Trip planning - all on your own, travel agency, ???

I'm wondering what everyone else does for trip planning, such as purchasing plane tickets, hotel stays, tour groups, etc.

Do you do it on your own? If so, what resources/sites/etc. do you recommend?

Do you go through some kind of travel agency?

Something else?

Is there anything out there for trip planning that has a focus on a photographer audience (professional or amateur)?

Thanks!

If I am going with family/friends, then I will usually go the route of a travel agency or planned trip.

If I am travelling alone, then I do everything individually and leave myself the freedom to just make things up as I go along...

If you are going specifically for photography then I would suggest you do it yourself and spend time talking to (and shooting) locals to find out where you really need to go. You can discover some amazing and unexpected things that way - even get advice on countries and places that you never thought you would visit (that was how I decided to go to Croatia)...

I haven't been to an actual travel agent myself... I've always booked my own flights and accommodations and created my own itineraries via any travel website with the best deal.

My usual site is Expedia, but I've also seen nice prices on Red Tag and SelloffVacations.com. Air Transat also has great deals on flights to Europe. Keep in mind that there are a ton of discount airlines out there and comparison sites.

Sperlock, i travel a ton... i've always used my travel agent... but conditionally.

pro's to using a travel agent...
1) it's all about relationship... once you build a good relationship with any vendor, and they know you... service is better... even at the added cost. but then again, i travel a ton... and for less frequent flyers... this may not be the case.

2) when i have to alter my trip itinerary, i e-mail my agent and she takes care if it ASAP... even though she is in NJ and i am in China, she takes care of it. that's the relationship we've built.

3) she knows all my frequent flyer numbers and she knows my flying style... and knows better than to give me 1 hour transit time in Paris CDG or for that matter, ANY/ALL european airports...

but the condition is this.

i search for flights and i find the rates myself.
if i find the rate i'm happy with, i send her a copy of the link and she comes back with me with her "fee" and normally, i can live with that too in exchange for "service".

as for hotels/lodging... it's up to you.
hotel.com is fine, so is travelocity and whatnot... but be careful.. some cheaper lodging and tickets are locked in a package deal and any/all change will cost you a fortune.

if you're traveling to europe, think about serviced apartments... there are many out there and much cheaper than hotels.

i stay in paris 1 br apartment for about 700~1100 euros for a week... including internet...
of course, there are cheaper hotels... but they are cheaper...

my suggestion is, countersource them...

1) go to www.kayak.com and find air fare rates.
2) check expedia or travelocity and check rates
3) check the hotel/apartment/lodgin​g rates
4) countersource with the travel agent.

as for tour groups... personally, i was never big on them... i go out by myself and experience it out with liberty... and no red umbrella to follow... lol...

I tend do most of my own travel planning except where there are complicated air connections. Usually we travel to UK/Europe about once every 12-18 months and we'll just check out the flight prices on the airline websites, travel websites etc.

For travel in Asia which is more common (a few times a year the last couple of years) I usually do everything through the internet checking out the hotels or apartments on something like trip advisor before booking. I second what kinghong said about apartments, much better value than hotels. During our trip to Europe last year we booked apartments in Florence, Rome and Prague over the internet and they were all excellent - with 5 of us, we'd need two hotel rooms so an apartment is a no brainer. But its also nice to come back to a place which is a bit homely after a long day. Generally these cost us about 100 Euros a night, which for a family of 5 isn't too bad.

We stay clear of tour groups preferring to make our own way. With a decent guide book and some pre-trip planning, it's pretty easy to sort out itineraries yourself. With a tour group you invariably end up racing through a set piece of tourist sights at lightning speed. Better to do things at your own pace (especially if you're travelling with a family and a camera).

I do all my own planning. Haven't used a travel agent in years. Kayak.com for airfares and travelocity or expedia for hotels. I check for reviews on tripadvisor if I haven't stayed at a hotel before.

Only time I used a travel agent was when booking my honeymoon, and that was a waste. I could have done a better job by myself.

I would probably only use a travel agent if a trip involved multiple flight changes in a third world country. My wife and I planned a 10-day trip of Switzerland on our own. We did a lot of research on tripadvisor.com and other travel blogs.

How do you find the apartments for trips to Europe? I want to visit Austria and would love to stay in apartments rather than hotels.

just use the internet to scope out places / apartments to rent out. do the research on flights and buy it all yourself.

just be wary of some issues, like travel insurance is essential.

