to manage from the website of this prestigious travel company.

Although for those of us who are frequent travelers Despegar.com is one of the most consulted websites, it is also true that many still do not know it…

Despegar is a leading travel company in Latin America that emerged in 1999 based on the idea of ​​one of its founders to cover the need to buy flights online, avoiding long lines at airline offices in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In a short time and adding new investors, it sought to expand and in 10 months it opened 9 offices in the main Latin American cities.

In 2000 the agency began to operate in Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay; By 2001, the US and Venezuela joined its operations.

Years later, in 2007, Peru joined the business and by 2009 it will be the turn of other Latin American countries such as Paraguay, Panama, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico.

Despegar.com was one of the first companies to offer the online service of purchasing a flight online and making a hotel room reservation; It only took a few years for it to add new services such as tours, vehicle rentals, cruise trips, vacation rentals and, its most recent addition, bus trips.

Currently the agency is made up of a consolidated group made up of prestigious companies such as Best Day, HotelDO, BDExperience, Viajes Falabella, Koin, ViajaNet and Stays.net, and is recognized as the company with the greatest presence in the Latin American region, a leader in sales. and capable of offering a personalized experience to more than 29 million customers.

What services does Despegar.com offer?

As we mentioned before, the first service offered by the agency was the offer of airline tickets online and only in 2009 did it add the hotel reservation service.

It would not take long to add to its service offering the tourist packages, cruise trips, car rentals, all incorporated in 2012, as well as the launch of its mobile application.

A year later it adds temporary rentals and a variety of services in each destination; Today that implies the possibility of hiring activities, tours and even buying tickets to shows and sporting events.

Come 2014, the novelty of an affiliate program and traveler assistance will be part of the company’s service portfolio.

Finally, in 2016 it incorporated the sale of bus tickets, completing a list of services so that travelers have in one place everything they need to enjoy their trip, with all the facilities and without major worries than hiring the appropriate service. to your need.

What are the destinations that Despegar handles?

Currently Despegar.com operates in more than 20 countries, among them we have Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Spain, United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Venezuela.

It is worth clarifying that this list is not restrictive since you can hire services in many other countries, for example a hotel in Malaysia or a vacation rental in Paris, a tour of Shanghai in China or tickets to Disney parks are also an option, worldwide travel assistance and much more.

Pros and cons of booking products and services on Despegar

Whether it is a pleasure trip, a business trip, or perhaps for personal reasons, they all require some planning and organization, that is, they require time to hire all those services that you will need.

Travel agencies are an essential point in this task, there are those who prefer them over any other modality; Others choose to manage everything on their own and there are also those who make a mix based on advantages and disadvantages that they perceive of each way.

Therefore, let’s see what could be the pros and cons of hiring the services for your trip at Despegar.com.

Pros of booking at Despegar

Without leaving aside the main benefit of making your purchase online, which is avoiding traveling to a place and having to wait in long lines; The first advantageous point is that at Despegar.com you can have on the same platform the possibility of booking all the possible services that you might need for your trip, a great advantage and above all, if time is short.

In relation to the above, the company’s platform is very friendly, you have all the detailed services and it is easy to navigate and find flights, accommodation, car rental, etc.

On the other hand, the fact that it is a recognized company in many countries gives you a certain security when hiring, leaving aside fears of possible fraud regarding the purchase of services.

It can also be a plus point that the company brings together a wide range of providers of the various services you need when traveling and allows you to select between different companies according to your interest.

For example, when searching for flights to Milan from Mexico City, you will have the possibility to choose according to the company, price, number of flight hours, etc.

And once you start your search, the same platform gives you references of the place and several suggestions of useful services in the chosen destination, an ideal complement for those who travel to that place for the first time and having extra information is always positive.

Other pros…

Likewise, it may be useful to have the possibility of contacting the company in case of problems with the contracted services either before or at the time you make the trip.

The issue of payment can be seen as another positive aspect if you consider that it has alternatives to pay with a debit and credit card, option for payment in store, bank transfer, electronic transfer, and through other platforms such as Koin. Additionally, the fact that some cards allow you to make payments in installments can be beneficial.

It is also valid to keep in mind as another point in favor of Despegar.com its Despegar Passport benefits program, which, with each purchase, allows you to add points that you can later exchange for flights, accommodations, etc. either in its entirety or combining them with another type of payment.

Finally, it is good to know that Despegar allows you to set price alerts in which you define the maximum you are willing to pay to the chosen destination, so the platform notifies you when there is a promotion or offer that fits your interests.

Cons of booking at Despegar

When we start to think about the cons of the Despegar platform, we have to mention that it is not possible to make reservations to freeze the price for a long time.

That is, when you go to make the purchase, it gives you the option to pay immediately by card or transfer, and if you choose to pay in cash in store, it clarifies that you have a maximum of 3 hours to complete the payment, otherwise the request purchase is cancelled.

On the other hand, it may be a disadvantage that it is a 100% online agency, this is to the extent that you do not have a physical place to go in case you need to make any type of query or claim. You will have to manage everything online or contact the call center and be very patient to wait for a response, the times on the internet are often not immediate.

You should also keep in mind that Despegar is an agency and works as an intermediary between the supplier and the client, this means that if you have a problem, for example, with a flight, you must solve it with the agency and not with the airline, the same thing happens. with other aspects such as accommodation, activities, etc.

There may be other pros and cons, you can share them in the comments…