Travel agent or do my own booking
 

Going to Italy for the 1st time. Should I use a travel agent or "wing it" on my own? Don't know any Italian, or anything other than English for that matter. I have traveled abroad before: Romania, South Africa. What are the pro's & con's?

Hi sweetjen,
I think you should be able to book on your own. I did it for our three month trip last year with no problems. Just be sure to print out your confirmations and bring them with you. We only needed it one time during our trip but if we hadn't had it, we would have been in trouble.

The websites for the hotels are usually in English also. If not, just be sure you understand the wording on the reservation page so you fill it out correctly. You can use this site for some basic translation. http://www.freetranslation.com/

Between the recommendations on this site and trip advisor I didn't regret one hotel reservation that we made.

Good luck,
Michele

Planning the trip requires no Italian.Being on the ground there might require a bit, so start studying at least basic phrases.

There's a wealth of information here and all over the internet to guide you in making an itinerary and booking hotels and trains and car rentals and whatever you need.

But I wouldn't just "wing it," if by that you mean just get on a plane to Italy and then try to find your way around, get hotels, etc., while there. You need to read guidebooks, look carefully at maps, consult sites like this, and plan an itinerary and then book hotels and arrange transportation. It's not rocket science - it just requires an orgtanized mind.

Definitely make the arrangements by yourself. A ta will only recommend what he/she makes money on. If you make your own arrangements you'll have more control over your itinerary/hotels, etc.

As for the language barrier, alot of Italians in the tourist areas do speak English or are willing to help, even if not fluent in English.

Overall, Italy is an easy destination for indepent travel.

opps, that should be independent travel

I think you can manage pretty well without a travel agent. The thing is to discover what YOU want to see and where you want to go – and that means guide books at the local library. Travel agents do tend to guide you towards where THEY think you ought to go. And agents are making money from someone – either from you, or from the places where they send you.

Then book hotels via venere.com (that’s the only booking web site that I know, but there are lots of others).

Flights are easy to book via the airline web sites. If you are travelling by train in Italy, you can buy tickets on arrival, using the vending machines at the stations. The vending machines accept Visa cards, and you can select the English option. We have done it many times without problems.

You can get by without speaking Italian, but it does help to have a few phrases, if only for the sake of politeness. It’s amazing how universal sign language is!

A simple question on Fodors, like “I’m in Venice for x nights. Can anyone recommend a hotel for about USD 120 a night” will bring many helpful responses.

It is good to start thinking about costs in Euro rather than in USD. One Euro is about $1.25 American.

sweetjen, we've been booking all of our own travel in Europe for 35 years and have had exceptionally good luck due partly to sources like this board, partly to excellent guide books, and partly due to the fact that I not only enjoy doing but have the time as well. One practice I've followed consistently is to buy at least two guide books for each country. After years of experimentation, I've settled on Fodor and Steves.

Each of the comments which follows reflects my opinion and experience and others, no doubt, will have theirs. That said, IMO, Fodor gives you more information about more places than Steves and covers a variety of budgets. Steves doesn't try to go to all places in a country and has a definite focus on the low cost food and drink options. We have generally followed the practice of going where he goes for sightseeing but not staying or eating where he does.

One thing Steves has been especially good for has been a decent sizing of how much time each place is "worth." Obviously, this differs greatly from person to person but his view of allocating time seems to come closer to ours than that of others. His maps are particularly useful.

Another bonus from Steves that each of his guidebooks contains some useful phrases from the country covered.

The other posters on this thread have, I believe, agreed that the high net of this is, first, don't skimp on decent reference works. Even if you only carry one, they will help you get the most bang for your buck. The good thing today is that most decent guidebooks have website addresses.

The second point is that some really good advance planning will also enable you to spend your time away from home more effectively. We'd far rather spend time planning where we want to stay before we go than standing around a TI looking for lodging the day we get somewhere.

My final point is that the Fodor boards are an astonishingly valuable resource in your planning. The better the questions you ask, the better the answers you'll get. You're off to a great start on your trip to Italy!

Hope this helps.

