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Originally Posted by boneprone
Mike smoke,
Also what is frustrating here is that Ive called maybe 4 agents thus far..
And only this one really has the passion and knowledge of the area.. It sucks that only this one agent knows.. Well they all claim to know, but this gal really knows her shit, and seems to be able to mind read all that we are intrested in.. Pretty impressive. Kinda like that perfect real esate agent who knows what kinda house you are looking to buy and unlike the others just knows.. Its strange..
I wish I could find another agent just to compare with. But like I said, even with American Express servies, they seem so robotic and dont really know much about the areas other than what they read..
She seems to know quite a bit. Its the only reason we like her thus far.
But not sure if she is the cheapest.. I have this feeling in the back of mind we are paying too much.. Yet im scared to take a risk and cut corners to save a few bucks and try to wing some of the trip..
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yep, that sounds exactly right - the number of people who actually know what they're doing and have the knowledge they claim to have is really small...and finding one who is in tune with you is pretty rare. my best suggestion would be to look in whatever big city you're closest to (don't know where you are, but I'm talking NY/LA/Chicago big city) and try to find an agency that specializes in asian travel - not to necessarily book through them, but to window-shop with them both in terms of itinerary and in terms of price. that'll give you at least an idea of whether the agent you've found is in the ballpark in terms of price - and if she's anywhere close, i'd go with her. my approach is that when you're spending a few bucks on a trip, it's no big deal --- when you're spending a ton on a trip that you're probably never going to take again, it's not worth fucking up. as for winging some of the trip, a lot obviously depends on the type of traveller that you are and where you're going - but again, my approach is when you're going somewhere that you probably won't see again, you'll never recover the lost day or two that you inevitably have to count on when you're winging it - the time you spend searching for a hotel or a flight could be spent seeing one of those sights you'll wish you'd seen the rest of your life.