My daughter and I recently returned from my first trip to Paris and London, and it was great. Upon returning many people asked me questions like what travel agent did you use? was this a tour? did you go with your daughters class? The answer is no travel agent, no tour, and no class trip. I planned this all myself with the help of fodorites, guidebooks, and the internet. The response that I get when I tell people I planned it my self is shock and surprise followed by a lot of questions like when you got to the airport in Paris how did you get to the hotel? Do they speak English? How did you know how to get from Paris to London? Once you got to your hotel how did you know where to go? How did you get around? And the dumbest question of all Weren't you scared? I wanted to be sarcastic with answers to some of these questions, but I restrained myself and answered honestly.
Do other travelers who plan it themselves get these kinds of responses from people?

Hi kt,

Good for you.

>Do other travelers who plan it themselves get these kinds of responses from people?<

YUP.

Americans, who have no problem driving a thousand miles on vacation, are quite ignorant about visiting other countries.

You've been hanging out with a pretty sheltered bunch! Congratulations on your success.I hope you post a trip report for us.

I haven't been to Italy yet...going in Oct. The other night I was talking to a couple who visit Rome often. She mentioned the little hotel they like in Rome. With no hesitation, I responded: &quot;Oh yes, behind Piazza Navona near the river&quot;. They got the funniest look on their faces and said &quot;How did you <i>know</i> that?!&quot;.
LOL!

I find the greatest benefit of self-planning is that, in searching for a hotel, one is almost forced to learn one's way around a city...differences between neighborhoods, where are the landmarks, transportation, etc.

It's a good thing.

hello ktyson - I'm glad to hear of your trip success! (can we hear more details of your trip sometime??) You've reinforced my idea to &quot;do-it-myself&quot; again. I'm taking my mom on her first trip to Europe next month (my fourth - none of them tours) and did just what you did to plan it all. We've got better hotels, we're going where WE want to go, WHEN we want to go, rather than any tour. Fodorites have been very instrumental in my plans, too - even if someone couldn't recommend an exact thing they responded with referrals to many websites. We'll be back in mid-May to post the results here.

ktyson

We got the same response. The crucial detail is lots of research as we both seem to have done. If you don't, you end up regretting it because you don't have a safety net of the tour company. That happened to 2 of our traveling companions who split off for a few days.

amy

Good on you ktyson. My first time in Europe was 3 months, and it was 7 weeks before I even set foot in an English-speaking country. And yes, many other people do have difficulty with the idea. But I wouldn't do it any other way.
Mind you, after 7 weeks of socialising (as you do) with people with whom you can only communicate by charades-playing, it was a novel experience on our first night in Britain to walk into a shop, crack a joke, and have someone actually laugh at it.

From what I've observed, the people I know who do use a travel agent tend to rely too much on the agent and don't know what to do when they get where they're going. I've seen examples of people booked in hotels so far out that it took them 45 minutes to an hour to get into the city. I'd rather do the research myself and know what I'm getting. I'm not saying using a travel agent is a bad idea, but I think people have to ask questions and know where they're staying. In my opinion, doing my own research enables us to make the best use of our time and really enjoy our trip to the fullest. I would be happy to use the services of a travel agent, if it would make our experience a better one and a less expensive one. I know some people swear by travel agents. It probably comes down to finding a really good one.

Sandy

&quot;Do other travelers who plan it themselves get these kinds of responses from people?&quot;

Absolutely! Fodorites are travel and internet-savvy, so most of us don't give it a second thought. Even Fodors newbies at least found the site and are willing to ask. But there is a huge pool of folks out there who have never even considered planning a trip on their own - and wouldn't know how to start.

The other thing I get all the time - I travel all over but probably 70%+ of my trips are to the UK. Whenever I mention that I've gone there more than once, the response is almost always &quot;why are you going again, do you have family there?&quot; People just don't get it. Do any of you who go back to Italy or France over and over get the same quizzical look/response when someone learns you are going to Rome/Paris/Provence/etc for the 6th time?

I give travel seminars/classes and many people attending (and these are folks who are already interested in traveling) have never even considered doing the planning themselves. Hopefully, I convince most of them.

I am getting that now and I haven't even left yet! It is daunting to plan 3 weeks in another country that you can't just get into your car and drive back from. But that doesn't mean it can't be done. It just takes research and study, something I'm finding people either don't have time for or don't think themselves capable.

In planning for Spain, I've had people ask why I just don't book a tour or at least get help from a travel agent. I actually look forward to this part of any trip. It isn't easy, but the key is to keep yourself organized and set deadlines for when things must be accomplished.

