Hire A Pro To Plan Your Trip

Even do-it-yourselfers may want a travel agent’s help with an exotic vacation or a complicated itinerary.

- Miriam Cross

BEFORE THE INTERNET PUT trip-planning tools at your fingertips, you might have popped into a travel agency to shop for airline tickets or flip through brochures. Now, online booking engines and review sites can spark vacation ideas and point you to everything from a cozy B&B to the best wine bar in a city.

Does that leave a reason to turn to a travel agent? It depends on the trip. An agent won’t add much value to a quick getaway or a meandering road trip that you plan as you go. And for some people, researching where to go and stay is part of the experience, says Kelsey Blodget, senior executive editor of Oyster.com and Jetsetter.com.

But if you have a complicated itinerary or exotic destination, you can benefit from an agent’s advice. And if you hate sweating the details or become overwhelmed by all the information online, a travel agent can save you time and money.