Using a travel agent? - trip to BC

[Julie Andrews]

Is it better to use a travel agent or to book a trip myself.
We're thinking of going to BC (from Toronto) but it would be sometime early next year.
Should we use a travel agent or not?

[travelgeek]

If it's just a domestic flight that you're looking at, then you are better off booking it online yourself. The price won't be any better at a travel agent, plus agents usually levy a booking fee ($15-40/ticket).

AC frequently has websaver deals that are posted on their site. For travel 'early next year', sales usually appear around Nov-Dec.

[Julie Andrews]

Thanks travelgeek!!!

[Calienta]

Yeah if you're booking a domestic flight, all on one airline with published connections (not a put-together-yourself deal) ... do it yourself. If you're booking hotels and whatnot, go through an agent because they can frequently find way better deals just through their memberships with the different chains. For example, CAA has a lot of contacts and can get great prices.

If you have any other questions let me know, as I am a qualified travel agent

[Julie Andrews]

Thanks Calienta!
We're planning on staying in a hotel- hopefully something that is close to the touristy areas. We want to go to the Aquarium and whale watching. We're also planning on checking out the Chinese Gardens and Science World.
I have no clue how far those places are from each other- but hopefully it can all be done in 1 week in April.

[travelgeek]

Ah, Vancouver It's a non-stop from Toronto, so it is definitely a straightforward flight to book yourself.

All of those attractions are located downtown, except I'm not too sure about whale watching.... I did that from the Vancouver Island. The farthest distance will be from the Aquarium (Stanley Park) to Science World (approx 10-15mins by car). You'll want to include Granville Island and Gastown as well. Any hotel downtown will put you in proximity. I would definitely avoid staying near the Hastings St. area.

[Julie Andrews]

Cool, Thanks Travelgeek!

Have you ever used their smartvisit card or the vancouver entertainment book?

[travelgeek]

I haven't used either. I've heard that the entertainment book contains many good 2 for 1 attraction and restaurant coupons, but they're not much of use to me as I travel solo most of the time. As far as the value of smartvisit card is concerned, it's really a YMMV. You would have to design an itinerary with the attractions that you want to visit for 2/3/5 days (whichever one you want to buy), then add up the costs to see whether or not the card is a better deal.

[Julie Andrews]

Traveling alone was so much easier... I'd literally book a flight and then figure out where I was going or what I was doing. Now, I have to plan every little detail because of Baby J. Hubby will be with me, so we'll probably be able to make use of some of those 2 for 1 deals.

The scary part of this trip - which is probably why we're looking into planning so far in advance is that baby J has autism and he's never been on a plane before. He'll be happy as long as he's able to stay in his car seat.