propita

First, he wanted Boston and NYC for our next vacation, then he added Philly. Now...he's leaving the US entirely. He says we should go to London and Paris!

So we're looking at next April and/or May. We have no kids, so we're not locked into their schedule. We can leave on any day of the week. I'm wondering if we're better off leaving in the afternoon and getting to London by noon. No ideas of where to stay. I was in London with my parents way back in 1986, so my memory isn't of much help. Never been to Paris.

We don't drink alcohol (medical reasons) and don't party. We like to walk around, see museums, sites, etc., including things a bit off the beaten path. But we want the regular touristy things, too.

We're thinking of seeing a travel agent for some help and advice--though all of you here are of immense help. Being new at this, do we pay a travel agent?

So now I'm looking at new threads for info and bookmarking many sites, based on posts from all of you. God! I pimp out this website so much whenever someone mentions they're going somewhere.

alanRow

Was there a question?

Christina

YOu pay a travel agent for high end, special itineraries. Your trip is routine, you don't need a travel agent just to visit a couple of major cities, just book a couple hotels and the air ticket, that's all.

Now if you aren't comfortable doing that, to be honest, I don't know if you pay travel agents any more for those routine things, but I suspect so as they don't get commissions like they used to for air tickets, in any case. They can't work for free, what's in it for them.

Where are you flying from that would involve leaving in the afternoon and not getting to London until noon the next day? If it takes that long, and the alternative is not getting there until evening, yes, I'd get there by noon.

sparkchaser

Christina is right. Unless you have absolutely no time to plan or you like throwing money away, don't use a travel agent.

ira

Hi p,

Once you have decided that you will absolutely be going to London and Paris, tell us your budget, the dates and what airport you will fly out of and we shall help you plan your itinerary.

tailsock

understand that a travel agent is a commissioned sales rep that is compensated by suggesting packages, hotels, excursions, etc that IMO are a ripoff. You have all the tools and plenty of time to do some research yourselves. Plus you have the added bonus of YEARS of traveler experience. Many "travel agents" i've known have never even left the US or own a passport. regardless of what you decide i do have a few pointers for you.

-Spend some time in Barnes & Noble and check out the guidebooks for London and Paris. You don't have to decide EVERYTHING you want to see but just to get an overview. These books give you loads of info on essentials, safety, what to eat/drink, etc.
- Download Google Earth on your computer. Plot your points of interest on the map and study their relative distance from each other. This will help you group them together instead of criss crossing all over the place and wasting time.
-Look at some trip reports that have been posted by travelers here. I for example have one from March 2012 when we visited both London and Paris. Just click on my name to view.

Dukey1

Unless you are planning to take one of the very few "day" flights to London from the east coast of the US the earliest you are going to arrive is the early morning. Arrival in the afternoon? from where?

And as was asked above, so what's your question?

kerouac

Actually, travel agents will not necessarily increase the price of your trip. They work for a commission from the airlines and the hôtels, so unless they propose a product that suits your budget, they earn nothing at all and they know that.

You just need to make sure they know exactly what you want, and the most important thing to which you should pay attention are the suggested hôtels. The more inconvenient (or more expensive) they are, the higher the commission for the travel agent.

But you know what? Many travel agents are very decent and nice people and not bloodsuckers at all. If you find the right agent, they will take all of the work out of planning your trip. Do not hesitate to consult several travel agents.

Gretchen

Airlines no longer pay commissions. Long gone. There may be commissions on cruise trips, etc.
And in some cases, agents are recommending things they have never done--just reading books, etc.
here is one answer similar to others. You pay a fee for their services. You really can do it yourself with some guide books, and asking questions--or looking at past answers--here. There are countless posts about London and Paris, and I think these two cities are maybe the easiest to plan well for.

"Contrary to what some other answers say, airlines stopped paying commissions to travel agents years ago. That's why agencies began charging service fees.

No one can recommend an agency to you because we don't know where you live. You aren't going to deal with an agency in Miami if you live in Fargo. And, it's not difficult to pick one. Find a local agency that belongs to ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents). Ask to speak to someone who knows Italy. Ask them about their experience traveling to Italy. If you're not satisfied that someone knows the place well enough, go to the next agency and interview them.

As long as the fee is reasonable, pay it. A good agent can be the difference between a great trip and a disaster. An agent will shop for airfares, recommend hotels, assist you with your passport, and answer your questions.

If you do it online, you are your own travel agent. That's fine if you are a knowledgeable traveler or are willing to put the time and work into researching your trip. It's not good if you're a rookie or unwilling to dig into the details. I formerly worked for a major travel website. Many people did fine booking themselves, but some made dumb mistakes that a travel agent would never make. I had calls from people who showed up at the airport for an international trip with no passport and were mystified that the airline turned them away.

If you need the assistance, I strongly suggest that you pay for it. Why risk screwing up your vacation just to get out of paying a minor service fee?

Source(s):

Experience working in the travel industry

Gardyloo

Except in a few (very expensive) cases airlines don't give commissions to US travel agents any more. Increasingly you're seeing travel <i>consultants</i> who charge by the hour.

You have plenty of time to plot and scheme your trip. Research here, on TripAdvisor, or on other sites. Do you want just to spend time in two very big (fun, but big) cities or do you want to get out into the countryside? Villages? Natural features? How long do you have? Any particular interests? (Shopping and food in Paris, theater in London...?)

Come back with ideas and questions, no need to rush.

janisj

>>Many travel agents are very decent and nice people and not bloodsuckers at all. <<

true -- but I honestly can't see where a TA would add any value on a simple trip like this one. I do occasionally use a TA, but not for anything as straightforward as this.

