Review: Voopter and Viajala, two Latam startups bringing comfort to online booking

Contxto – Latin American startups Viajala and Voopter offer fast and easy-to-use websites to compare and choose the best travel deals on the market. Thanks to them, you can find the cheapest travel methods to locations across the world.

Big opportunities in the travel and tourism market

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, “The global Travel & Tourism sector grew at 3.9 percent to contribute a record US$8.8 trillion and 319 million jobs to the world economy in 2018.” In this sense, travel and tourism represent one of the largest global industries.

Market research firm Nielsen recently observed that travelers spend around 53 days on 28 different websites planning their trip. Personally, this seems like too much time spent in front of the computer. This research also proves why it is so great to have access to platforms like Voopter and Viajala.

Based on this, hopefully, you find this article to be useful when planning your next trip! 

The power of search engines

Both companies founded in 2013 are price comparison (metasearch) platforms. They’re both from Latin America and also strive to provide the best deals on the internet. Even though they sound pretty similar, there’s something that makes each of them unique.  

Nowadays, there are lots of options for booking hotels and flights online. Finding the best ones can be a bit overwhelming. This is where Voopter and Viajala come in. To find the best deals, the platforms survey prices over various online travel agencies (OTA) and airlines. 

Viajala: The good thing about Viajala is that it works with both local and international OTAs and airlines. Some of these include Avianca, Latam, Vivaair.com, Wingo, Easyfly, Despegar, Atrapalo.com, Aviatur, Viajes éxito, Booking.com, Airbnb, BestDay and Trip Advisor. 

At the bottom of its webpage, you can choose the country where you are looking for flights and hotels. While all of the immediate options are Latin American, the great news is that there’s a Global option for those planning trips from other regions. When clicking on either option, the site will display results with the most available airlines in that location.

Voopter: This platform gathers deals mainly from local or Latin American OTAs and airlines. The main ones are Latam, Azul, Gol, Avianca, Iberia, Aerolíneas Argentinas, Viagens, CVC, Viajanet, MaxiMilhas, 123Milhas and Almundo. 

If you’re planning to travel to or within Latin America, Voopter could be a great choice. Then again, if you are looking to travel to other faraway places, then Viajala would be the better option.

Flight tickets

Flights are probably the first thing you want to finalize when planning a trip. Looking all over the web for the best deals can be tricky and time-consuming. Voopter’s and Vialaja’s search engines compare prices not only between airlines but also between different travel sites. Here is how each of them works. 

Viajala: After specifying the dates and destination for your trip, you’ll be redirected to a page with different flight offers, very similar to other travel platforms. 

The thing is, Viajala permits users to directly compare deals between Kayak, BestDay, Momondo and Aviatur. This way, you can definitely find the best flights online. 

Plus, there’s no need to have a bunch of tabs open. Viajala will select the top three best sites offering the most advantageous deals. Everything will be visible in the same tab on your browser.

Voopter: If you’re not sure about your trip dates, don’t sweat it. With Voopter, you can choose up to four departures and return dates when shopping for a flight.

After getting all that out of the way, the platform will show you the most optimal deals. Also, you have the option to compare with other sites such as Despegar, Viagems and Gol. Just click on the compare bottom and another tab will open.

Book your hotel

There are many things to consider when looking for a place to stay. Price is usually the most important thing to have in mind when booking. 

Viajala: Similar to its flight options, this company shows you the best accommodation deals around. With this, it gives you the option to compare deals with other sites like Trivago and TripAdvisor. The layout is the same as with the flights. 

One of the coolest things about Viajala is that it also shows you Airbnb offers. As many of us already know, sometimes this can be even cheaper than a hotel. 

Voopter: On Voopter, the difference between flight and hotel comparison is that when looking for a hotel, you get to compare with other sites on the same tab. Although, sometimes when clicking on an option for another site, it will unpredictably open a new tab.

On both search engines, when you are ready to buy either a flight or a hotel package, you’ll be redirected to the site offering that deal. 

Special offers

One of the advantages of these platforms is the special flight prices they find and offer to users. In this case, both Vialaja and Voopter have a section for these special prices. 

These two startups essentially offer the same thing to their customers within these sections. The only difference is that Voopter only suggests flights departing from Brazil. Similarly, Vialaja only focuses on departures from Colombia. At the bottom of the page, both have listed links for other special offers.

Even though this is a great feature, I think it will be amazing if in the future they could offer this special price deals to users all over Latin America, or even the world. 

Travel Content 

Sometimes when booking a trip, travelers want more than just flights and hotels. Information like travel tips, news, and articles can be of great value. This is one of the things that makes me like these travel platforms even more.

Viajala: One of the neatest things about this site is that it has a blog section. Here, you will find listicles, news, and entertaining content about travel. 

From the top five apps to take photos, to articles about when to find the cheapest flights, and other important news about airlines and the industry, this section will provide you with fun and useful info for your journeys.

Voopter: In the section of promotions and tips, you’ll find a column on the right with the latest travel tips. 

Valuable information about what to do at various destinations is available. For example, which beaches to visit during hurricane season and fun facts about touristy destinations will keep you hooked for a while. 

It goes without saying that it’s a good idea to check out some of these articles before embarking on your trip.

Related article: Rappi partners with Voopter to offer airline flight tickets

Alerts and notifications

Viajala: When I was on the site for the first time, a pop-up window appeared asking me to create an account. Of course, I said yes and signed up using my email.

Seconds later, I got an e-mail to confirm my account. However, this was the only time I was aware of their newsletter. I tried looking for a login option throughout Viajala and couldn’t find one. 

Voopter: There is one great feature that Voopter has that I couldn’t find on Viajala, as I mentioned above. Specifically, the platform can send you cheap flight alerts to destinations that interest you.

Everything is done in three simple steps. First, choose your travel route then, enter your budget, and finally, receive alerts through your email.

The overall travel booking experience

After experimenting and using both platforms, I can say that either one can help you land the best deals available. Nevertheless, each of them has features that make them stand out differently. 

For me, the best thing about Viajala is how easy it makes comparing travel deals on different sites since you can visualize them on the same page.

The other great aspect of the platform is the blog section. With entertaining, informative and fun content Viajala’s blog is definitely a go-to before traveling. Even better, it will keep you up to date with the travel industry. 

On the other hand, Voopter’s multiple date features are amazing and practical. Thanks to them, you can compare preferred flights and dates to travel. All without the need for changing days on the search bar every single time.

Also, the fact that you can get deal sents straight to your inbox is pretty handy.

Undoubtedly using these platforms will save you a lot of time and get you the best deals and offers out there. Viajala and Voopter give you a more comfortable booking experience thanks to the ability to compare different deals online. 

Interestingly, you can also see GoogleAds for Viajala on Voopter’s domain. 

-CZ