Should I use a travel agent?
 

I've always used frequent flier miles when booking air travel, but now I need to book and pay out of pocket. Do travel agents book flights only? Should I use an agent or just book online myself? Will they track the best fares for me between now and then? I'm traveling next May to Hawaii with 4 adults. I have no idea when a good time would be to book this trip--I don't know if I should wait or book early. My travel dates are not flexible.

This crowd on fodors is predominantly do-it-yourselfers.

My recommendation is to become familiar with flight search websites like www.kayak.com to get a feel for fares. In my opinion it's way too early to book flights for next May. May isn't high season for Hawaii, and airlines have no incentive to offer discount fares this far in advance.

Once you start to get a feel for what are low fares for flights over the next 3-6mo you can see if you can get the same fares for 10mo from now.

Personally I would be comfortable waiting until next Feb or March to book May flights.

If you are booking only a flight, then it's probably not worth it to use a travel agent because you will have to pay a fee. Depending on where you live, you could get a decent deal from Pleasant Holidays.

If you want to book a package (even a package including a condo rental), then you could get a good deal through a travel agent. Otherwise, you can use a site like farecast.com to get a sense of what fares have cost in the past for your dates of travel. But unless someone is running an extraordinary sale, it's far far too early to book a flight now. You'll probably get the worst price rather than the best. Look for sales on May airfares after Christmas. Though there's no way of knowing what fares to Hawaii will cost next year.

My advice is to book the trip yourself. I like Orbitz.com for booking flights. You can be flexible about when you purchase your airline tickets, but you'll have to book your hotels/b & b's well ahead of time. You're going to love Hawaii. It's breathtaking, especially Maui.

Online flight searches, orbitz, kayak, tavelocity, etc. are good to give you a good idea of what flights are out there and cost. But they can be -very- restrictive about changes. Like, no changes, you buy it that's it, use it or lose it. So, I also always call the airline that I'm most interested in, they many times have the same price and are much more lenient for changes/refund if required later.

Unlike 30 years ago, I have not bought tickets using a TA is many years.

regards - tom

If you call the airline to make your reservations you will, in some cases, pay an extra booking fee. You will not have an extra fee if you book on line with the airline you select. That's the way I would do it. If you book with the airline, you can usually select your seats when you book, as well.

I would watch fares for a while. Fares fluctuate all the time. If you watch them, you will determine in your mind what is a good price. Then, when you see that price offered, go to the airline web site and book the trip.

CArol

I would not rely on a travel agent to track the best fares for me, as this is such an easy thing for you to do in today's world. You could call a TA and ask what fares they offer, but odds are you will do just as well or better on your own.

I would go on Expedia and find which airlines fly the route you need. Then go to the specific airlines' websites and put in your dates. I'm on the email list for Hawaiian Air, for example, and they send me information about sales all the time.

Unless you know a great travel agent who really excels in Hawaii, I don't see how they'll do better than you can find on your own.

With 4 people, yes I would also look at the flight/hotel/car packages that are offered (thru the airlines or Pleasant Hawaiian Holiday or someone).

maybe you do not need it... its a waste of money...

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