But then,I have always said this here at this site.Not only that,a travel agency employs local people and pays taxes into the economy.

http://www.tampabay.com/features/consumer/travel-agents-can-often-snag-better-deals-than-online-sites/1238548

We used the same travel agent during the past 9 or so years.  She had a very good "feel" for what we wanted - for example, she knew that we wanted a reasonably intimate atmosphere and probably wouldn't have been happy at a resort that had 1000 rooms.

Another aspect - if there's some major catastrophe such as a natural disaster, or an airline declaring bankruptcy - if you have a travel agent, he/she is likely to go-to-bat for you to get you home.  If you've booked online, you could have a lot less recourse.  Of course you'll get your money back eventually but it could entail a lot more red-tape.

Even our flights on points are done through the bank's travel agency.  We've had the same local agent for over 20 years and wouldn't take a trip without her.

for almost 20 years, except for the flight portion of our trip to Asia, and that was only because we needed to coordinate our flights from Hong Kong to Tokyo and from Tokyo home with my DH's flights, and the first part of his trip was business, and his flights were booked through that agent. I booked our accommodations and made all our other arrangements, though. It worked out beautifully. In fact, the last time DH went to Asia on business, he didn't like the choices of accommodation the agent was offering, so I found him a place, and it was perfect for his needs.

The one time I did have a problem, during the BA strike, when one leg of our trip to Paris and London got cancelled, Travelocity, which I'd used to book the flights, did make an effort on my behalf to get the flight rescheduled, and, when that wasn't possible, to get compensation for our tickets on the Eurostar. It took a while, but we did end up being compensated handsomely by the airlines--probably more through my own efforts. I very much doubt a travel agent could have done any better under the particular circumstances of this situation.

In fact, the last time I did use a travel agent, we had booked a rental car and carseats for our children (aged 4 and 1), and it turned out that the rental agency had no carseats for us! The agent wasn't able to miraculously produce carseats for us from a distance, and we ended up having to buy some from a nearby store. So much for using an agent.

I can understand why some people like to use an agent, especially if they are travelling someplace that's really unfamiliar to them. However, I love to research and plan. It adds to the enjoyment of travelling for me.

I don't think any agent is going to spend the amount of time I like to spend researching a trip. And I don't think any agent is going to find the wonderful accommodations I've found--a B&B on an antique yacht moored in a harbour; the Mother Superior's suite in a convent converted to an inn; a casita in a compound owned by a local artist; a top-floor, 2 bedroom apartment in the very centre of Isle St. Louis, 2 blocks from the Left Bank and 2 blocks from the Right Bank; the top floor of a house, sharing the pool and hot tub only with the owners, etc., etc.  And most of these for far less than the cost of an ordinary hotel room, and often minus the hotel taxes, too.

It makes no difference to me if some people prefer to use travel agents, but they aren't necessarily the best option for everyone.

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I agree, it's very hard to get a travel agent to give advice about off-the-beaten-track types of places, unless you go to an agency that specializes in a certain type of travel or a certain area.  I think travel agents are good for people who haven't traveled much, or are interested in all-inclusive packages or cruises or similar package vacations. 

I've used an agent to co-ordinate flights when I've tried to get various connections for different dates and different locations.  Then, they usually ask what price I came up with.  In the 'old days' they did get the agent's discount which was passed on to the passengers for a regular flight, but I find they don't do that now; I think they don't get it, or they charge the customer.  The odd time I've come into issues with delays, the air line has dealt with it, and twice that I recall the airline put us up in a hotel overnight.  I also enjoy the research part and finding off-the-track types of locations and places to stay.

use a travel agent. My husband has travelled extensively for the last 25 years so he's an expert at booking. We usually do a lot of on-line research & find better deals ourselves, it's also helpful that my husband has points/club cards for many hotel chains. He also accumulates a lot of airline points which gives discounts or free flights. He also books his own business travel now, event though his company has an agent he finds better deals.

for flights, hotels & car rentals.  I had 3 years of summer jobs booking hotels for CAA way back when - so I had some insights for later on when dh & I travel.  I also found I could book our own flights simply by phoning (before internet days) airlines and getting the info from them for schedules etc. Back in those days, I'd get the flights confirmed - all the details, then go to a travel agent to pay (cash/cheque/debit) so we'd have the tickets in hand when we arrived at airport as we've only used credit card ourselves for about past 13 years.  Now, I save airmiles/points and choose flights accordingly.  When it comes to hotels I research through internet sites - ie travelocity, hotels.com, CAA, the chains themselves etc - to compare prices and accomodations to book when we need one.  Dh & I haven't travelled to exotic destinations/vacation all inclusives at all - maybe if/when that time comes I'd depend more on an agent with a lot more knowledge on destinations & foreign travel.