Also when booking flights and you need a "stopover", if you book your flights continuously (even with an allowed stopover at a certain place) with one airline and your flight is cancelled you can get a full refund via your insurance. If you book differing airlines, and one airline cancels your flight, you only get a refund for that flight, not for the rest of the trip...

also, if you book via a travel agent and your whole trip is cancelled, you can get a full refund, as per the "trip" is insured, as opposed to the "separates". So there are pluses for using a travel agent, but i have not used one in a long, long time.

Through the years I've found making my own plans works out best all around. In the past I've even compared my plans with Travel agent plans and preferred mine. **There are advantages using a travel agent because many of them have been to the locations and can provide good information. But if you are good at using the Internet the information is there to do it yourself.

Also, I make a habit of providing reviews on sites such as TripAdvisor. The info there has helped me so I return the favor in hope of helping others.

This is an observation I have made with regard to using sites such as Expedia, Hotel.com, etc... Many, many times when researching a trip I have found less than desirable reviews from folks that booked their hotel/resort accommodations with one of these organizations. They often get the less desirable rooms and then write negative reviews about the hotel/resort. I have a tendency to look past those reviews that booked with hotels.com, etc...because I've had great experiences at the facility and saw the rooms they were getting. Some of those websites don't tell you the EXACT room you will be staying in. You find out when you get there. They may have made a good deal but do not end up happy about the experience. This is not true 100% of the time but often enough I won't use them.

Below you will find a website. I haven't visited it for a while but may provide some good info for you. He is also a member of POTN.

http://boardingarea.co​m/blogs/flyingwithfish​/

For myself. I use a travel agent. Just because everytime I go on vacation Im going to multiple stops and places.
I always use Kayak.com to find cheap flights. Once I find a flight thats at a really good price. My travel agent would price match it.

In the past I have used a travel agent, but not anymore as the one i used retired and now a days it doesnt save any money. The travel agent i had was a family friend who when they retired passed along the tricks of the trade and how/where to look on IATA and others to find the lowest prices on air/train tickets, rental cars, hotels, etc. I book and manage my own travel but I also do some planning and arrangements for some friends and family but that is it as I have to many other things going on.

Considering between work and personal trips I do a fair amount of traveling (50K-150K air, 25-75K land, and water (variable distances)), and have for the better part of 15+ years (lots of Butt in Seat time/miles, and tons of stamps in the passport).

So over time i have learned alot of the ins and outs of the different loyalty programs that i have status in (which really helps with things go wrong) as well as keep a eye on other programs to see if they would meet my needs. Alot of people dont think about the points and miles side of things but over the years that has been a nice perk along with the program elite status as i have used those points and miles for tickets/rental cars/hotel rooms that would have cost tens of thousands of dollars if it was out of pocket. For example NYC - Sydney in first class with the routing of JFK-LAX on American LAX-SYD on Qantas, then SYD-HKG-JFK on cathay pacific, retail on that ticket is almost $35K but was only 145K miles. Then on the hotel side of things i have used points at hotels in europe and far east that cheapest room is $750+ a night but were only 25K points a night. Theres alot more to it but thats a subject for a different thread.

as for planning alot of the time if im going somewhere just to photograph or adding on days to shoot i will contact people in the area i know as well as look online for items of interest or vantage points. I also use google earth and a few gps programs to get fixes on locations. I also keep extensive notes on places i have visited in the past as well as information i have heard form others i have worked with or know. Even with the trips that are planned extensively I always have a camera on me just incase i see something that grabs my attention as I have had a couple of portfolio images come from having a camera on me and being at the right place and time.

as for traveling and photography if your looking for travel tips i would suggest Steven Frischling and his blog Flying with Fish http://boardingarea.co​m/blogs/flyingwithfish​/ This blog is a good resource for packing as well as traveling tips with camera gear. I travel alot but steve has me beaten hands down as I used to do assignments like that but not anymore. I picked up alot of tips from steve, but i have also adapted a system where between a std 22" rollaboard and a backpack I can go for 2 weeks and shoot anywhere (outdoors in natural light / long exposure to studio conditions - including, tripod, lightstands, speedlites, pocketwizards, modifers, etc) as well as clothes and still have room to bring home a few things. The set up isnt light but I know how to make it look like it weighs nothing.

YMMV and IMHO