Expedia is an online travel service company that provides information and booking services for flights, hotels, and rental cars. It allows customers to plan and purchase travel services in one place. Expedia was originally part of Microsoft but became an independent public company in 2005. It is now the largest player in the online travel market with over a third of total online sales. Expedia's vision is to create a global travel marketplace that enables suppliers to reach more customers while giving consumers the ability to research and book travel services easily.