For those of you who booked a European tour, did you find it more economical to book through a travel agent or directly through the company?

I don't know if it's more or less economical, but in Ontario, where I live, if you book through an agent and the carrier (tour operator or airline) goes under, you're insured and will be compensated. That's the provincial legislation and it's not the same all over Canada. If you don't go through an agent and you book on your own, you're out of luck.

pros and cons. No apostrophes.

Sophie<BR>If you're booking the tour, use the agent unless you inquire and find a large price differential. As mentioned, a good agent will back you up should things go wrong.<BR>HOWEVER, miscommunications can occur, emails and faxes can be lost, human errors occur, etc.<BR>I would reconfirm everything with the tour agency before the trip (arrival and departure dates and times, hotel room types, etc) if for no other reason to make sure there hasn't been some change that your agent is not aware of.

I haven't booked on in years, and when I did, you didn't have that much choice -- no internet. <BR><BR>I think you should book through an agent, preferably one that books a lot of tours with a given company as they might have some specific knowledge on the tour, type of clients on it, etc. I would try not to book with any company that is financially shaky to begin with, but I guess if there are any problems, that's someone you can complain to (as well as perhaps the financial issue).<BR><BR>However, the main reason I would is that there is no reason not to - it's a packaged product (so you don't need to depend on them for advice on specific hotels, etc), agents often get lots of brochures for you to browse, AND you won't get any discount if you don't. If you could get a discount booking some other way, I could see it, but I don't think you will.

Assuming you are using the word "tour" in its normal context, that is, a guided group tour with generally fixed itinerary, it is best to book it through a good travel agent who will find you a reputable tour operator. You mentioned being economical, and I would only caution you that you should pick a tour with the features and accommodations you want---not the most economical tour in most cases. And as for the travel agent versus dealing direct with the tour operator, you could possibly find last-minute bargains through a tour operator that would beat the prices through an agent---but it isn't very likely.