Generally speaking it is more expensive to book travel through a travel agent as you are not only paying for the vacation itself, you are also paying for the agent’s service. Do a price comparison. Search a few travel sites and also get a quote from the agent. The quote is free. Check out It is similar to Expedia but you have a customer service number too!

Contrary to what many people tell you on this site, it is not automatically more expensive to book through a travel agent. If you’re not willing to put the time and effort into rsearching prices, you might pay too much booking it on your own. (No, I’m not a travel agent trying to protect my business. Actually, I formerly worked for a major travel website.)

If you are an experienced traveler or willing to put the time into researching your trip properly, then go ahead and do it online. You might find a deal that is less expensive.

If you’re not an experienced traveler, or if you don’t want to do the homework, then go to a travel agent. Even if you have to pay a service fee, it will be worth it. Although most of my former customers were able to book their trips without problems, I saw a lot of amateur mistakes that a good travel agent would never make. Some were relatively minor, like accidentally booking a run down hotel because it was cheap and the customer didn’t know any better. Some were catastrophic, such as showing up at the airport for an international trip without proper entry documentation. (If you do that, your trip is over before you leave and the airline does not refund your ticket cost.)

A good travel agent will shop for airfares, recommend hotels, advise you if you need a passport and how to get one, and answer any other questions that you have.

just got back from mexico and booked online with a great deal at . the site is an aggregator which means it takes offers from all online websites and presents you with the best deals. good luck!