I also recommend booking it yourself. Been doing it online for quite some time.

But do your homework first. Use several guidebooks, and narrow your hotel list down to a half dozen based on probable price, location, amenities, etc. Then email an inquiry to each. Be sure to ask about things like cancellation policy and discounts for cash.

As for airfares, since I live in SE Pennsylvania and am a "prisoner" of USAir's mileage program, I always book on their website and fly out of PHL. If your dates are flexible, you can do quite well. (Last May we got a $404 RT fare to Paris -- yes, I know that's not possible now, but it's just an example -- the dates surrounding mine were all in the $700-$800 range.)

Another tip - get the Capital One credit card that has no overseas surcharge. You'll have to call them and specifically request it. It has a higher interest rate -- just be sure to pay it off on time -- but you'll get the bulk (cheap) conversion rate without any add-on charges. Be sure to use it online for any train or attraction tickets that you buy in advance.

And DEFINITELY check out this message board frequently, and don't hesitate to ask very specific questions -- it's my prime source of up-to-date information about the cities I plan to visit.

SS

No one has given the other side of the equation... If you'd like a TA who expertise with Italy to talk with you, listen to the kind of experience you'd like to have, the kinds of accommodations you like (and dislike), the sorts of places you'd like to visit - it can save you many hours of research and reaching out to multiple hotels. You're likely to get an itinerary that makes sense for you and "works" given the time and constraints of your trip. A good travel agent will probably charge you a trip planning fee - perhaps $150 for a one-week trip or $300 for a two-week trip - to compensate her or him for the time invested with you, but if you end up with the right TA, it can be money very well spent. In return, you will get a well-designed, totally customized itinerary.

You can certainly book your own hotels on venere.com. A TA can book the same hotels at the same price and receive a commission from the hotel; for that 10%, it frees you from chasing down all the details yourself. It won't cost you a penny more. And, in the case of some luxury hotels that are members of various consortia such as Virtuoso or Signature, the right TA can get you free amenities such as free breakfasts, upgrades, even lunches or dinners. You're getting the benefit of a network.

And at the very end, you should get an attractive, organized, coordinated itinerary.

I know that the bias on Fodors is to "do it yourself." I'm definitely in the minority here. Using the right TA for Italy can save you time and money and add so much to your trip. There are some real Italy experts out there who are worth their weight in gold!

One way to learn some phrases in Italian before you go is to download the free "My Daily Phrase Italian" series of five minute lessons from iTunes. There are a hundred lessons and you can listen to one a day.

Arranging a trip can be time consuming which can be a pro --if you enjoy it, but a con if you do not. If you do not want or do not have time to read, research, and plan all of the many details that go into a well organized trip then having a knowledgeable and helpful travel agent is valuable.

If you want to do it yourself, there is lots of info out there--- like Fodors---this forum!

Of course, it does depend. Some folks set off with a plane ticket to an arrival city and a vague sense of where they plan to go after that and book hotels along the way... so it does depend on your travel style.

I've missed chatting back & forth as Indiana's lates tornados has kept us without power for a few days - working off a generator right now. I've appreciated the helpful insights, websites, pro's & con's. I'd say the best help is reminding me of the time I would need to spend if I did not use a ta - which right now my time is scares. Thanks for all your help!!

I always book my own trips. Foreign language skills are not required. If you WANT someone else to do it for you, that's OK, just make sure the travel agent is actually an expert specifically to Italy. Like they've actually been there themselves!!

While a travel agent can book a hotel on Venere.com for you for no extra cost, that's not necessarily the best deal that's available. Of course, it may not be worth your time to chase down the best deal, or you may not know how to find it. Travel agents sell rail tickets and passes, but those typically aren't the best deal -- usually online tickets purchased in advance through the national train sites are the best deal (or even just buying at the station in some cases). Travel agents typically don't book Ryanair, EasyJet, or other budget flights, but again those are often the best choice.

I do think high-end travel agents can be helpful in some cases, though, because you can get Virtuoso amenities for certain hotels, and those perks just aren't available to the regular consumer. For example, if you are staying at the Four Seasons in Paris, you'll likely get a better deal with a specialized travel agent than on your own.

