Being Your Own Travel Agent

In the past year, I have learned a lot about booking discount hotels and flights from my home. It takes time to find the best deals and to secure them.  I recently have been planning a cruise on NCL from Barcelona Spain, to Rome, Italy. I chose this cruise because at four nights, it is more affordable than the longer cruises. I love the ship, the shows look fantastic, and I can't wait to see Naples and the Amalfi Coast.  I got a reduced fare as a friend of one of the VIP's at NCL. He's gotten me hooked on cruising. I save all year for the big splurge.

Initially, it was fun to search for hotels and flights. When I got down to the actual booking, I was surprised to find that my first choice of hotel was already fully booked. It only has nineteen rooms.  I love historical hotels with charm and character. I continued to search, and found another gorgeous place for an even better price: $120.00 for the night. It's in a beautiful and safe area, and there is a shuttle that drops you off from the airport, right near the door. I decided to book my flight two nights before my cruise, so that I won't be worried about missing the ship. The first night I will be in the air.

A friend of mine booked a trip a few years ago cruising with Disney. When I asked her how her cruise had gone, she answered, "Terrible. We spent the whole time chasing the ship!" Ugh. Nobody wants that to happen on their vacation. It's stressful and upsetting. I learned when traveling with Broadway shows to allow several hours of extra time to get to and from the airport. You never know what will happen. One time one of our cast members forgot his passport, and we had to turn the bus around and drive back to his apartment! This was in New York City, and I will never forget it. Because our company manager had allowed so much extra time, we still made our flight to Vienna. 

For this trip, I have a nonstop flight, which I love. I locked in a one way ticket at $300.00. I was very pleased with the price. I plan to sleep on the plane, and will wake up in Spain. Some people stay in a hotel for two nights before their cruise. That way they can rest, recover from jet lag, and have a leisurely time boarding.

This morning, while looking at return flights, I started to run into trouble. I called up a travel agent and she went through a few difference options with me.  I thought it would be nice to take a train to Venice, and then fly home from Milan. When she started quoting me the airfares home, (some of them $2,000.00-$3,000.00!) It didn't matter that I was booking several months in advance. I became  extremely nervous. It was starting to sound very complicated, expensive, and risky. I explained to her that I was worried that I might get delayed, and that I hadn't  realized how much more expensive one way flights back to LA were from other European countries.  Round trip from LA to Barcelona can be $500.00. I didn't realize that Rome port would make such a difference.

I asked her if there was any simpler way, and she suggested calling NCL. They can arrange your flight and transportation from the pier to the airport for you. This gave me a huge sense of relief. The flights are more expensive, but I felt safer and much more relaxed about letting them handle the return trip. I ran all of the numbers, and I was still within my budget. My flight home with them will cost $667.00. I will be with a group from the cruise traveling to the airport from the port. It feels safe and secure.

There are many hidden costs with travel. In my case, I board my dog, take a bus, train, and flyaway bus to and from the airport. I like to plan trips eight months to a year in advance, so that I can enjoy looking forward to the trip, and secure the flights and hotels. Do you book your own travel plans, or use a travel agent?     

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