internet search or travel agent
 

as said before i'm a new comer to international travel, so the question is, would it be cheaper to go to a trevel agent to buy a plane ticked or do internet searches? if internet searches, where can you find the cheapest fares?

Hi angelamour -

If you are just talking about plane fares, if you can spend some time looking, you probably can find good fares on your own. But be diligent. Check lots of sites - Expedia, Travelocity, Orbits, cheapfares.com, hotwire.com and a variety of others should be looked at.

Also, you should check the airlines' websites themselves - especially the foreign airlines that are based in the country you are visiting (Iberia for Spain, Air France for Paris, etc). Plus, other airlines often have good European fares - Luftansa even if you are not going to Germany, or Icelandair, for example.

It depends on the level of effort you will put into it; if you are the type to always regret a decision; or if you don't want to bother dealing with it.

Having said that, if you are doing something complicated, a travel agent can help find routes you might not think of yourself.

I just booked flights to Spain (open-jaw from DCA to MAD and BCN back to DCA) on Delta for a great price after doing about 1 hour's worth of research over several days.

Good luck, and if you have more specific questions, please ask.

Karen

Hi angel,

You are more likely to find lowest fare by doing it yourself (note I didn't say 100%), but you will have to keep on top of it.

Fares change daily. There is no one site that will give you the cheapest fare.

Check expedia.com, orbitz.com, travelocity.com.

I have found http://airtravelcenter.com/onetrav.htm to be useful.

Angel,

You've received good advice so far. I started off using a travel agent when I first traveled to Europe. That said, I was the one who found the cheapest fares and had my TA book it. While there are likely some good travel agents out there, I have not found the ones I've used to be particularly helpful.

Check all the different sites (listed above) DAILY. This way, when you see a good fare, you will know it and book it immediately.

I've had great success booking hotels directly through email. Travel agents typically steer you to larger more expensive hotels or chain hotels. You can search this forum for reviews and recommendations. Also check out www.tripadvisor.com for reviews.

You can do it yourself and it will likely be cheaper and more suited to what you want than if you use a travel agent. (I don't mean to slam travel agents, but honestly, they have been worthless to me in my experience. Others might have better experiences.)

thank you for all of the help, anyone have a guesstimation of how much a one-way plane ticket to Rome will cost on the CHEAP side? I'm a college student and my funds are limited since I'm paying for my passport, ticket, and school tuition.

Please let us know from what city you are departing. Also, what time of year will you be traveling?

Those factors make a big difference in fares.

I will be traveling to Rome Italy, leaving from Dallas Texas. it will be a One-way flight on August 31st.

You might want to also check out STA Travel (www.statravel.com). It's geared to student travel.

Also, you might do better with airfare if you purchase a roundtrip ticket.

Good luck!

Check also the Cheap Flights forum of www.eurotrip.com

Best wishes,

Rex

Angela,

As a travel agent, I have to say I'm biased in this regard :) Most travel agents work with consolidators (well, actually, I shouldn't speak for ALL agents I guess...)*I* work with them, and 90% of the time I'm able to beat any fare.

I notice you mentioned that you're looking for a one-way fare; be advised, it's actually more expensive to book one way travel than roundtrip. (hey, it's the AIRLINES...I didn't say it made sense!) In some instances, it's actually better to book roundtrip and "throw away" the return portion.

Bellaire, sounds like you've been dealing with the wrong agents, and that's too bad! A really good agent will not "steer you to chain hotels"...etc. A good agent is working for YOU, making sure that the accommodations, recommendations, etc reflect what the client wants, which is as it should be. Like any industry, there are good agents, and bad. If you ever decide to use an agent again, I suggest that you "interview" them by asking questions - Do they specialize in a particular area? How many times have they been there? When was the last time?

The current trend is that many agents, myself included, have gone through extensive training to become a Specialist in a particular area, which involves a course of study as well as visiting the area in depth. Not only do those agents have a special affinity for the region, they have practical experience which can save you time and money. Anyone can make a website look good, but there's nothing like personal experience.

Regards,

Melodie

Regards,

Melodie