Sorry for all the messages lately about my Vancouver to Auckland trip, but being the first time travelling abroad, I have a lot of questions. Is it worth talking to a travel agent to book our trip? We don't need anything other than flights as we are staying with friends there so I don't know that it's worth it. If we had several stops or flights and then a cruise or something I can see using one, but just for a flight there and back I don't know. Do you have to pay a fee to the travel agent? Can they really find anything that much cheaper than what I can find on Priceline or Expedia or the airline itself?

No, it's not. I use something like Expedia or Orbitz...or nowadays you can just stick it into Google too...to get a sense of flights if I have no airline preference. Then I go to that airline's site to actually make my booking.

I have used a travel agent in the last few years for a couple of open jaw itineraries and found that she was able to save me money, and she charged just $10 per ticket.

I would have owed her the $20 anyway if I had decided not to book with her, which was worth it to me to see if she could find a better set of flights and fares. And $20 was nothing compared to the overall cost of the tickets.

Vancouver to Auckland does not seem complicated enough to warrant using one, but you could always inquire as to what one might charge and decide for yourself.

Expedia is a travel agent, an online one. You don't need to physically visit one when there are so many online.

My sister used a travel agent on her first trip abroad. She felt the $50 she spent worth while, especially when one of the flights was cancelled during the trip and the travel agent took care of it.

Odin, that's true, and I use Expedia, or Travelocity, or other online TA's all the time. But I assume that the OP is asking about a human TA. Maybe Im wrong.

Use Expedia or other websites that compares flight ticket costs. But the most efficient way is booking super early. That way the price is really cheap

I recommend Expedia or other websites that compare flight cost. But the best way is booking flight super early. it gets cheaper

<<But I assume that the OP is asking about a human TA.>> I'm sure they are but I don't think they realise that Expedia etc are online TAs and that most other TAs have websites now and calling them or visiting them will just give the same results as online. It's a simple itinerary, doesn't need the services of an expert agent to come up with creative pricing.

Base on his 4 different threads it is clear that like most relatively inexperienced travelers Mapper71 seems to be searching endlessly for the lowest priced air fare. While that's commendable, if he doesn't make up his mind he may end up paying a "higher price".

Airfares are constantly changing and a low fare that is "here today" may not be there "tomorrow". While it's advantageous to monitors fares (to your intended destination) so you get an idea of the going rate most savvy/experienced travelers will tell you that when you see a "good fare" that you can live with you should book it as it may not be there (tomorrow or next week), etc.) when you finally decide to make your reservations.

Anyway, I hope Mapper 71 finds a competitive airfare he can live with.

Good post, RoamsAround. Maybe we more experienced travelers should post more often about exactly that--that buying air tickets is always a guessing game. Over the years, I have gotten what I thought were great fares, and some really not good fares, and have also given up on a trip idea more than once when the airfares stayed too high--in my opinion, that is!

Finding a fare you can live with is really the name of the game. Uncertainty is par for the course.

Never book through third party, especially online and especially Expedia. If anything goes wrong, they try to shift responsibility to the airline. Expedia cost me $1200 of flight insurance because they wouldn't give me a breakdown of the taxes that the insurance company needed. They tried to pawn me off on the airline, who in turn said that I bought the ticket from Expedia, so it was their problem. This is what happens when you get third party bookers involved. Don't do it. They provide no value add and simply make your life hell when things go wrong.

Also, Expedia customer service reps are the worst. Most can barely speak English and simply parrot the party line.