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In the past, when one wants to travel, you would most probably go to a travel agency which provides the service to plan and book everything for you. All you need to do is to tell them your choice of destinations and once the itinerary has been set and prices are agreed upon, you just pay and wait to board the plane on that date.

In today's digital-era, many opt to plan their own itinerary and book flights and hotel on their own without the hassle of going through a middle-party. With many booking websites available, it is easy to look through and compare on the screen of your laptop or smartphone and with a few clicks here and there, voila! You'll be on your way to your dream destination.

But did you know that in a report published last week, the European Commission revealed that 235 of 352 travel booking websites they examined advertised prices or deals which were not the actual price at the end of the final page of your booking process. That's two-thirds of the total checked.

I'm sure some of you have encountered this scenario where you saw a good deal on the front page of a booking website and after you have clicked and filled up all your particulars, the moment when you click to proceed to make payment, you realised the total amount is not the same as the price advertised.

It baffles you as to what happened and why did the price hiked up at the last minute? Some of the websites did not show the hotel taxes and other miscellaneous amount until you click the final button to make a payment. In some cases, special deals prices were not available at the actual booking page.

Apart from that, some booking websites gave you the impression that certain deals are only available within a limited time, for instance, only 2 rooms left, only available today! The next time you see tagline like these, do not panic and book immediately to grab the last room because what they didn't tell you is that each booking website has a fixed amount of rooms given by the hotel to sell through their websites. That last two rooms applied strictly on their website. If you can't get a room in this website, try another one. Maybe you would get a cheaper or better rate.

Every year the Commission coordinates the screening of websites for a particular sector, with the help of the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) network which brings together the consumer authorities of 28 countries (26 EU countries, Norway and Iceland). The authorities are responsible for enforcing EU consumer protection laws in the EU. The 235 websites with irregularities will have to correct the irregularities. Consumer Protection Cooperation authorities will ensure they comply by activating their national enforcement procedures.

Remember this tip: ALWAYS pay attention to the details. Read everything, every line. Make sure you know what you're paying.