Pre-internet days, how did you arrange Independent Travel
 

I remember, back in 1992, on our first trip to Europe, we didn't want to go on a tour group but also didn't know how to do it on our own. Our travel agent wasn't that helpful and could only suggest tours. Finally we did a British Airways vacation where the price included airfare and hotel plus a 1/2 day London sightseeing tour and 1-day trip to Warwick/Shakespeare house.Otherwise we did everything on our own.<BR>Today after arranging so many of our trips via internet, I don't know how I'll ever do it again without this medium.It just made everything accessible and convenient.<BR>What about you?

Booked our own flights over the phone, snail-mail for hotel deposits that would not take a credit card, booked car rental through travel agent, etc.<BR><BR>However, I have never planned a trip to any degree of detail. I usually only book the first few nights' hotel and often just get into town and start looking for accomodation.

Hi<BR><BR>we used travel agents and books.<BR><BR>Peter<BR>

Used travel books, mainly Frommers; used phone and snail mail to make reservations. (This was back before deregulaton when internat'l calls were cheap.) I'll never forget the shock in the voice of the owner of St. Rita's B&B in Limerick when I told her I was calling from Las Vegas ('81). I also arranged student trips the same way. Fools rush in, I guess.

sylvie: We used guide books, phone, fax, mail and a good travel agent. We had similar responses when we would tell them we were calling from California. Lot easier now, but we managed.

Same way I do it today, pretty much. Go buy or get from the library every book I can get my hand on. Buy maps, tack them up a wall. Read fiction and nonfiction about the place I want to visit. When I've got an itinerary nailed down, call the hotels and make reservations. Call for a car rental or train tickets.<BR><BR>The only thing I do differently these days is indulge myself in visiting websites for more visuals than I can sometimes get in guidebooks, occasionally ask questions about specific things on message boards, and ask the hotels to fax me confirmation of a reservation so I can arrive with proof in hand.

I don't use the internet now. I have a fax machine and a telephone and they both work fine.

Used a travel agent for everything even up to last year thinking it would be better than doing it myself. After last year's travel agent gave us wrong information which we found out when we arrived at the hotel, then I decided that next time I'd do it myself which I'm handling now.

Used a TA for airline and sometimes rental car reservations. Did everything else myself via phone and or mail.

Does anyone remember the days of telexes?

I'm a little suprised at Sue and Joe's responses about the reactions they received - independent US travelers have been EXTREMELY common in Europe for a very, very long time. I know a lot of people on this board don't like to hear this, but Europe is not exactly an exotic travel destination for the US, and hasn't been for decades.

We never used a travel agent or booked a package. We used guidebooks, the telephone, and the post office.

I used to use owls, but the cost of upkeep was getting high. My mouse bills alone greatly exeeded my current ISP costs. Do not get me started on vet bills.

I first three times to Europe was by Eurail pass and Frommer's Europe on $25/day.<BR>Never had a hotel reservation for these trips(even for first nite)and followed Frommer's recommendations. Would cover 4 or 5 countries this way without a problem. Then the world started traveling and reservations became necessary.