It seems like there are hundreds of options when it comes to booking travel plans.

But how do you know if the sites you are using are trustworthy?

Some questions people often ask when booking a trip through a travel site for the first time:

• Is this really the cheapest price for a flight or hotel?
• Will this site keep my data secure?
• How do I know this website isn’t a scam?

We wanted to try and find what travel sites have the most positive reviews. Below are the results.

The most trustworthy travel sites as rated by consumers:

• Kayak
• Expedia
• Booking.com
• Google Flights
• TravelZoo

Of course there are countless others that work well, these are some of the top-rated.

So what makes for a trustworthy travel site?

The general commentary we hear from travelers is that the design must be up to par. Any site that looks like it was designed in 1999 is going to immediately be fighting an uphill battle with consumers. Modern designs are important. Here are some great examples of modern travel site design.

On top of that, the design must be intuitive. The site should react to the user with intuitive responses to inputs. Another common strategy is website personalization. Travel personalization strategy is a newer tactic, but using existing user data to create a personalized browsing experience is important. As one example, if the user has already booked a trip to a specific location, showing that same user other trips they might enjoy related to that first purchase has proven to work in encouraging booking.

Partnerships and notable press coverage are also a game changer. Showing that you’re trusted by major brands and media can go a long way to encourage a first-time visitor to trust your services. If you have coverage from a local news site, national media, or a partnership with a non-competitive major brand, getting their logo on the site can work wonders when it comes to building trustworthiness.

Lastly, a focus on customer testimonials being placed front and center. Getting those star ratings and positive customer feedback above the fold act as great social proof.

The new players

While most of the above companies are established players, there are numbers suggesting that the new upstart travel companies are starting to garner a lot of positive attention for their new customer bases.

Companies like Airbnb, VRBO, Hipmunk, to name a few, suggest that a new wave of travel company could be pushing some of the old guard down the ladder a bit in the coming years. Their focus on customer service, advanced technology and innovation, paired with modern and sleek brands, it’s no doubt that these companies are ready to compete for major market share in the travel space.

We are certain within the next several years we will see a whole new order of most trustworthy travel sites as these startups blossom even more than they already have.

How about you, do you have a go-to favorite travel company? Let us know what companies you trust the most by letting us know in the comments below.