If you think on taking a vacation that requires any sort of wide planning, such as out of the country or even to a popular destination in a different states, it is probably going to be necessary for you to enlist the services of a travel agency.
Try to find out which travel agency you are considering is helpful with.
Agencies with more extensive (think global) affiliations are more likely to be able to get you lower prices and added favors for your vacations. Keep in mind, however, that just because they are affiliated with a large group does not mean that the agency itself has to be bigger. Common knowledge would suggest that the bigger the agency, the easier it is to negotiate lower prices.
Atlast, ask for references from the agency of both clients and dealers.
Clients of course, are people like yourself who have used the agencys services to visit on vacations earlier. Dealers are the people with whom the agency deals in order to purchase items such as hotel rooms and airline tickets, and will often have a clearer thought of how the agency operates and where or not they can do all that they claim as far as cost cutting and favours.
Eros...