You love to see and do as much or as little as you wish while you're on holiday, depending on your mood for the day.

But, often, you find you're told what time to meet at the hotel lobby or how long you can spend at any one place.

Tired of all those schedules?

If you just want to go anywhere, do anything, and at any time when you're on holiday, then perhaps package tours are not your best option.

These days, with burgeoning travel portals online, it's easy to plan your holiday yourself.

You do exactly what you want. And for student Ivy Wong, 19, it's also the easier and more straightforward alternative.

She said: "I'll source around online first to choose the cheapest flight and most ideal departure time. All I have to do is fill up online forms and pay via credit card, and I'm set to go.

"I definitely find it a lot more convenient online."

We've surfed around some travel websites and here are some of our top picks for booking flights and hotel accommodation.

FOR HOTELS

agoda.com - Decide where you want to travel to and for how long, and Agoda will display the lowest rates pulled from about 8,000 hotels in Asia and 33,000 worldwide.

A Singapore-based discount hotel reservations site, it provides a good starting point for travellers still deciding on their destination. It supplies extensive reviews, tips, photos and articles posted by customers.

Such information is very useful in deciding where to go and of course, where to stay.

The good: The site is user-friendly with tools that allow travellers to refine search criteria, such as "most popular" hotels and lowest price.

Booking a hotel involves only a simple four-step process.

A bonus feature: Customer service promises an effective three-hour response time with a booking ID provided.

Also, repeat customers get bigger savings through a Rewards Program. Travellers earn points after a booking, and these may be used any time on any of their hotels worldwide with no restrictions. The points awarded are also clearly reflected near the price lists.

The bad: Prices stated do not include tax and service charges, which is a tad inconvenient considering hotel taxes don't fluctuate like fuel prices do. It is only when the customer places a booking that the full cost is shown.

asiatravel.com - Asiatravel's network includes over 50,000 hotels and resorts in Asia. All hotels are listed according to the discounted room rates they offer.

The good: This site will appeal mostly to the budget-conscious who will be thrilled to find hotel rooms as cheap as $68.

Those looking for luxurious resorts or travel tips should look elsewhere.

The bad: Their no-frills approach means travellers cannot refine their search, so those still undecided on a hotel will have to trawl through the entire list of hotels first.

Also, the site does not feature customer reviews or hotel class ratings.

asiarooms.com - The site provides a wide range of 77,000 hotels worldwide and lists the prices of different room types clearly.

The good: A comprehensive travel guide, this is one site that does all your homework for you and more. Their rates already include all taxes and service charge, hence the traveller is well equipped to make an informed choice from the get-go.

This site will appeal mostly to those who appreciate finer details such as the geography and politics of a chosen destination.

Also, the site focuses more on visual impressions. It contains rough maps with links for travellers to choose hotels within a general region.

The bad: One small gripe is that descriptions tend to wax a bit too lyrical about the destinations.

findmerooms.com - A Singapore-based hotel portal operated by CTC Holidays, it also has links to sister sites to book air tickets.

The good: This is a great resource for travellers who prefer their sites to come with many pictures. The site is visually pleasing and it is easy to find hotels if the traveller already has an idea of which one to choose.

Prices, which are listed clearly on the main page, include the price of accommodation per night, as well as the total price.

The bad: Travellers should already have a rough idea which hotel they want to book. Although the site shows a "featured hotels" list, those with no idea which hotel they want will have a more difficult time going through the lists of hotels.

It also doesn't have instant confirmation for some hotels, and it could take two days before someone gets back to you on availability.

FOR FLIGHTS

zuji.com - One of the more popular travel websites, Zuji gives access to over 400 airlines as well as 70,000 traveller reviews.

Results of flights can also be sorted by departure times and price.

The good: Zuji offers flexible payment options. Customers can pay online via credit card, call the Customer Service Centre to provide credit card details or pay in person at the ticketing office.

There is also a free ticket delivery provided, where tickets are delivered free to a local address.

The bad: Every other link opens up in a new window. You may end up with over 10 windows opened before you even decide on a flight or package.

Some links lead to empty pages, while other pages take a very long time to load.

ctc.com.sg - CTC Holidays website issues airline tickets to almost any destination in the world, with instant flight confirmation.

They also assist with route planning for single, connected or multiple destinations.

The good: The site offers instant flight confirmation. However, it must be tied with an itinerary that CTC offers.

The results of flights can be sorted into outbound arrival time and trip duration, among others.

The bad: There is no online payment facility that allows you to make a credit card purchase immediately. The total price stated may also not be the total price you'll have to pay - you can expect a call from an agency representative informing you of additional charges.

Under the link "Traveller Tools", the Visa Info link turned up an error page.