Vacation, use a travel agent or do it yourself?

[lyman]

Question for the world travelers here

in 2026 the wife and I will celebrate 40 yrs of Wedded Bliss,

we ventured out to the UK, London specifically, in 2008
and want to do a redo, or sorts

then it was all booked thru AAA, mostly all inclusive ( as in we were basically delivered to the hotel and picked up for any scheduled ventures and some tours, we were on our own a good part of the time, and only breakfast was covered (and a damn fine one at that)



we are thinking hitting Scotland, and maybe Ireland, maybe flying into London for a day or so as well,

not worked it all out as far as what we want to see or see again,


so, question is, for you jetset vacationers, do you book your own, or go thru a service?


and any details on what / when etc to do (related to bookings etc ) and of course, not to do's


thx

[Allen]

Good places to go to. If I were to take a trip overseas and had a choice that's where I would want to go.

AAA. Not worth drinking over.

Using an agent would be simpler but don't they set you up with tour groups? If so, you see the tourist traps and not get a chance to explore much on your own. Since the UK language will be the same (mostly) no need to study basic foreign words. Once there you may want to consider traveling by taxi since everyone drives on the wrong side of the road. But, you've been there before so..... Some tours would be wanted no doubt but you don't want to be herded like cattle.

I would at least consult with the travel agents to see what they offer. Might be some $ discount available. They may have good advice on what areas to stay out of, how and where to exchange currency, what places don't take CC's, and answer questions. Things may be different too from the last time you went there.

[Oyaji]

Uncle Sam arranged for all my overseas travel during the twenty years I was in the service. That was enough for me. Been all through the Pacific, north and southeast Asia, and places in Indian-subcontinent and eastern Africa most people have never even heard of. Now days if I can't get there by driving my own vehicle and booking a stay at Motel 6, I ain't going. Ain't no place like home........

[Johnny P]

Friends did the tour thing, and at times had to have their luggage ready and outside their door about the time you would like to be getting up.

[Phloating Phlasher]

I'd go with a GOOD travel agent.
Id find if they were good with checking references & reviews.
I traveled a lot a while back both internationally & within the U.S.
We had a corporate travel agent & they were both really good.
If you're looking for England, Ireland (both of them) Scotland & Wales I can ask a few friends from there who have done this locally who they'd suggest.
Flying into London can be a bit "interesting" for starters. A couple of London's Airports, like Stanstead, are miles from London for example.

Stanstead airport.jpg

[JB White]

I’m not the world traveler but my GF is. Especially her daughter who filled her passport before her 23rd birthday. Certain trips they book their own if they have been there recently. I would recommend you at least consult a GOOD travel agent as already mentioned.
A lot of variance in tour packages. If you prefer to roam on your own, the TA can arrange flights by price, interconnect flights without lengthy layovers, assist with accommodations, and arrange rental cars etc.
Heed all warnings in regard to safety. Heed all warnings in regard to safety.

Double check recommendations. Unless you want to accidentally spend your first night in a French speaking roadside whorehouse? Hey, it was listed with a four star rating! WTF ��

As an aside, my nephew works travel. Even he consults others before going off to India, SE Asia etc.

[Phloating Phlasher]

Double check recommendations. Unless you want to accidentally spend your first night in a French speaking roadside whorehouse? Hey, it was listed with a four star rating! WTF

Er, umm yes.
I spent 10 days chasing a balky ship all over the Caribbean, it kept breaking down towed repaired & sailing off, only to break down again & repeating.
If you know you know.
If you have a receipt I'll bet money its No2! I had to buy a book of receipts & got No1.
My dubious claim to fame is getting a U.K. Tax Refund for the night as a business expense!


black angus.jpg

[Mark in Ottawa]

The advantage of using a travel agent is that they usually specialize in one area and are personally familiar with it and if problems arise they can usually solve them better than you can yourself. That is particularly true if you are going to someplace "exotic" such as Asia. If you enjoy researching travel destinations you can do it yourself but it is often easier to just take advantage of the agent's knowledge. For what its worth, when we went to Ireland we had an agent book a one week bus tour around both north and south and that worked out very well. On the other hand, when we were in London, my wife booked the hotel herself since it was a simple, one off transaction.

[Allen]

If you're planning to see Stonehenge it may have changed a little.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DewEKz9TzmM

[JB White]

If you're planning to see Stonehenge it may have changed a little.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DewEKz9TzmM

Oh, they have fixed it since then. Back to the way when the Druids were using it.
Decorated with urban murals and a McDonalds inside.