Christina

I agree, but some people really are not comfortable with computers or data (I have a relative like that). I have no idea what a travel agent would charge for something like this (and you might want a Eurostar train ticket, also), I'd be curious. But then the problem is they are picking the hotel for you, and if they give you options and you go online to check them out -- you are doing the same work, anyway.

Another option is a package, actually, those can be good for simple trips, but you lose some control over your timing in terms of the days you want. For example, www.go-today.com is a budget packager and they have a 3 night London, 3 night Paris pkg for 1300 per person from Boston. So that's $2600 for 2 for 6 nights, which isn't bad as it includes airfare from US and between London and Paris. But a lot of people might want to stay more than 3 nights each place. YOu could cobble a couple of those together.

nytraveler

Not sure wher you are coming from. flights US to UK typically leave at night and arrive early am - except fora few that arrive early am and arrive in the evening. Not sure about arriving in afternoon unless from west coast - if they have non-stop flights to London.

In any case, you should do an open jaws flight into London and out of Paris.

Agree to do without a travel agent - since they typically do only upscale individual travel or book tours (which IMHO you do not want unless you are determine to sit on a bus all day and change hotels every night).

MaineGG

I think working with a travel agent won't necessarily increase the price of your trip, but there have been many changes in that business over the past several years and it's good to understand how they are compensated now that most airlines have significantly decreased and even eliminated paying commissions. Many smaller agencies have gone out of business and most have added fees. (Let me add here that I'm describing the business as it exists here in the US. Not sure if the situation in Europe or elsewhere is similar.)

And yes, many agents are decent and ethical and will certainly provide you with a good service. I have known some well. On the other hand, there are strong financial incentives to sell those products that provide them the most profit, so caveat emptor.

Here's a good summary of how travel agents make money:

http://hostagencyreviews.com/how-do-...ts-make-money/

StCirq

Regardless of the merits or otherwise of travel agents, there is no need for one for a simple trip to London and Paris.

Where are you coming from that you'd leave in the afternoon and arrive in London around noon?

How long do you have for this trip?

What's your budget?

What do you want to see and do in London and Paris? You've given us some details, but so far they are mostly irrelevant (not drinking alcohol doesn't affect trip planning one way or the other, really). We need to know what prompted this decision and what your intentions are when you get there.

propita

Wow! You guys have helped already, even without a real question by me.

I'm understanding that, since we have time, we can probably do this with some online help and no agent.


We live in Fresno. Although there's an "international airport," the only nonstop flights out of country is basically Mexico. Travel to London means at least one stop and about 13 hours. A long time, I know.

Q: What are the pros/cons from experienced travelers over scheduling the departure time regarding arrival in London? And is there a better arriving airport for London, and departing airport for Paris? And transport from London to Paris?


Our actual departure date is pretty flexible, so we can be off-season, but we'd like to avoid lousy weather. I've read April-May is both off-season for cities and usually decent weather, possibly some rain, which is okay as long as long as it's not days of storm. I like the idea of our first (hopefully "first") trip to Paris be in the spring.

Q: Any suggestions for particular weeks to avoid for cultural, religious, or any other reasons?


We understand hotels can cost more, but we'd like to not go broke. All we want is clean, quiet enough (we had no problem with NYC noise, so silence is not required), and near enough the sites and transportation. I guess that means in the cities. I'd love less than $200/night, but not sure if we'll find it.

Q: Any suggestions for places to stay?


As I posted, we don't drink alcohol or go clubbing--we're pretty lowkey. Walking around, seeing tourist sites, museums, WTD, likely mostly in the cities for this trip, but I'm interestd in Harry Potter and Hubby says he can't imagine going all the way to France and not hitting Disneyland Paris. I've heard a lot of negative about that. We skipped the theater in NyC when we were there because we've seen big shows in LA, albeit years ago. When I was in London in 1986 with my parents, I saw Phantom of the Opera just three months after it opened. I'd like to see a show in London, since the theaters are--or were--much more intimate than in LA.

We're not foodies and honestly? I don't have an educated palate where I'd be able to really appreciate some finer points of flavors. S I don't think we need "fancy" places to eat. And we're taking carry-ons, so suitable clothing for such places likely won't be packed.

Q: I'm getting a lot of info from other threads, so I'm not sure if I have a question on this. If there are specifics go/avoid for places, suggest away!


Is this better?

tailsock

Propita.... I suggest taking a peak at www.europeandestinations.com. Everything from the flights to hotel preferences can be customized.

used them and a couple of buddies did too

Gardyloo

If you're interested mainly in staying in the cities, then it's really easy. Fly into London and out of Paris, even if the flight home stops in London for a plane change. (The reason is that the UK charges very high departure taxes, so you want to land in London but not fly from there overseas.)

You're wanting an "open-jaw" airline ticket, FAT-LHR//CDG-FAT. Use the "multi-flight" option on any online booking service such as Expedia, or through the airline of your choice.

Take the train (Eurostar) from London to Paris.

Think about day trips into the countryside from both cities - maybe Cambridge or Oxford (or Brighton) from London, maybe Versailles or Fontainbleau... many options, all easily done using fast trains.

Easy peasy.

sofarsogood

Use the multi city option on a search engine like kayak.com for flights. Fresno to London then Paris to Fresno to get an idea of prices, routes and times. Expect to fly into Heathrow and out of Charles de Gaulle. Price may determine the time you travel. You'll be knackered whatever time it is.

Take the train: eurostar.com to travel between London and Paris, Book tickets online asap for the cheapest tickets.

Disneyland in Paris is great but why would you want to see something you can also see in the States?

May would be a good month, weather picking up (possibly) though possibly avoid the long Easter weekend if you travel in April.

sofarsogood

identical post to young gardyloo!!