People should be cautious using third-party websites to book holidays or flights, as many will not refund people if anything goes wrong.
That's according to consumer journalist Sinead Ryan, who says people can use the sites to compare prices.
But she told Lunchtime Live the booking should be done with the hotel or airline themselves.
"It was a huge problem during COVID because so many flights and accommodation and stuff was cancelled over those couple of years.
"People suddenly realised there's a massive difference between a travel agent and what's called an OTA - which is an Online Travel Agent - which is nothing to do with a regular travel agent with an online website.
"A lot of these OTAs are third-party trawler sites - they're perfectly legitimate, they're not going to scam you out of your money.
"The problem is that because they don't come in under the definition of a bonded travel agency with - say - the ITAA in Ireland, you have no rights if something goes wrong, or you change your mind, or you don't want to pay a fee, or you can't travel at the last minute.
"And people have lost their money - all of it - by not realising who they're booking with".
UK-based sites
Sinead says Brexit has also, potentially, made things more complicated.
"It's compounded by the fact that a lot of them are UK based: because they're no longer in the EU, you have zero rights in terms of getting your money back.
"You might as well be trying to get it back from a Chinese travel agents or an Australian travel agents.
"They don't have to abide by the European Travel Directive which is a very strong piece of legislation which does give Irish consumers and European consumers great rights".
She says a potential cheaper deal may not be cheaper in the long run.
"Of course you'll always get a last minute online offering which'll look cheaper, maybe.
"The problem is if it's not directly booked with the accommodation, and you book it through one of these third party sites, you've no way of knowing how that is going to pan out.
"And if something goes wrong, they'll tell you to swing for your money".
'Clicking through your rights'
And she says while she uses price comparison sites herself, you should always book with the company directly.
"You go on a [website] like Skyscanner...I use it all the time to compare flights.
"But what I do is I compare the flights, find the cheapest and then book it through the airline - that's where your rights are.
"You click through - 'Here are six offers: Ocado, Kayak, Love Holidays' - they're all legitimate sites.
"But you click through those, you are losing those rights in a lot of cases that you would have had if you booked directly with the airline".
Sinead's advice: "The belt and braces approach for anybody travelling - and I would really stress this if you are going as an extended family or with older people - book it through a regular travel agency."
