Is there any advantage to working with a travel agent versus doing your own

[raccoon]

booking of tours, flights, etc?

[JCMach1]

1. Time~! To do it yourself the right way requires research and an investment of time.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

2. When it comes to flights for odd itineraries--

say you want to fly from A to B to C to D to A-- a travel agent can figure out how to do that with the most reasonable cost and schedule. S/he can present you with two or three alternate itineraries and explain the pros and cons of each.

Travel agents are also the easiest source of rail passes.

I don't use a travel agent to go to Japan, though, because I know which airlines I like, how to get around, and where to stay.

[JCMach1]

4. I usually use the website for Eurail passes... actually pretty easy

[LuckyLib]

3. I use a travel agent for booking flights because it takes me all of 5 minutes. Five.

I give him the day/approximately time I want to leave, he find the flights, books it, and the itinerary and confirmation are in the mail immediately. Often, I book at 4:00 p.m. and the envelope is in my mailbox the next morning. I have friends who spend hours combing websites to save $$$. My time is worth $$$ -- have no interest in spending it navigating airline websites. JMHO.

[On the Road]

5. For Certain International Flights

ethnic bucket shops can be much, much cheaper -- you just have to find them.

Helps if you speak the language. But you can go to Latin America or Asia for 30% less in some cases.