Does anybody still use traditional travel agents?

We're in the beginning stages on what we want to see to our first trip to Europe. I've tried just getting the concepts down on where we want to go, where we want to stay and visit. I tried just booking flights online coupled with hotels, but there's so much more we want to do that it just seems quite a bit complicated than booking a flight and hotel when trying to figure out everything, especially since I've never gone overseas before.

Anyone ever been on that River Cruise on the Danube? We might incorporate that into our trip, but we also want to do more than that.

It may be tough to do with little ones but my best trips are always the ones where I know where I'm flying into and where I'm flying out of but in between is up to me that day. That's how I do all of my international trips these days.

But I've never used a travel agent so I'm no help there. Think about it, though, could be fun!

Fuck an agent. Write out the places you want to go. Write what you want to do in the said places. How many days do you need in each place to do that? (Give yourself extra days obvi)

We flew to each different place in Europe. Everyone says train but you can get flights for under $100 each and under an hour long to pretty much get anywhere. We did a lot in like three weeks.

Everything is so easy now. I remember when I did this for an Ireland trip in like '02 it was a lot more difficult to get info on places out in the boonies.

Nowadays there's hotels tonight and all the information online is usually updated really well. In a way I don't like it because then, it felt like some of these places were kept secret just because they lacked of technology.

The flights thing is good advice, too, OTPT. Although the trains are pretty nice.

We knew someone who was a travel agent and asked his opinion on a couple of things, but never formally used one. Personally, I much prefer following travelers on Instagram who tske pics and blog. You can quickly get a sense of those who take their work seriously. I've also sent PMs to the various writers when I've had questions. I've also found Trip Advisor to be very helpful when it comes to coming up with an itinerary.

Two friends went on Viking River cruises. 2 years ago one took the Paaris to Prague cruise. In September of this year the other did the Berlin to Prague.

Both flew non-stops out of OHare and they had one stop from Prague to OHare returning.

There are a couple of hotels near OHare where you park free if you book a room. Both chose to take the room when they returned and the hotels offered free shuttle to and from.

Don't think you need a travel agent and Viking partners with some airlines. Good thing is if the ship sinks you'll probably be able to walk to shore.

With the internet, you don't need travel agents any more.

Book hotels in advance with free cancellation and tweak as necessary.

If you're flying Delta, upgrade to the Delta comfort seats for a 100 bucks.  If you are on a budget, check flights out of Toronto.

If you are adventuresome, rent a car. Driving in a foriegn country is not bad at all even if you don't speak a lick of the language. But if you are mostly hitting the big cities, it is a waste. Just hit the trains and metros. Or OTPTs flight advice. Trains are pretty fucking chill though.

Where are you planning on going?

Also, bump this thread once you get an idea of the places you'd like to visit. I'm certain there are plenty of opinions here on what to visit in the areas you'll be in.

Nordic wrote:With the internet, you don't need travel agents any more.

Book hotels in advance with free cancellation and tweak as necessary.

If you're flying Delta, upgrade to the Delta comfort seats for a 100 bucks.  If you are on a budget, check flights out of Toronto.

If you are adventuresome, rent a car. Driving in a foriegn country is not bad at all even if you don't speak a lick of the language. But if you are mostly hitting the big cities, it is a waste. Just hit the trains and metros. Or OTPTs flight advice. Trains are pretty fucking chill though.

Where are you planning on going?

One of my trips has to be just taking trains from country to country. Ive only done a couple of day trips out of Amsterdam and it was so fun.

Amsterdam would be the city I would choose to rent a car and drive in and then leave from in said car. I would strongly advise not driving in Paris. Italy is fun to drive in.

xsanguine wrote:Amsterdam would be the city I would choose to rent a car and drive in and then leave from in said car. I would strongly advise not driving in Paris. Italy is fun to drive in.

I'm pretty fearless driving in big cities but there's no fucking way I'd get behind the wheel in Amsterdam. So many curved streets merging, trams and bikes everywhere. I'll pass.

Why spend 8-10hrs hours on a train for pretty much the same amount of $ ? Seems like a waste. I'd rather be getting fucked up in said Amsterdam.

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:Why spend 8-10hrs hours on a train for pretty much the same amount of $ ? Seems like a waste. I'd rather be getting fucked up in said Amsterdam.

Is this Q for me? Not sure I understand your question. Some time in the next 5 years, I would like travel from city to city by train so I can see the European landscape instead of just the cities I fly into. I also tend to enjoy letting someone else do the driving, so a train seems more fun rather than a rental. However, on a different trip, we are going to rent a car to drive from Rome to the region where my MiL was born even though I'd prefer to take the train.

Here's what I'm trying to do.  Was up a 2 a.m. 2 nights ago watching Nazi Mega Weapons on PBS eating an early breakfast, which in my case is a bowl of ice cream.  Fuck you.  It's what I do. Don't judge me, bro.

