I am going to Europe for the first time this summer. Is it best to book via a travel agency or go through the internet?

Depends on how much free time you have. I have done all of my travelling with the internet because you can get the most for your money. Travel agents have too much going on for them to devote alot of time for you, so doing it yourself seems to be the best. I have called them in the past to compare prices and they still have not been able to beat internet prices for car, air, etc. - especially hotels, they are better on the internet because you can find numerous hotels in your area for various prices.

There are so many "well it depends" to this question...

Nevertheless, the bias of (many of) "us" regulars is that "we" are the best possible "aggregate travel consultancy" you could ask for.

And of course, "our" bias stems from the fact that "we" really ENJOY investigating and doing all the "work" of making travel arrangements; it seems to make a trip of x days last for the x months preceding it.

Beyond that... book what? "Just" your air travel? hotels and everything else? a package tour?

Tell us more about what you seek in setting up this trip.

Best wishes,

Rex

I would try both. There are so many choices. Just compare the deals and make the best decision.

I agree with Rex - if you post questions on this site you receive an amazing amount of info.. stuff the average (or even above average) travel agent just doesn't know. You can literally custom plan a trip to anywhere. Do as much reading of guide books as you can to get an idea of where you want to go and what you want to see/do. Then throw it open to the "Fodorites" and you will be amazed at the help and knowledge you receive. You just have to have SOME idea of where you want to go.. can't just say "Europe"! Enjoy.

Well, it depends on your comfort level, the time you have to invest in planning, and about a million other things as Rex has pointed out.

I'm another do-it-yourselfer. I use a travel agent to book my flights of choice, but only because I live in Kuwait, which presents some unique challenges.

I do the rest myself - hotels, activities, transportation, you name it. And if something goes wrong, well, I have no one to blame but myself!

For me, planning is half the fun and the Internet is a wonderful resource.

How do you generally travel? If it is with tours, or planned by a travel agency, you may want to stick to what you know, at least for the first time. If you have enjoyed independent travel elsewhere, then you probably can do the same in Europe. In terms of language, England, Ireland and the Benelux might be the most comfortable.

I do not agree that using the internet to make travel arrangements guarantees the "best value for your money" as often real travel agents have access to deals, etc., that are not readily available on the internet. And, if you can EYEBALL a travel agent who has actually been to a particular place you have some better idea of how believable their information is rather than basing your decisions on a bunch of taotally anonymous STRANGERS on this board, myself included, who haven't yet agreed on "who makes the best pizza in Italy?" or "what should I wear in London?"
That said, I would also say that doing things via the internet AND e-mail AND (if necessary) by fax has BIG advantages:
you don't have to wait for the travel agent to get back to you
you don't have to worry about working with someone who doesn't know as much as you already do about the place you want to go
you get a lot of self-satisfaction for having arranged it yourself.
There are advantages/disadvantages to each approach butonce you've planned one trip successfully I doubt you'll return to a regular travel agent.