Before you could research and book your travel in an instant on the Internet, you needed AAA Travel. The information superhighway has made DIY travel planning extremely easy, but travel agencies including AAA Travel still exist. If you’ve grown up in the Internet age, you’re probably wondering what is AAA Travel?

If you or you’re family booked a flight or planned on driving across the country as a child, it’s possible you used an AAA service. Whether you needed roadside assistance, a TripTik, or a travel agent to book your trip, it could’ve been AAA that was there for you.

Today you might not think you need to use a travel agency because they are too expensive, but travel agents can actually be cheaper because they have access to discount rates.

What is AAA Travel?

AAA Travel–more commonly known as AAA (pronounced “triple A”)–is a full-service travel agency that helps you book some of the following travel expenses:

• AAA flights
• AAA hotels
• AAA car rentals
• Cruises
• Theme park tickets
• Vacation planning

Like Costco Travel, AAA lets you book travel online without the help of an agent.

Unlike Costco, non-AAA members can at least book flights, hotel rooms, cruises, and rental cars online without having to purchase a membership plan. If you a find a better rate on AAA than directly from the travel provider or another travel booking site like Priceline or Expedia, you can make your reservation with AAA and save a few bucks.

How Much Does AAA Travel Cost?

There is a free and premium version of AAA Travel. Whether or not you need to pay a membership fee depends on which travel services you need.

While membership fees can change at any time, the current membership plans start at $66 per year and cap at $127.

All membership plans include AAA Travel’s popular roadside assistance benefit that makes you eligible for free towing, spare tire replacement, jumpstarting a dead battery, and fuel delivery for your personal or rental vehicles. The benefit levels increase as you upgrade to a higher plan, like you can get a free 100-mile tow instead of a 5-mile tow for example.

As an AAA member, you can also get additional travel discounts on the basic travel purchases that non-members that can book too. And, you get full access to the AAA travel agents for in-person service.

When AAA Travel is Free

You can book the following travel purchases for free online:

• Flights
• Hotels
• Rental Cars
• Cruises

As a non-member, you won’t have assistance from a AAA travel agent and you won’t qualify for exclusive member-only discounts. Basically, the booking experience is like using Priceline or Expedia which can offer better deals than booking directly from the carrier or hotel.

When You Need to Pay for AAA Travel

You will need to spring for a membership if you want these travel services:

• Discounted theme park tickets
• Roadside assistance
• Vacation planning help from an AAA travel agent
• Maps and Tourbooks
• Additional travel discounts on flights, hotels, cruises, and rental cars

The two biggest reasons to consider joining AAA Travel are for the vacation planning assistance and additional travel discounts.

Is AAA Travel Really Cheaper Than Others?

AAA Travel isn’t always cheaper, but we’ll show some instances when they can be. And, you don’t have to be a member to book all of these travel types.

You will most likely find the best AAA Travel deals for hotels, vacation planning, and discounted theme park and attraction tickets.