Anyways, the show was about Hitler's Eagle Nest built by Borman and it was the only building from Hitler's vacation retreat that survived the War.  Turns out it is now a restaurant .  I was thinking how cool would it be to go there.  

So I go on Google Earth, which is one the great achievements in the history of mankind, and find the place.  Turns out it's fairly close to Salzburg.  And Google Earth has that bed symbol for all the hotels in the area.  

When my kids were young, we watched Sound of Music, which happened to be filmed on site there.  I remember watching the movie thinking to myself Julie Andrews ended up doing a topless scene.  Mary Poppins and the Van Tropp's stepmom actually had nice boobs.  Who knew?

So there's a hotel symbol on the mansion where the movie filmed .  So I clicked on it and you can stay there and then it's just a mile or so into Salzburg itself and probably only a 45 minute ride to small town where you can get tours to the Eagle's Nest.  I figured it would be something like $1,000 a night, but it turns out it's less than $200.  Fuck, I think it would be pretty cool to stay there too.

So the wife last night saw one of the River Cruise ads they're always showing, so we go online and see what they're all about.  Turns out you can get on one in Nuremberg, which really isn't that far from Salzburg, and then float down to Budapest.  Turns out there's also a day trip to Salzburg, but no Eagle's Nest.  

So the plan is to combine the Eagle's Nest with the River Cruise.  It just seems complicated.  Fly to Salzburg.  Have someone take us to where we are staying because i ain't driving.  Fuck that.  Then maybe check what tours of the city they have.  Maybe even catch a concert of a Mozart Piano Concerto while sipping on the best wines because I'm such a high class bastard. Stay at that Hotel and yell the fucking Hills are Alive at the top of my lungs at the mountains - I can't sing for crap, so I'll just yell.  Then find a way to the small town near the Eagle's Nest. Do a bunch of shit there.  Maybe even play golf.  The area where the Nazis had there built all these buildings is now a 9 hole golf course so I'd have to get a tee time.  Take a few extra large divots there because Nazis kinda piss me off.  Eat at Hitler's Hungry's Hefer on top of this mountain and then find a way back to Salzburg.  Plane, Train or Automobile to Nuremberg.  Catch a boat and bob up and down the river like a buoy to Budapest, then fly back to DTW.

It just seems easier to me is tell someone this is what I want to do and let them handle it. Viking Cruises will handle everything,including making flight reservations, if I just do the cruise thing, but to me, I'd be missing out coolest part of the whole trip.  I just would like 1 piece of paper telling me where to be and when.  I'm on vacation and don't like to think much.

Frank? Julie's boobies are saggy by now.

But for old time's sake....




And OMG don't google "Julie Andrews topless".

Frank Ricard wrote:We're in the beginning stages on what we want to see to our first trip to Europe. I've tried just getting the concepts down on where we want to go, where we want to stay and visit. I tried just booking flights online coupled with hotels, but there's so much more we want to do that it just seems quite a bit complicated than booking a flight and hotel when trying to figure out everything, especially since I've never gone overseas before.

Anyone ever been on that River Cruise on the Danube? We might incorporate that into our trip, but we also want to do more than that.

FUCK THAT NEW KITCHEN BITCH!

Frank.  Let me be frank with you. I enjoy exploring Europe at my own pace.  So I rent a car and head out and try to get a feel for the locals. My best trips have always been using that method.  When I plan shit too much I end up needing a vacation from the vacation.

xsanguine wrote:Amsterdam would be the city I would choose to rent a car and drive in and then leave from in said car. I would strongly advise not driving in Paris. Italy is fun to drive in.

It's actually not that bad.  But, yeah once you are in the city, you ditch your car and hit the Metros.

Last summer we flew into London and rented a car.  I had a baptism by fire driving in London.  Drove to our hotel in the middle of downtown.  It was actually fun as shit trying to figure out how to drive a stick on the wrong side and not get lost.  I like a challenge.  Once there though, the car parked for a couple of days.  Then we spent 3 days touring around (Canteburry, Stonehedge, Dover, etc.).  Driving in England is mother fucker. You get used to driving on the opposite side, but the roads are narrow as shit and I don't think there is a straight road in the whole country.

Took the ferry over to France.  Rented another car and drove to Calais/D-Day stuff.  From there we drove to Paris.  Driving in France is a breeze.  Roads and highways are just like the US.  Learn a couple of words and you are good to go.  Paris was surprisingly not bad at all.  Once we got there I tooled around the Champs de Elysse, Arc de Truimph, etc.  Then ditched the car again and used the metro.  

Took the train to Amsterdam.  Walked/boated around Amsterdam and then drove all over Holland the next few days.  Again driving in Amsterdam/Holland is not bad either. Similar to the US and any other big, except there are a million bikes which don't GAF about zooming in and out.

