Airfare...book myself or use travel agent?

No advantage to using an agent except the cost of your time. They have access to the same exact reservation system as you would online. Are you familiar with comparison sites like Kayak, Google Flights, etc? There is an advantage to using those to see side-by-side comparisons instead of looking up each airline individually. However, some budget airlines (if available from your airport) are well worth looking into and may not show up in the comparison site searches. Booking fares efficiently does require skill and practice (and months of tracking a fare over time to see the range of prices), but you'll reap all the rewards if you take it on yourself. To get the best fare, you'll have to be flexible with dates, flight itineraries, amenities and fare classes (basic to luxury), airlines used, and even airports used. Flying to Venice may not be cost effective compared to a round-trip to Rome.

It costs more to have an agent do these things -- airlines no longer pay agent fees. I don't see an advantage.

The places you are flying to are fairly straightforward so I'd do it yourself. Even if open jaw - in to Venice and out of Rome - is a bit more expensive than a R/T to Rome, I'd still come in to Venice. It's so much easier for me to get to where I am going to begin with! To me this is especially important for first time travelers.

Are their any international flights from St. Louis? I travel from a small airport in the back of beyond so always have to fly to a hub. One of my convenient hubs is Salt Lake City and from there I can get a non-stop to Amsterdam, Paris or London. If I have to transit to another location from there I'll pick Amsterdam as my landing point as to me it's an easier airport for a novice to travel thru.

I like to allow myself 3 hours transit time in an international airport although that is more than generous for Amsterdam. For a US airport I'd want at least a 2 hour transit time when leaving, 3 hours when coming back thru Immigration. They start boarding International flights about an hour before departure time so I want to be at that hub well before that and with some flex time!

Thanks, all. I have been looking on google flights and skyscanner. Just found a great rate on skyscanner for only $1565 for the two of us, but makes me nervous when it routes you to another booking site. It was with Iberia (operated by AA), but when I go directly to Iberia, it is more expensive! I thought that was odd since I thought booking directly with the airlines was best.

I realize that an open jaw trip is more expensive, but we will be staying with family north of Venice, then going to Tuscany, Cinque Terre, and Rome before returning. I suppose I could look at round-trip from one location but that would entail having to take the train back to the original arrival city.

I don't think St. Louis has any direct flights to Europe, even though it is an international airport, or at least my travel agent did not tell me of any.

It was with Iberia (operated by AA), but when I go directly to Iberia,
it is more expensive! I thought that was odd since I thought booking
directly with the airlines was best.

Since it's operated by American Airlines, have you checked on AA's website for the price? The comparison site I use doesn't allow direct bookings anyway, so I always have to book on the airline's own website. But, for some complicated co-share flights, I too can't recreate the exact fare I found on the comparison site (or there are a bunch of add ons, or the least expensive fare is the bare bones basic fare class).

There are instances where ONLY the third party site can cobble together a specific code-share combination because one of the airlines won't sell the other's ticket, so in that case you can just roll the dice and buy from a site like Expedia if the savings are substantial. You just have to beware of the risks of flying on 2 individual tickets vs. 1 continuous one.

I have frequently purchased open jaw tickets at the same lowest rate a RT would have been to either city. Tracking on Google Flights, I have noticed that prices can change throughout the same one day. Just takes patience and luck. Safe travels!

Do check American’s own website. When flying with a foreign partner airline, I always book through the US airline like AA.

I want to give you one piece of advice that is important when booking tickets. Make sure the names that you reserve the tickets under exactly match the names used in the passports of the individuals that are traveling. This is something a travel agent would check for, but you can check that yourself.

I have friends where the husband was unaware of this requirement and when they were going to check in, discovered that they had to buy a whole new ticket since the nickname he had used for his wife did not match the passport. An expensive lesson.....

Laura,

I normally research flights on the airlines website but always have my travel agent book the flights, even though there’s a small charge for that service. She has sometimes found better solutions or slightly better prices then I’ve found.

That method proved to be very advantageous on my last trip as I was injured so my schedule had to be changed. One call to my travel agent took care of that and she also worked with the travel insurance firm and airline medical department to set up my new flights home.

Dealing with a travel agent also allows me to arrange any travel insurance or whatever else I might need for a particular trip.

We fly almost exclusively on open jaw tickets. It is rare for us to find the open jaw being more expensive. Could be hundred more expensive but is still cheaper when you factor in the cost and time necessary to return to your starting point. And you do need to check one-way tickets. There has been a couple of recent posting here and our recent experience where two one-year were actually cheaper than a round trip tickets.

I've had travel websites and/or travel agents promise me a lower fare. If I don't care how I get somewhere, this may be the best bet. If I - or any member of my travel party, usually me & my other half - has specific travel needs (as in, need to sit together, need for a window seat for one of us), then I often find it easier to book the flights myself via the websites.

Book it yourself directly with the airline. By doing it yourself, you save time and can see all available connections and airport options.