Infographic source: Hawaii-Aloha.com

What if I told you that you’re actually paying more when booking with an online travel agency?

More for hotel rooms, rental cars and airfare, leaving less to spend when the real vacation starts. It’s an unfortunate reality that many travelers have been discovering; the convenience of booking via a quick online search just isn’t what it’s hyped up to be. That’s why it’s best to chuck the cyberspace convenience and stick to the real-life instead, with travel agents like Hawaii Aloha Travel (HAT) equipped and ready to help you!

And we’re not just being biased here. NBC dug up the truth about a scheme called “price-fixing,” when travel websites and hotel chains band together and agree to offer only the fixed, higher prices to travelers. It’s a “dirty little secret” that leaves consumers the losers in the end and the Internet agencies the winners.