And yes, I agree that by studying where different hotels, restaurants, and shops are, you get a feel for how a particular city is laid out. (Not sure how much that is going to help me in Sept, though!

No - I find its sometimes the opposite. Almost all my friends travel a lot and there are several who are real travelers (up the amazon in a canoe, staying in a yurt in Mongolia, bhutan, 100+ countries) and who call me a wuss because I don;t do these things. (Even though I travel a lot it's &quot;safe&quot; travel - europe, north africa, Canada, mexico, australia, etc.)

My point of view thought is that it's my vacation - and I prefer history, culture and museums to running with sweat all day, altitide sickness or snakes in the bathtub.

I do think travel is broadening - and can be enjoyed by everyone - but if some people don;t want to - to each his own.

Just keep telling them how easy it is and you may convert some.

ktyson, I got the same reaction from people. I think it depends a lot on your personality. If you are independent and willing to take the risks, I think the rewards are significant. I would hate to go to Italy and have someone tell me where I have to eat and at what time.

I may have spent hours on my trip planning but it was definitely worth it to go where I wanted for as long as I wanted without following a wand with a scarf!

congrats &amp; good for you on planning and having a wonderful trip!!!

I think the reactions depends on who you're talking to. I am fortunate that most all my friends, family, and co-workers are big travelers and self-planner as well. So they understand and aren't surprised at all.

Once in awhile if someone expresses concerns (and this is usual because I travel solo/female), I just reply... &quot;I am just visiting in Switzerland, for goodness sakes, not treking the Himilayans!&quot;

My group of five (my twin sister, my brother-in-law, our best friend and her husband and myself) are leaving in less than a month for the U.K., a trip for which I've done all the planning (and a BIG thank you to tips I've been getting from Fodor people!). The idea of being herded along on a tour with a bus load of other people and being told where to go and when to get off the bus and where we're going to eat just gives me chills! I get the surprised looks as you have, ktyson, and the oft-repeated exclamation of &quot;But how did you know what to do?&quot; I have to admit, though, that none of this would have been so easy without the internet. What a godsend. I'll post a trip report when we return from our glorious vacation!

I have both types to contend with also.

Some of the people I know look down their noses at Europe, they would rather be in an isolated yurt on a windswept Mongolian plain. Others would have no idea how to plan a trip to London and no desire to attempt it either (planning or going).

I also get the &quot;Italy again?&quot; reaction from people who go to their same local beach town year after year.

Sometimes I am thought of as an exotic and sometimes as a wimp! All amusing.

&lt;&lt;Americans, who have no problem driving a thousand miles on vacation, are quite ignorant about visiting other countries&gt;&gt;

Okay, this will sound oh, so, stuck up...

...but I get the feeling that those same Americans don't do the 1000 mile driving trip all that well either!

And yes, I get all those same reactions as others, and yes - - don't we love feeling smugly superior to all those who aren't in the know&quot;!?



Best wishes,

Rex

Most folks here, at one point or another, had never been to Europe on their own I suspect. Finally doing so does bring a degree of confidence and &quot;savvy&quot; but it should also bring understanding for those who have not yet taken the plunge.

Unfortunaately, that &quot;savvy&quot; can be just as rigid and unforgiving (&quot;you HAVE to go here [or there]&quot; or &quot;you MUST&quot; see this [or that]&quot; as ignorance itself and causes one to wonder just who the &quot;sheltered&quot; amongst us really are.

Glad your trip was successful and hoping you can travel again soon.

To me that's the whole point! Planning it myself really gets me involved in every single detail. Independent travellers unite! Oh, we already have....it's called Fodorville.

ktyson - Give yourself a HUGE pat on the back! I would never have been able to even attempt &quot; a self-planned holiday&quot; the first time I hit London &amp; Paris. First of all we did not have the Internet, or cellphones, or even fax machines! The only hope was a travel agent and you would regard them as a sort of god in the way of suggestions and bookings. Boy did we come unstuck time after time!
Now, please don't shoot me all who may be agents out there because today travel agents are a bit more clued up, but the best agent of all is YOURSELF and FODORS TRAVEL TALK! There is nothing like first hand experience and the wonderful thing about this forum is that this knowledge is spread far and wide.

I am laughing, since I leave Tuesday for a 5-day trip to London with my well-traveled, but always on tours, 76 year old mother and my teenage daughter. My mother is having increasing anxiety about our ability to navigate London without a tour bus, even though she has been there twice before. I am not sure what the issue is, but I am just ignoring it and going with internet info, good guide book, etc.

We travel several times a year with our teenagers and have only used tour for Egypt - did not want to tackle that ourselves. We do tend to argue a lot about where to eat when we travel on our own!