Is it advisable to pay a "specialist" to book tours?
 

A friend recently recommended a company to me which she used when she booked her Italy vacation a few years ago. For about $300 to $400 per person the woman who runs this company handles most aspects of the trip, most notably arranging tours of the Sistine Chapel, a papal audience (seems first come, first serve so I'm not quite sure what she did) some cooking classes, restaurant recommendations, boat tours of Amalfi etc. I've booked all the air and hotels myself, am fairly savvy with the computer, and have access to excellent local restaurant info, so I'm not sure this person would offer me things that I could not find on my own through boards such as these. Has anyone used such a service? Did you find it worthwhile? Thanks! Lisa

IMO, you are right these are all things you can easily do yourself.

I agree that you should be able to plan your trip on your own. I would recommend that you consult at least one (if not more) good guidebooks, if for no other reason that one sometimes learns about things that one didn't know to ask by reading them!

I would only pay that if if I was guaranteed a Papal Audience and the audience was small. Otherwise this is all stuff an internet savvy semi-experienced traveler can do.

Depends on whether your interest in some things borders on a professional level, or whether you are interested in pretty much standard sightseeing. An excellent consultant for specialized interests like food, wine, gardens, music events, etc is worth every penny they charge. So are people who will really listen to your travel desires and descriptions of your travel style, and then craft a trip --- selecting hotels, restaurants, museum reservations, off the beaten track gems -- that gives you a great experience of Italy.

It depends on whether you have the time and inclination to plan and book things yourself. For those short on time or who can't be bothered then I think such a service would be a good thing and could well be much cheaper and result in a better experience than just booking an off the shelf tour.

$300 X2 (spouse) would buy a REALLY memorable meal (or two) in Paris! LOL Just a thought.

This is useful only if you don;t have time to figure out what you want yourself - or are so unfamiliar with travel that you need special guidance.

IMHO otherwise just throwing the money out - since this sounds like a fee just to make arrangements - not the cost of the tours or classes themselves.

I am definitely able to do it myself; it just means these boards will be hearing a lot from me! As always, thank you for the excellent feedback/encouragement.

And you always wonder how much this "specialist" (otherwise known as a travel agent) knows first hand about whatever they are booking--or just taking if off of a list of available "stuff" for X city. The only person I would let do this (and she wouldn't charge) is a good friend who is a travel agent and has been Everywhere!!

Oh No! I don't mean a travel agent. I mean someone who has lived extensively in that area and knows it well and has personal connections there etc. A concierge of sorts. The woman who was recommended to me was Ginger from designingitaly.com and her services looked very nice. I NEVER use travel agents per se.

So the question becomes, what can she do for you that you cannot do yourself.

"So the question becomes, what can she do for you that you cannot do yourself." ... and whether whatever that is is worth the money it will cost.

If you were arranging a complicated itinerary for a large family group I could perhaps see using a service like this but not for your upcoming trip. It is easy to find resources online.

Same answer. You can do the same thing.

I think most people who come to the Italian Riviera miss at least half or more of the most charming spots (and best places to eat) that are only known to locals, and most foreign tourists cannot make heads or tails of Genova on their own, even with a guidebook.

That is just one example, and I have been really fortunate to know people all over Italy who have shown me around where they live. The notion that most people can access the many facets of Italy reading the internet is believable if you don't know much about Italy (and don't care to learn more?) But if you are looking to cover the top famous tourist attractions, you certainly can do that.

The world is divided into two kinds of people: those who like to do travel research and arrangements on the Internet and those who don't. I like to do the research, and my wife likes to do the arrangements, so between the two of us . . . .

But I have to agree with sandra that someone who really knows a local area has access to places that all the Internet research in the world is unlikely to turn up. If you came to Nantucket for a week, I could take you to a dozen places that are Worth It that you would never find on your own. Paying someone to find these people with local is not an irrational decision if your time has any value at all. And what % of the total cost of the trip would it be?

For highly paid people with little free time, paying other people for their time, whether ironing shirts, digging the garden, or making travel arrangements, is sensible.

For those of us who are no longer highly paid and have lots of time, doing these things on our own makes sense -- unless it is like ironing shirts!

There are also places that are so far off the tourist routes that serious knowledge is required, but that is another topic,

Thank you for your excellent responses. I think that in the end our somewhat savvy internet research coupled with the suggestions of many of our "food community friends" (many of whom live in these areas) will yield us better than average results.

Agree with the others to do your own research and arrangements. Always check boards like this one, and others like Trip Advisor. I do recommend sometimes getting a small group or private guide. Several years ago I had a day in Paris (had been there before) and used a Canadian expat there, Karen Heurich of Nuit Blanche Tours. I needed to buy inexpensive gifts and wanted to see an important church off the beaten path. Best 150 euros I ever spent! We spent the whole day together, visited a Parisian outdoor market in a residential area of Paris which was spectacular, looked at lots of cool architecture, lunched in a bistro frequented by models and fashion people (very interesting), and visited St. Eustache Church, which was the old parish of the Les Halles market and the former French royal family. I plan to use some expat guides with good reviews in Rome and Venice as a result. A lot of times these folks purchase tickets ahead of time allowing you to skip the lines and go right in to attractions, which saves time.