Getting a car and seeing shit outside of the major cities is sweet good.

tGreenWay wrote:

xsanguine wrote:Amsterdam would be the city I would choose to rent a car and drive in and then leave from in said car. I would strongly advise not driving in Paris. Italy is fun to drive in.

I'm pretty fearless driving in big cities but there's no fucking way I'd get behind the wheel in Amsterdam. So many curved streets merging, trams and bikes everywhere. I'll pass.

Forgot about the trams. You definitely need a co-pilot to be watching and a GPS.

Some Euro driving pics.

London.  Let's roll kids...






You basically play a game of chicken on the backroads of England...






Paris...







It's a clusterfuck, you just gotta want it...




Amsterdam/Holland. Need a good spotter...

tGreenWay wrote:

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:Why spend 8-10hrs hours on a train for pretty much the same amount of $ ? Seems like a waste. I'd rather be getting fucked up in said Amsterdam.

Is this Q for me? Not sure I understand your question. Some time in the next 5 years, I would like travel from city to city by train so I can see the European landscape instead of just the cities I fly into. I also tend to enjoy letting someone else do the driving, so a train seems more fun rather than a rental. However, on a different trip, we are going to rent a car to drive from Rome to the region where my MiL was born even though I'd prefer to take the train.

Train from Paris to Amsterdam was ~3hrs.  And it is far more comfy than a plane and it dumps you right downtown.  Take a nap and chill.  Plus you can see the country side zoom by. By the time you add in the hassle of getting to and from the airports, wadding through security, getting their early, etc... it is not bad for shorter jaunts.

You'd be surprised how many people still use travel agents. And I'm not talking old people or idiots. I do advertising for an international hotel/resort chain, and they spend probably 40-50% of their traditional (non-digital) ad budget in trade magazines for travel agents. But that's pretty much all international locations. I think that's where travel agents still come in handy for a lot of people. If you're going to Mexico, Belize, or something, it's hard to know if a place is good from the internet. Anyone can polish a turd and make a few photos look nice, post fake reviews, etc. Travel agents are used FAR less for domestic travel, but they are still a huge source of business for international travel, especially resorts.

I know your original question in the subject line was mostly rhetorical, but figured I'd answer anyway.

I use a travel agent for nearly everything now, much easier and if anything goes wrong I call her or the office's 24 hour line and they fix it.

Left my wallet at home? They call Delta and make it ok.

Flight or hotel issue? Same deal.

Go to a foreign country and she has people there that will get you cuts in line and take you to see cool shit only the locals know about for a few extra bucks.

I thought it was bullshit until I had her book some stuff for me.

Question for Nodick. Do you ever smile?

Tyler Durden wrote:I use a travel agent for nearly everything now, much easier and if anything goes wrong I call her or the office's 24 hour line and they fix it.

Left my wallet at home? They call Delta and make it ok.

Flight or hotel issue? Same deal.

Go to a foreign country and she has people there that will get you cuts in line and take you to see cool shit only the locals know about for a few extra bucks.

I thought it was bullshit until I had her book some stuff for me.

Was she fuckable?

tanfan! wrote:Question for Nodick.  Do you ever smile?

Lol...not sure how you can tell that from the back of my head, but I get called out for it all the time. Smiling is not in my DNA. All business. No fake smiles for pics.

BTW, it's spelled Nordic.  

Nordic wrote:

tanfan! wrote:Question for Nodick.  Do you ever smile?

Lol...not sure how you can tell that from the back of my head, but I get called out for it all the time. Smiling is not in my DNA. All business. No fake smiles for pics.

BTW, it's spelled Nordic.  

Great pics. Don't get me wrong. But the constant scowl scares the shit out of me.

MiamiSpartan wrote:You'd be surprised how many people still use travel agents. And I'm not talking old people or idiots. I do advertising for an international hotel/resort chain, and they spend probably 40-50% of their traditional (non-digital) ad budget in trade magazines for travel agents. But that's pretty much all international locations. I think that's where travel agents still come in handy for a lot of people. If you're going to Mexico, Belize, or something, it's hard to know if a place is good from the internet. Anyone can polish a turd and make a few photos look nice, post fake reviews, etc. Travel agents are used FAR less for domestic travel, but they are still a huge source of business for international travel, especially resorts.

I know your original question in the subject line was mostly rhetorical, but figured I'd answer anyway.

Yeah I could see that. Probably spent wayyyy to many hours looking at hotels pre-trip. But I'm a 'like to do it yourself without a smile' type a guy. But if I ever vaca to Mexico (zero plans to) I could see where a TA would come in handy.

Tyler Durden wrote:I use a travel agent for nearly everything now, much easier and if anything goes wrong I call her or the office's 24 hour line and they fix it.

Left my wallet at home? They call Delta and make it ok.

Flight or hotel issue? Same deal.

