Proxies for travel fare aggregation refer to using proxy servers to collect travel fare information from multiple sources simultaneously, allowing for easier comparison and data aggregation. Such a proxy server allows the user to access data as if they were in a different location by hiding their IP address.
Of course, before we start, let’s find out what you know about proxies! Just kidding now. I am here to reveal the business secrets of travel fare aggregations, so telling you a bit about proxies themselves would be the lesser evil. And I promise to be concise and precise, not bore you entirely with technicalities.
What Proxies to Use for Travel Fare Aggregation?
So, for now, let’s take two types of proxies you need to be familiar with: data center and residential. They are both good for web scraping jobs that travel aggregation projects suggest but with a slight difference in approach.
With data center proxies, you have IPs from a… data center, meaning that they will be fast and nice but easily traceable by any anti-bot systems that air or travel companies might have on their websites.
And, in case of residential proxies, the IPs will be supplied by Internet Service Providers. Such proxies will cloak your scraping activities behind real people’s digital personalities. Here you may have a slower and more expensive but, at the same time, more reliable solution from the data collection business perspective without any frustrations caused by blocked access to the most visited travel sites.
For this topic, let’s establish that residential proxies best fit all travel fare aggregation missions. And in a moment, you will find out why.
Why do the Prices Vary Depending on my Location?
What a residential proxy is doing the best is replacing your original IP with one that will be tightly connected to a certain geographical area. And, bingo! Now you can pretend to a travel website that you are buying tickets from another country and are eligible for special offers, discounts and other cool stuff.
But why do the price levels differ on such websites in the first place? Well, there are a number of reasons for it.
One, travel companies use so-called dynamic pricing policies and algorithms. This means that your final ticket price will largely depend on the competition in the area, current demand for this destination and currency exchange rates in case of international deals.
Two, taxes and fees. These guys also play an important role in pricing and can affect the ultimate total.
So, proxies are your dear friends here that will let in a fraction of time lead to a better deal by just comparing the prices basically for the same service from various locations. Isn’t that nice?
Building Digital Travel Business Powered by Proxies
I can hear you thinking: “But this can also be good for hotel booking and packaged travel offerings!” And, you are absolutely right! With the right set of proxies from a reliable provider, you can build or upgrade your existing travel service to offer the best rates to your end-users in no time.
Let me make it easy for you and give you 5 steps to building such a business:
- Assess your market: This will be rather obvious. You need to identify your market niche clearly before starting your business. This process will involve doing some research and cust dev.
- Build your scraper: Here, you must do the back-end related job of having a scraper that works just for you. And this means hiring and keeping a developer that will go hand-in-hand with you. Of course, you may outsource this part of the business if you want to build an MVP.
- Find a reliable proxy provider: This one is a bit tricky, but with all the tips in this article, we hope to make it more elementary. Read on to find out the criteria for the ultimate proxy provider (hint: there are just a couple of things to verify here).
- Create a website that rocks: Now, the best part you so wanted to get started with – the front end of your business. Just ensure you have unbiased users who will tell you what works and what doesn’t on your website.
- Proceed with your marketing strategy: Establish and implement your business strategy. Start promoting your service via social media, paid ads and SEO magic. Reveal the business tricks that work and reiterate them before your competition does.
- Enjoy what you do! Oops! I only promised 5 steps. My bad! Take this as a bonus!
As for the second item above, you see that the solution will include a scraper/crawler to secure the best deals available in the market. And surely, such a scraper should be powered by proxies of your choice. If you care about staying anonymous for a long period of scraping, you would be better off with rotating residential proxies.
Such servers are equipped with proprietary IP rotation mechanisms that allow collecting the best deals from all across the Internet while changing the IPs from the dedicated pool on-the-go. You will be able to fine-tune the rotations as you see fit. For instance, you can have proxies with ‘sticky’ sessions, when an IP will not change until you complete an online form. Or, you can change a residential IP for each new scraping session. It is totally up to you!
How do I Choose the Best Proxy Provider?
I am glad you asked! Think of two things here: reputation and customer care. All good providers claim great rates and affordable plans. Especially if you are out there looking for a large package of IPs.
Only with reputable providers you will see an extensive track record for supplying proxies in the market. And, as for customer care – try some IPs for free (trials are normally available to business customers) and then buy a few dozen of servers to see how prompt the customer support will react to your queries or concerns. Only then decide on who is worth your hard-earned buck!
Final Words:
That’s all about how to set up a digital travel business powered by proxies. It’s not as difficult as it may sound, and with the right set of proxies from a reliable provider, you can build or upgrade your existing travel service to offer the best rates to your end users in no time.
It is an exciting journey ahead! Be sure to take the right steps and enjoy success in building your digital travel business powered by proxies. Hope you liked some of the tips on proxies for travel fare aggregation above, so feel free sharing this knowledge with your friends. It’s no longer a secret for the people ‘in the know.’
