Portland travel agent

Can anyone suggest a good travel agent in Portland, OR? My husband and I are planning a multi-country trip and we don%26#39;t feel up to making all of the arrangements ourselves. Thanks in advance!

Portland travel agent

We have not used a travel agent in years, so can%26#39;t help with that. But we have done the multi-country trips, and quite a few posters here have traveled extensively, so you might want to take a stab at it. Its pretty easy to do, if you decide.

Portland travel agent

Most successful agencies specialize by geography, mode (cruise or rail), or reason (business vs. pleasure). So you should be able to at least narrow down the choices. Where are you going? I%26#39;ve a friend in the biz who could maybe help.

We either want to hit Spain, France and Italy ... or Argentina, Chile and Peru. We%26#39;ve traveled abroad before but never to more than one country at a time. Any advice about good travel agents or DIY options would be much appreciated.

If you want to try DIY, start with some good guidebooks. Go to a library or bookstore and check out the various ones to see which is a good fit for you. I really like Frommers and Rick Steves. I use several because there are parts that I really like out of each, for example RS has great info on what are must see%26#39;s although I don%26#39;t care for his dining tips.

Then read and ask questions on the various travel boards. Quite a few of us Oregonians can help, but your best bet would be to post on the appropriate forum for each country. That way you will get help from the locals as well. Fodors has a great forum for advice just like here. Frommer%26#39;s has one, but it is pretty dead.

These forums also have specific airline forums, which will give you tons of help for figuring out the best routes. Another forum just for that is www.flyertalk.com.

Be sure to think about how much time you have total, and your budget, as that will lay the groundwork for everything else. Oh, and the time of year can be important too, especially when it comes to budget.

Good luck and if you want any advice from those of us here who have traveled to those places, just ask:)

I have been researching such a trip; I started with the tour operators online, like the ones at vacationstogo.com, affordabletours.com and the like. That gave me a sense of the price and time involved in travel. Some of them offer trips for independent travelers who want a minimum of services like hotels, transfers and transportation. I also looked at the cruise lines cause there are some great cruises available in S.A. I then use Trip Advisor and guidebooks to plot out the must see stuff I want not to miss, and then I do a little research on what would be available if I booked tours in the country. (Just search the countries tourism sites) With all the help online it is quick to do a little research and then decide which way is best to go. I have found a lot of value in going on tours, and enjoyed trips I do on my own. Also don%26#39;t forget the airlines packages; like LANChile; they do some good trips in S.A. with in country airfare bundled. If I had to use a travel agent I would make sure I was armed with my information. Frankly I have found that I only have used one agent in the last 10 years and I found her through tours that she does herself. The internet makes it much easier to control the trip and do it yourself.