dmlove

For a variety of reasons, our trip to Egypt in August (yes, I know it'll be HOT) has been on-again, off-again, but now its definitely on. We are traveling from San Francisco, planning to leave here August 16th, so we can meet up with our son and his girlfriend in Cairo on August 18th, travel around ending in Sharm El Sheikh (for the divers), then fly to London for 3 days (his girlfriend has never been, plus they want to end their year+ in Africa with a stay in a a large Western city), then home on Sept. 2nd.

We always do our own planning, but this time are finding it extremely difficult to nail down routes and prices. Yesterday, we found what we thought was a good route, good times and decent price, and of course, it has disappeared today.

So, we are thinking of using a travel agent for this part of the trip. Does anyone have a recommendation of a US travel agent (we'll get to the Egypt-planning part soon) who can help us find and make at least our air plans?

Thanks for your help and advice.

ShayTay

Have you tried www.kayak.com? This website goes out and searches all the websites for fares.

dmlove

We have used Kayak and every other internet search engine. The problem is there are no non-stops and when we find a decent connection and click on it, the London-Cairo portion is almost always "not bookable". We need human help - LOL!

dmlove

ttt. Anyone?

sandi

There must be travel agents in SFO right off the street, in fact. Not as many as years past, but they're out there. Try Amex Travel Services, also with offices in major cities. Or a corporate agency as ProTravel (has offices in NYC, but I'm sure elsewhere). Maybe a Carlson-Wagonlit office. Also, check the yellow pages

For booking tickets only, expect to pay a fee (per ticket $25-$50) but that's the way it is these days.

Agents have the booking systems right in front of them, whether Sabre, Amadeus or other; advise what you need specifically and see what they come up with.

A good ticketing agent is a find. Always to keep one close, as they do come in handy in a crunch!

sunshine007

Ask the airline/airport site here. They love to look things like this up for people. And they gave me great advice.

dmlove

Thanks - I'll try that.