In 25+ years of travel (multiple times a year) we've only used a TA on less than 5 occasions and in each instance those were for very complex trips. For general travel it it so much easier to make the arrangements yourself. In fact, we did a 6 week, 16 stop around the world trip using only the internet. Went off without a hitch.

As a regular Fodor's contributor/reader I'd venture to say the majority of Fodorites make their own travel arrangements.

Tell you friend going through a TA does not guarantee access to a 'live person" should something go wrong. If there's a substantial time difference between where you are when a problem arises and where your TA is located it could be hours or even days before you get in touch with that "live person". Besides, you'll always have access to a "live person" when dealing with major airlines, hotels, etc. even though you might have made reservations using the internet.

My experience is the same as Roamsaround-used a travel agent for Egypt and Jordan last year when I couldn't book the Nile Cruise and flights to Abu Simbel by myself but that was the only reason why I did it.I find that most of the travel agents in my area of Chicago have never done anything besides cruises,Vegas and Florida.They don't seem to have a handle on anywhere out of the US so there is no point to have someone else handle it.
My family is leaving in two weeks for a drive around trip through Morocco and I have done the whole thing on my own. Basically, you get the best guidebooks;use the internet sites for feedback from people and go from there.

I have never used a travel agent. I have never understood that thinking so often expressed that a TA will help you "if something goes wrong". I make my own arrangements online. I buy my plane ticket directly from the airline. And book my hotel directly with the hotel's front desk.

IF something goes wrong I would deal with the airline or the hotel, I don't really see what a TA sitting at her desk back in the U.S. is going to do to remedy a situation when I'm stuck at Heathrow or waiting for a room in Paris.

I've made 30+ trips internationally and have never had any issues. I used to do it with guidebooks, phone, fax. Now I do it wiht guidebooks, internet travel forums, and online for bookings. This is not "majority" it is my 100% method.

Long story short, I don't trust Travel Agents and don't think they know anything more than I do, or that I can find out with a bit of research.

I would probably make an exception if I were taking a more exotic trip like wanting to safari in Africa, or trek the Himalayas... but for going to Paris, it's a no-brainer to plan your own trip.

My other thinking is no Travel Agent possibly cares more about the success of MY trip, than I do (lol)!

I was in Japan last may for 2 weeks i did all the planning, booking. We had a wonderful trip, no surprises. Nobody can make better decision than yourself, and with Internet you have acces to all the information

I have had trouble on the road and was very very glad I had a TA back home who could get things fixed and get me on my way! She performed wonders for me and did it all from her cell phone and desk!

I always use a TA but then in towns that I know very very well I will book my own hotel etc. I also will book Southwest Air Travel on my own...but use the TA for all foreign stuff.

I've never used a TA, half the fun of travel is planning my trip. Then again, I go to see what suits my interests and take in the sights along the way.

I used a TA for my trip to Egypt last year and she was fantastic when BA was threatening to strike when I needed to fly. She found me a refundable ticket on another airline so that I had one if I needed it, but was only out about $15 if I cancelled it. I wouldn't have found that on my own, plus I was incredibly busy at work and didn't have time to look for options. I planned most of what I wanted and she made a few suggestions and booked things.

It all depends on who you work with. I've sent many people who have asked for help to that TA. She's fantastic and has great ideas. I've also used another TA in the past who was horrendous. I pretty much chose everything and just told her what to book but she just kept putting it off. I finally had to sit in her office to get her to book anything. After all of her dinking around, some things were full and some prices had changed.

If you're comfortable with getting information on your own and putting together your trip on your own, then there's no need for a TA. If you're not comfortable with that, or if you don't have time to do that, then a TA can be an invaluable resource.

Honestly, if your friend just wants to have someone to talk to incase something goes wrong I would suggest trip insurance (which I'd likely suggest anyway). I've had excellent luck with trip insurance the few times I've needed to call them.

If your friend is really set on using a TA, then can you talk to another agency? You said that Liberty is the big one in your area, but are there any smaller ones who would work with you? I've set it up before where I picked out exactly what I wanted or a list of 3-5 hotels and said "here, book these for these dates". I could give the TA a list that included full details for some things (including the room type), a list of 3-5 hotels for a city (I didn't care which, they all fit what I wanted) and a list of "book me somewhere that fits these requirements for these dates".

I used a TA for Africa, China, Russia and parts of my trip to Finland/Sweden (the ferry from Helsinki to Stockholm can only be booked by a TA). While I wasn't sorry I used a TA when I did, I would never use them for something as simple as Europe. It's just too easy, and, for those of us who enjoy travel planning, FUN!

I too make my own travel arrangements - both for personal travel and for work. I'd consider using a TA for a complicated itinerary, but for a straightforward trip to Paris I'd definitely do it on my own.

We have always planned our travel on our own, well, since the internet we've planned it on our own. TAs will only book hotels, etc. at places they have deals or arrangements with, which severely limits the choices.

My parents had a TA book hotels in Italy for them once, and they ended up in weird locations, in once place way out in the countryside when they didn't want to be so remote, then in Rome, in a noisy location that wasn't convenient for walking around the city. I could have done much better than that for them!

What could go wrong that you'd want to contact a TA for (in the U.S., several time zones away)? If you book a room directly with your hotel, for example, you talk to the people at the hotel if there's a problem.

eliza~ If you want to get a LOT more input on your question, post it over on the Europe forum. And/or in the 'Lounge'. Only a handful of us read this 'travel tips' branch.

"the ferry from Helsinki to Stockholm can only be booked by a TA" - maybe that used to be true, but it isn't any more.

Last time I used a TA was 2000, and I've probably spent close to three years traveling since then. I'm currently in the middle of a six month round the world trip (mostly Asia) with no TA involvement whatsoever (unless you count booking a few hotels via travelguru or travelocity).

However, if I were planning a complicated trip and was still working, I might want a TA, but it would have to be a carefully chosen TA.

When I was gone at trip with all family members then we have plan of whole trip. We haven’t faced any problem in whole trip because we have follow the plan.

As GWB would say, "I'm the decider."

I used to get "travel dollars" as a bonus from my employer but had to use them through the company travel agent. I found I had to do all the research and make all the plans myself.

When it was time to book, I had to call the travel agent to use the dollars, for which they charged me ten percent because my travel itinerary didn't include airlines/hotels/car rentals that paid a commission to TA's.