Do you use a travel agent or do you book your own travel plans?

I have never used a travel agent when I plan on going somewhere. I let my accountant handle the details for me. for instance I told him I am going to go to california for alittle while, are you going to handle arrangements or should I just wing it..Never fails..He tells me to let him arrange things so everyone knows where I am. LOL

I would if you have never been there before. Or if this is your first time planning a trip. Besides, they are able to help you out with knowing different things you can do around the area.

I recommend using a travel agent if you are going somewhere that is unfamiliar and where the language may be a barrier, such as Europe or South America. Otherwise, using the Internet to book your own reservations is fine.

Book my own plans. It tends to work out cheaper and you have a lot more freedom. Travel agents tend to try to fit you into a nice little package holiday with a hotel full of tourists and horrible guided tours. I just like to book flights, get to somewhere and then wander at random.

I book my own plans. If you plan to use a travel agency please DO NOT use Orbit! They are a terrible company and I have read countless accounts of ruined vacations and business trips because the travel plans were messed up!

I never use one for I need the freedom to plan my trip on my own.My itinerary is very loose and I like to do things on the spur of the moment without much planning.

I have never used a travel agent. I think if I were travelling out of my own country, I might consider it. But for me, half the fun of travelling is in the research and planning it myself. You can pretty much find anything you need to know and arrange your own accommodations on the internet.

I used one when I went to England. That was a total waste. I found all I needed to know on the internet. When I travel in North America, I always plan everything on my own.

I worked for an airline for 31 years..I can figure it all out myself :)
You might want to consider using one especially if you are travelling to a foreign country and are unsure of what documents +/- medical stuff you need.

International travel or complicated transfers, etc are best handled by an experienced travel agent.

A good practice is to check online sources 1st for basic information, timetables, rates etc. and use that info as a baseline before contacting a travel agent.

If you are comfortable doing a simple point a to point b and your own plans and itinerary in between, then you should not need a TA.

I book my holidays on the internet.

I get estimates on the WWW so I have a ballpark idea of what to expect for flight, hotels and activities/siteseeing.

Then I use a conventional walk-in travel agency (located within walking distance of my house). I like how my travel agent handles every detail, especially some that I might overlook. All of this at comparable rates for tickets and absolutely no charge, to me, for the travel agency's services. This is the only way I handle it.

I book my own.

I've done both. If it's a dive vacation I'm planning, I do it myself. Most travel agents wouldn't have a clue as to what makes a good itinerary, dive boat, charter outfit etc. I save a good 15% besides.
If I'm in a rush to book something for any other type of travel, then yes, I give the agents a shot. They have more resources at hand to find what I want, quickly.

Both , on different occasions.
It depends if I want an all inclusive relaxing holiday ,or one of my own adventure, open ended trips

A travel agent has to be paid by someone, somewhere, so i book my own travel plans.

With the computer, its easier than ever.

I only use one when i go to the beach and yeah i recommend one it gets easier to travel.

i used expedia for my trip to france. it was alot less, than what the travel agent quoted.

I use one for going overseas to unfamiliar countries but for all of our domestic travel, including Canada and Mexico, it's all homegrown wisdom and research.

If flying, I usually book it myself using Expedia. But sometimes we just drive because getting there can be half the fun.

On short trips we do it ourselves. On longer trips we use an agent we know and trust who has never gotten us anything but the best rates and accommodations, and good advice.

He deserves what he makes for making sure we get the best and get what we want.

A travel agent because we go on a cruise and she really helps out by delivering the documents.

Yes, I do, there's no reason not to. Travel agents have access to information not always available to the general public. It costs the customer nothing, the airlines pay their commissions.

I recommend it for anything other than a simple trip and here's some tips:

Do seek out a specialist. Anyone can book a Eurailpass or a Caribbean cruise. However, it's better to deal with an agent who has “BEEN THERE, DONE THAT”.

Do be wary of an agent who pushes only one travel product or vacation package. There may be legitimate reasons, but a travel agent who excludes certain vendors may not have your best interests in mind.

Do stress the importance to your agent about an how their sense of professionalism is important to you and they more than likely will take good care of you more than someone on the other end of an ``800'' line.

Do ask about any research fees upfront to see if you will be charged for an agent's research time, even if you don't book any travel arrangements and then check to make sure the fee seems reasonable.

Never tolerate high-pressure sales that don't allow time to evaluate an offer-unless an offer expires legitimately within a very short time (24-48 hours or less).

Don't contact an agent without first doing some research. Use the Internet or ask friends who have taken similar trips so you can judge if the prices and deals a travel agent offers seem comparable.

Do know what an agent’s credentials, associations and certifications are like ASAIA (American Society of Travel Agents), CTA (Certified Travel Associate), CTC (Certified Travel Counselor), NACTA (National Association of Commissioned Travel Agents), IATA, CLIA, etc. These designations indicate the agent has received professional training, must adhere to a strict code of ethics and has been tested to achieve that level.

Call the Better Business Bureau or Chamber of Commerce for a reliability report on a particular travel agent or agency.

Sometime the “ convenience and promises” of the best deal being online are not the way to go Much depends on the traveler and the type of trip and the more complicated or expensive the itinerary, the better it is to book through a travel agent.

Again, there's nothing like speaking to an agent who has been there or knows 1st hand of someone who has.

One of the biggest advantages of going with a travel agent is if something goes wrong, you have someone there to help you and straighten things out.

We book our own for the U.S. We have used an agent when traveling outside of the Country.

I book independently online. It's wise t purchase good travel insurance though, you won;t get the same protection that you have with a travel agent if you don't have insurance.

As a general rule I do my own. The last trip to Europe I did use AAA as I had a couple of connections that were a little odd so I used a pro. It did cost be an additional $32 through them but what the heck -helped my comfort level. +5

I have not been on a trip in over 20 years.

I do my own travel plans.

I plan my own trips.

For international flights we most often use our favorite travel agent. They are aware of visas we need. We book our own domestic flights over the internet.