We're going for the first time this fall. I was absolutely overwhelmed at first - we don't know Italian either.

I called a travel agent who specializes in Italy for hotel recommendations, but when I got the list and started checking on the internet, I found her locations in the cities weren't ideal for us.

Then I discovered Fodors, Slow Trav, and of course TA, and started doing my own research. It took me hours, but that's more to do with the kind of person I am, and I ended up doing all the accommodation booking myself. I've got all the confirmations to take with me.

Whether I managed to hit the ball out of the park each time remains to be seen, but it's all an adventure!

Like another poster above, I have settled on Fodors and Ricky's guidebooks. I make extensive use of Trip Advisor for opinions on hotels I narrow down to from those and other sources. Using emails, and fax, you can sometimes get better prices than on veneire or other discount websites, cause then the hotel does not pay a commissh.

But above all, Sweetjen, don't just go to a Travel Agent and say, "I want to go to Italy. Set me up." I can't tell you how many times we have come across tourists who are unhappy with where they are, or the hotel, or the town, or whatever. Much of this unhappiness is related to expectations vs actual. IMO, you DO need to research at least enough to have a good idea of what you want to do and see while in Italy. What towns, what attractions. Do you want to drive? Luxury or chain hotels vs botique (B&B) type lodging.

And yes, learn a little of the language. It will go a long ways in making your trip more enjoyable. Learn some numbers, you will get lots of friendly smiles when you use them.

You will love Italy.

My bet is that on this forum the bias will be for self planning, but in the world outside Fodorville it's not a felony to use a travel agent. Just do be sure you are very clear about what you want and your priorities - more expensive central versus cheaper location, more time in one place versus brief visit to more places, must have (e.g., air conditioning, kitchen facilities) and must avoid (e.g., large tourist hotels.) A good travel agent will ask you about preference you did not even consider. The last time I used a TA was over ten years ago when I wanted a trip to Ireland planned with specific features and did not have the time to do the legwork. Turned out to be a great trip, better than I could have done myself.

The business has changed considerably with the advent of the internet which allows vendors (airlines, hotels, car rental, tours) to sell directly at a lower cost than paying a TA commission. When you use a TA you are paying for their expertise and experience and their time. It's sort of like lawn care. I certainly could do it myself, but hate doing yard maintenance (don't even own a lawn mower) and my schedule is often at odds with what the yard needs (two weeks away in summer can mean emergence of a veritable jungle!) so I pay someone to do it on a regular schedule. Same thing with the pool - in the unforgiving season when bright sun breaks down the chlorine or leaves change the pH of the water a couple days neglect can result in pea soup. After spending piles of time and money on chemicals I hired a pool guy and count it as one of the best investments I've ever made.

We did our first trips to Europe with the help of a travel agent; at the time agents made a living from commissions from airlines. That's gone now, and most agents have to charge for their help. However, I think it's worth the monty for a first trip--the next time around you'll know the ropes.

If you personally know an Italy expert, I think travelhorizon (kudos, travelhorizon, for offering another point of view!)has made an excellent argument.

I have used a travel agent twice. Once for Maui, of all places. The travel agent was able to book us at the location I wanted to be for a good price and with excellent perks, much better than the prices I was able to get. The other time was so that we could get the same package for a spring break deal as did the other families with whom we were traveling.

Otherwise, all of our other travel has been arranged through internet by me (in full disclosure, for European biking trips, I have often used biking companies for the biking segments of our trips; however, transport to/from and all other hotel/restaurant/touring arrangements pre and post have always been mine).

Wendy Perrin, a Conde Nast travel specialist for whom I have a great deal of respect, annually lists travel agents who actually know what they are talking about.

Here's a link referring to her 2009's July 31 list:
http://www.travelpulse.com/Resources...l.aspx?n=58886

Nevertheless, buying a guide book or two plus visiting these forums will only enrich your eventual experience, no matter what booking avenue you decide to take.