First time taly Traveler

That depends because it is not an equal question. IF you are willing to do the homework - guidebooks, DVDs, travel sites, etc., AND you have confidence in your ability to do, then you should plan it yourself as it will be exactly what you want. On the other hand, a good travel agent can make it very easy but makes a lot of decisions for you. There is no definite answer to your question.

I "second" the comments from Frank. It would help to know whether you've previously travelled anywhere else in Europe? If you're comfortable travelling on your own, the Italy Guidebook provides LOTS of great information on sightseeing, transportation, hotels, restaurants, etc. A Travel Agent may be a good option for booking international flights and also for travel insurance if desired. It would help to have some idea on the time frame of your trip, and which places in Italy you want to see? Good luck with your planning!

I have never traveled in Europe, but I have traveled extensively including to foreign countries. I always book my own trips. I have studied Italy and have picked the hotels that I would like to use. My destinations are: Lake Como, Venice, Florence, and Rome.

IF you have done that, then what is the question? Just book it on the hotel's web site.

I am seeking friendly advice, not attitude. Thank you

Here's some friendly advice: Book the trip yourself. Why would you consider using an agent? Happy travels.

Things like transfers, train train tickets, possible use of guides etc. Just looking for advice from people who have traveled where I am going. Thanks

I would suggest buying (or checking out from library) the Rick Steves Italy guidebook. It clearly covers all of the destinations you named and should answer most of your questions. Then you can confidently plan and book your trip yourself. As you are making your plans, if you have further specific questions not answered in the guidebook, come back to this forum with your questions. By the way, Italy was our first real European trip many years ago, and we used the Rick Steves book as a guide, and found it immensely helpful.

Thanks so much Charlene. I will take your advice.

Frank, Another option you could consider (depending on your travel budget) would be to take one of the shorter (7 - 10 day) RS Italy tours. That would provide a good opportunity to get up to speed on travelling there, getting about on the trains, etc. Following the tour, you could then spend some time on self-guided travel to cover places not covered on the tour. Of course, you could also plan the entire trip yourself using the Guidebook. One additional point to mention is that most of Rick's Guidebooks are now available as E-books as well. If you have a Kindle, Nook, Kobo or iPad you could download in a few minutes and have something in a very light package to take along on the trip. One important point to mention about the E-books. These are often not released until about three months after the print versions. It's important to check the E-book publication date to make sure you're getting the most current version of the Guidebook. Cheers!

You sound pretty travel-savvy, so I think you can do all this on your own. I think the Rick Steve's guides are invaluable and for more on train questions, The Man in Seat 61 in a good reference When you have something specific, the guys on this thread have terrific knowledge. Personally. I think agents are fine for cruises and package tours, but for individualized tours you can do it yourself.

Frank-I personally appreciate that you are showing respect for the logistics of the trip. (If it were easy, everybody would do it, right?). Anyway, sounds like you're on the right track. I'm in the process of planning a trip to a part of Italy I've never visited before and I'm visualizing the steps. At airport I'll withdraw$$then I'll need to get my rental then... Helps me figure my planning needs. This board is helpful and I've also benefitted from YouTube, GoogleEarth, RoninRome, etc.
the devil is in the details -if you have time to nail down the details, you'll be great on your own. Booking hotels is the easy part IMHO. Enjoy!

Frank, check out the RonInRome website for info on Rome specifically, but Ron's advice on train travel applies to all of Italy. In over 30 ears I've never used an agent.

I really appreciate all the good advice. Thanks for taking time to help a stranger. Helps a lot.

Frank, I am going to italy in late sep - early oct of this year. I asked the same question before. I'm in the process of planning our trip now and booking places to stay. I've read the RS book and enjoy the planning time to make the trip what we want to do and up to the tour company. If you have the time to read and plan do it yourself. I played around with rough figures based on research, RS book and people on this site. I compared my trip and a hotel budget per night to the travel tours like Perillo and would be saving around $3-4,000 from those prices. And some cities that we picked we would never have seen on a tour.

We always book our hotels on the individual hotel sites. We feel safer doing that. Many times there are rooms which are only available directly through the hotel site. Many times the hotel site (or 800 number for Hilton, Priority Club, hotel reward programs) offer lower rates than other sources too. We enjoyed taking day trips around Rome, through Gray Line Tours. We have hardly ever used a travel agent. We have travelled to Europe four years in a row for at least five weeks each time. We have also traveled to Australia for a month and not used an agent. We have also used TAUCK Tours for Greece and Turkey; also for Ireland. We have always found that booking directly with the hotel, we don't have to worry about getting charged if we cancel our reservations either. Wth some sites or agents, you don't get your money back, if you cancel for whatever reason. I suggest you look at Tauck, Trafalgar, Rick Steves, etc. brochures for possible suggestions for where you might want to visit. You can see the hotels where they stay. Then you can look into staying there on your own. You can check Trip Advisor for comments by fellow travellers.

Let us know what you end up doing! Never been to Italy but we're going in June. Starting with 3 night in Bologna then heading to Venice for 1 day before joining a Rick Steve's tour of Venice, Florence and Rome. Can't fly all the way over there without ending our trip in Paris. Anxious to see if I fall in love with Italy like I did with France. I'm looking forward to seeing what La Dolce Vida feels like!

One more process to consider. After I put together my idea of an itinerary and arranged for a consult with a RS guide. I spent an hour reviewing and adjusting our plan including getting reccomendations of hotels and restaurants. Best $100 I spent. I also received info on how to book the hotels myself. My concern with travel agents is them not knowing what they are recomending. All of RS personel are experienced with first hand knowledge of the areas you are visiting.