Is it better to go through a website for travel or an actual travel agent to schedule a trip to Brazil?
Asked by
jcknight (
79
)
September 23rd, 2007
from iPhone
I want to go to Brazil for my spring break this year, so being cautious I decided to check out some prices through Orbitz and Priceline. Now I’m probably gonna go with 5–10 people so its a decent sized group and for a week prices were ranging from $2,000 to $3,500 per person. I’m not to particular or where I stay in Brazil as long as if I wanna see a major city attraction or the beach, it doesn’t take longer then an hour to get there. So would doing the online sites be better, or should I see if a local agent can help us out. If anybody has been to Brazil by the way, any tips or things to consider would be really helpful.
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3 Answers
For international travel, I have found that it is much cheaper to book online (my preference is Expedia). Expedia offers great vacation packages that save you a lot of money, plus you are able to read reviews on any excursions or hotels. Travel agents tend to charge quite a bit of money, and you aren’t getting a wide view of what the place is like from a variety of sources.
http://www.braziltravelvacation.com/
http://www.vivatravelguides.com/south-america/brazil/
http://travel.newjerseybrazil.com/
http://www.travelportal.info/latin-america/brazil
Look for travel agents that are accredited like the logos on the bottom of this one
http://www.discoverbrazil.com/destinations/brazil/about-brazil/
I would suggest a travel agent. The max it would cost is $50 in fees i would guess. OR if you have an AAA membership it is even cheaper. It will be money WELL spent!
The beauty of using travel agents is if you have any problems you can call them up and they can try to help you out (like rebooking flights is a REALLY good thing). They can tell you about SHOTS you need too as a lot of cities have problems with clean water and the LAST thing you want is to be sick! Also remember travellers insurance too for medical emergencies.
Travel agents also can look up current conditions (i.e. is there renovations going on). I always pay for travel agents and am always happy. I have heard such horror stories from web based travel, myself for a trip as important as that I would not chance it. Travel agents are REALLY good for international travel that involves changing planes too as they know a lot about airports/wait times etc.
I think the answer to this travel question depends a little bit on your travel style. If you are an experienced international traveler and a very independent traveler, then have it and book yourself. Many times, though, I have found the fees for a travel agent are well worth it. A good travel agent can fit the travel to your preferences. Travel agents have a lot of inside information on destinations. If they recommend an experience or place, they have usually been there. It is not even always more expensive if you consider that your time is money too. I like these guys: http://www.boomvoyage.com/p/p.aspx?mlid=49. They have a lot of South American know how, and they are a certified green business.
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