Through travel agency or backpacking?
By lovesummer
@lovesummer (1162)
Malaysia
January 27, 2009 4:30pm CST
I prefer to backpack instead of following the schedules of the travel agency. I like to arrange my trip my myself. Usually I make plans what to do and where to go, what to see of the place research before I my flight. I plan everything before hand. I use lots of sources like lonely planets and get information from the couchsurfing members as well. also get the map from the google earth. I just think it is more interesting to do it yourself. more fun than the complete arrangement by travel agency. also I use budget flights.
How about you?
2 people like this
5 responses
@smurfuk76 (360)
•
30 Jan 09
My friend and me book a Euro rail ticket that let us travel all over Europe for 1 month by rail. We would jump on the 1st train to leave the station and get off at the last place on the line and find a camping site. Then spend a couple of days there then do the same again.
Pure blind luck as to where we ended up.
@smurfuk76 (360)
•
30 Jan 09
We have ended up in some very strange places. We did get to Paris at 2100 and guess what there are no campsites in Paris center lol. We just jumped back on an overnight train to Holland and slept on the train. Very sore the next day lol
@newzealtralian (3930)
• Australia
1 Feb 09
I think a travel agent would have a hard time organising anything for my family. With 2 adults and 5 kids, we require family accomodations without bunks (our kids are too young for bunk beds) but all in the one unit. We also require a lot of space, so buses and trains aren't exactly great ways to travel for us, neither are planes.
I reckon it is going to be a while before we get to have a decent holiday. Need at least 3 of our kids to move out of home first, which isn't going to happen for about another 10 years.
@brew2x (3094)
• Philippines
30 Jan 09
Well it depends on whom I'm traveling with. If I'm with my mother then we will definitely follow the schedules of a travel agency, it is more expensive but it is okay since she usually shoulder most of the fees if not all. If it is me alone or if with my friends then I will choose backpacking. It will save a lot of money and it will be more thrilling =)
@Porcospino (31365)
• Denmark
28 Jan 09
I prefer backpacking and I like to plan my own trip. I think it is a little boring if everything is arranged for me, I want the pleasure and the challenge of arranging things on my own. When I plan my own trip I can do exactly what I want and follow my own ideas. I always read about a country before I go there and I also try to learn some of the language so that I know some of the basic expressions and some of the common signs.
@LaurenInLA (2270)
• United States
27 Jan 09
I don't usually backpack although DH and I are planning a year long trip through Europe and we plan to backpack. I never use a travel agency or take a tour. I prefer to plan a trip myself. DH and I usually fly somewhere rent a car and hit the road. If we like a place we stop and spend a night or two. I research the places that we're going and we have a general idea of where we're going and I mapquest all of our directions. It's so much more adventurous and so much more fun to do it this way. We've traveled the Oregon coast, the Washington coast, Vancouver Island, British Columbia and the New England coast exactly this way. Our best tips have come from the locals that we would never have met on a structured tour.
