Travel agent or do-it-yourself?
 

I'm trying to book a flight overseas for next month, and I keep asking myself whether or not it would be better to just let our travel agent handle it than do it myself (and possibly mess it up). I know it's cheaper to do it on your own, but I don't want to end up with shoddy flights where I have to change planes fifty times and sit through eight-hour layovers, you know? However, I also have a budget, so that makes things a little harder.

So what do you all suggest? If I do decide to do it myself, does anyone have any tips that might help me out? Thanks! :)

If you are on a budget the best idea is to do it yourself. I do the travel for my whole family (sisters, brother, mom, etc). I compare websites, and make calls. But you have to be careful and organized. And it does usually end up saving us money.

There are benefits to using a travel agent. If a flight is cancelled or in an emergency situation a travel agent can pull your entire itinerary and assist you. Providing that your agency has good customer service. An agency can also provide you with advice and travel insurance. If you are unfamiliar with travel regulations and booking procedures it might be in your best interest to go with a professional. But the travel agents make their money off the customers now. They are not making money off the airlines or hotels. So it will cost more. But in some cases it might be worth it.

I hope I have given the pros and cons equally.

There are benefits to both. A good travel agent should know every package/tour deal and be able to offer you a good variety of choices that fit your needs. On the other hand, TAs often have arrangements with certain hotels and companies and pressure you to stay at those hotels when you would rather stay somewhere else. If you are on a budget try TAs that focus on students such as council travel. Before visiting any TA, check their record with the better business bureau.

Forgot to add...either way you do it, make sure you have paperwork and confirmations from all hotels so you don't arrive and find out you don't have a room.

I don't have to worry about hotels at all, thank goodness...I just need the flight. I've been overseas several times before but I've never planned it myself (our travel agent has always done it for me) and so therefore I'm sort of afraid to try my luck at it, because like you said, if there's a problem, I'm SOL. The money issue is the biggest thing, but I'm hoping our travel agent will cut me a break since my parents are good customers. :p Wishful thinking, huh?

Thanks for the advice, you all. :)

My sister did it herself. She arrived at the airport only to discover that she wasn't booked on the flight despite a confirmation email. Boy was she upset. :(

Another good thing to do is check for the lowest prices, then ask your agent to match them. I do this a lot with our corporate agents because they seem to never give us the lowest rates, yet we are required to use our corporate agents. Sometimes I have to get as detailed as giving them the exact flight numbers I found at a lower price.

My sister and I were recently thinking of taking a trip to the carribean. We called AAA because we have the discount, so we figured it'd be cheaper. It was well over a thousand dollars each. We looked online and found a package for about $750 that included air, hotel, and tax.

If you're planning far in advance, I think it's better to go with an agent because they can get you good deals. But if you're planning in a short time span, I would do it yourself because the rates skyrocket!

Overseas, definitely! These days it's hard to know the correct procedures for traveling in another country.

In the US, I'd do it myself...so far I've been lucky!:D

Good point! With the turmoil overseas right now, it's better to be safe than sorry!