Go to a foreign country and she has people there that will get you cuts in line and take you to see cool shit only the locals know about for a few extra bucks.

I thought it was bullshit until I had her book some stuff for me.

Balla'

Where you been hiding?

tanfan! wrote:

Nordic wrote:

Lol...not sure how you can tell that from the back of my head, but I get called out for it all the time. Smiling is not in my DNA. All business. No fake smiles for pics.

BTW, it's spelled Nordic.  

Great pics. Don't get me wrong. But the constant scowl scares the shit out of me.

That is the intent

I'm going to flex during this turn honey, be sure to snap the pic at that exact moment.

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:I'm going to flex during this turn honey, be sure to snap the pic at that exact moment.

Lol, Nordy was stuck in a car all day doing the Clark Griswold bit. Gotta work in the isometrics, bruh.

tanfan! wrote:

Frank Ricard wrote:We're in the beginning stages on what we want to see to our first trip to Europe. I've tried just getting the concepts down on where we want to go, where we want to stay and visit. I tried just booking flights online coupled with hotels, but there's so much more we want to do that it just seems quite a bit complicated than booking a flight and hotel when trying to figure out everything, especially since I've never gone overseas before.

Anyone ever been on that River Cruise on the Danube? We might incorporate that into our trip, but we also want to do more than that.

FUCK THAT NEW KITCHEN BITCH!

Dude, she's getting the kitchen. And I'm still getting the beachfront resort - both this winter.

The European trip is for 2018. This year's summer vacations and travel have already been planned. Starting to look at what I want to do next.

The good news is the wife isn't fighting with me on this. She wants to go too. And she already knows that we'll also do the master bath next winter (2018). And I'll get what I want that summer.

Frank Ricard wrote:Dude, she's getting the kitchen. And I'm still getting the beachfront resort - both this winter.

The European trip is for 2018. This year's summer vacations and travel have already been planned. Starting to look at what I want to do next.

The good news is the wife isn't fighting with me on this. She wants to go too. And she already knows that we'll also do the master bath next winter (2018). And I'll get what I want that summer.

Already planning for Summer Sex night '18.

Nordic wrote:

xsanguine wrote:Amsterdam would be the city I would choose to rent a car and drive in and then leave from in said car. I would strongly advise not driving in Paris. Italy is fun to drive in.

It's actually not that bad.  But, yeah once you are in the city, you ditch your car and hit the Metros.

Last summer we flew into London and rented a car.  I had a baptism by fire driving in London.  Drove to our hotel in the middle of downtown.  It was actually fun as shit trying to figure out how to drive a stick on the wrong side and not get lost.  I like a challenge.  Once there though, the car parked for a couple of days.  Then we spent 3 days touring around (Canteburry, Stonehedge, Dover, etc.).  Driving in England is mother fucker. You get used to driving on the opposite side, but the roads are narrow as shit and I don't think there is a straight road in the whole country.

Took the ferry over to France.  Rented another car and drove to Calais/D-Day stuff.  From there we drove to Paris.  Driving in France is a breeze.  Roads and highways are just like the US.  Learn a couple of words and you are good to go.  Paris was surprisingly not bad at all.  Once we got there I tooled around the Champs de Elysse, Arc de Truimph, etc.  Then ditched the car again and used the metro.  

Took the train to Amsterdam.  Walked/boated around Amsterdam and then drove all over Holland the next few days.  Again driving in Amsterdam/Holland is not bad either. Similar to the US and any other big, except there are a million bikes which don't GAF about zooming in and out.

Getting a car and seeing shit outside of the major cities is sweet good.

A buddy of mine took his wife for their 25th anniversary to England. He drove. Said she was damn near in tears every time they had to drive around. So I was thinking I'd save myself the hassle.

So I go to my doctor's today for a check up. His family came from the Salzburg area and still goes back there as often as he can. His old man and Uncle were actually Nazis - his Uncle till the day he died had a picture of Hitler in their house.

So while he was probing around in various orifices, we were making small talk about traveling and I told him I didn't want to drive when I go there. He said what you said - it's not bad in the area where I'm going.

Driving actually would solve the small but important details of how to get from one spot to another whenever I want.

He said what you've been saying. Driving on the continent isn't that bad at all and after seeing your pics, I probably will go that route.

Great pics! If I can ever figure how to post pictures here, I'll post a few here after we get back.

LooseGoose wrote:

Frank Ricard wrote:Dude, she's getting the kitchen. And I'm still getting the beachfront resort - both this winter.

The European trip is for 2018. This year's summer vacations and travel have already been planned. Starting to look at what I want to do next.

The good news is the wife isn't fighting with me on this. She wants to go too. And she already knows that we'll also do the master bath next winter (2018). And I'll get what I want that summer.

Already planning for Summer Sex night '18.

Yeah, the shit I have to go through just for that one night