Travel agent recommendations

I was in Lisbon last October and it is wonderful. Four nights was not enough. And I strongly encourage a side trip to Sintra as well as Belem.

I am an old lady, not well traveled, who is on a tight budget but still was able to book my flights, hotels and attractions on my own.

Can you try doing it on your own? Go to Kayak or Google Flights and see what planes fly from your area. Then book directly.

As for hotels, many many on this forum will recommend hotels and things to do, etc etc. What is your budget and what are you looking for in lodging.

This forum is great for research, ideas and suggestions.

Agree with bostonphill7, you can use the internet for your research and book directly when possible.
We use Google flights and Skyscanner for flights along with individual airlines that fly into Portugal - Tap Air Portugal and Azores Airlines are Portuguese airlines.

For hotels we research with booking.com and try to book directly with the hotel.

Trains in Portugal: cp.pt

Buses in Portugal: redeexpressos.pt

Edit: we haven't use her services Julie does itinerary planning for independent travel in Portugal
https://juliedawnfox.com/

and Rick Steves for guided tour in Portugal

I agree with the 2 posts previous posts. Are you able and willing to do all the bookings yourself? That might save you money.
I use "https://matrix.itasoftware.com/search" to find out what flights are available for given dates and then go directly to the airline site to purchase the tickets in case there are flight problems. The matrix has parameters you can set to highlight your preferred flight.

The same might be true for using BOOKING.COM to choose where to stay. Once you've selected you room then go directly to the website to book the room. Some small places do not have websites so you have to book through BOOKING. AIRBNB and VRBO are other options.

Look inro ROME2RIO for information on travel options for getting to/from Porto and Faro. Once you've selected once again go to the rail/bus site to purchase tickets.

Agree with many here who would say:
The best person to manage your personal finances is yourself, and same goes for your travel planning.

That's the ideal, at least in theory. For some of us, planning is half the fun (the exact ratio may vary...) and the more of your trip you plan yourself, the better your trip will be (for a whole list of reasons). But some folks consider trip planning as attractive as a root canal. I have friends who just can't/won't do it, despite all the coaching/hand-holding/suggestions I've offered and provided them. Some are intimidated and overwhelmed at just the thought of doing the planning themselves, others just would rather watch TV or go walk the dog (and there's nothing wrong with either; I just can't relate to that).

Personally, I got up early at 5 am today so I could work on the style formatting and high-resolution maps for my custom-made travel guide for an upcoming trip (I love doing this, and it's coming together nicely – looks like this one will weigh in at roughly 40 pages). My buddy who prefers guided tours thinks I'm absolutely insane; my spouse used to think the same, but she has come around to depend on and appreciate having every last detail of the trip all gathered in one well-organized place where things can be quickly found and referenced.

To the OP: It's true that in this era, you have a wealth of resources available at your fingertips, and you can (if you want to) do all your own trip planning, even for a complex trip to remote places. Yes, you can pay someone else to do some of the planning for you (though traditional "travel agencies" are a vanishing business model), but nobody you can pay knows your own preferences and tastes, your budget, your willingness to splurge or economize when appropriate, and all the other factors that influence the thousands of choices in any trip that you will make (or someone else will make for you, whether or not you consciously choose that).

The very short list of tasks in your post can be very easily accomplished by anyone, even someone with zero previous trip planning experience. If you want to do it all yourself, you certainly can. Lots of people here will be happy to offer suggestions and pointers to resources.

One last item to point out: If you want to travel in "late April or May" you are late to the game. Demand for international travel has exploded post-pandemic, places and things are often crowded, and there can be fierce competition for hotel rooms, flights, etc. Whether you do your trip planning or pay someone else, it's best to get going and not delay. Good luck whatever you choose.

Hopefully, someone, other than the supposed do-it-yourself "experts," will chime in with a good travel agent recommendation and get you on your way.

Rick Steves used to (maybe still does) recommend this travel agency:

https://elizabethholmes.com/

Thank you everyone - I have spent many hours online just on flights - it's too cumbersome. There doesn't seem to be a hassle free way to do this. I appreciate your input.

As many others have said- I can’t recommend a travel agent there’s simply not an industry of experts as there once was. I will also say you may not find or be happy with what you get. You mention it’s been hours and it’s too cumbersome- have you considered the flight plans need to be adjusted?

As a former travel agent- the best I can suggest if you’re really insistent on using someone else is to do some googling of travel experts find a firm that is recommended and be ready to pay a fee for them to be booking your flights for you.

Don't overlook the very rich resource that you are staring at right now.

Complex challenges become simple (or at least simpler) when you break them down into smaller pieces. You may not need someone to book your whole trip, maybe you just need some guidance to book your flights. Then maybe you need some guidance for planning your itinerary while in Europe. Then maybe you want someone to point you to good hotels. Then someone to help plan your days in those places, what sights to prioritize, places to eat, etc.

When you take each set of tasks separately, they are less daunting. So take it the same way you would eat an elephant - one bite at a time.

If you have gone down a flight-search rabbit-hole, stop, climb out, and post what you are looking for here - there are many people here who are highly skilled and knowledgeable about booking flights that are cost- and time-efficient (more skilled than you're likely to find in an old-school travel agency, frankly).

But, you gotta be specific about exactly what you want (and what you don't want). Dates, locations, preferences, etc. These are the same questions any (good) travel agent would ask you.

Same for your itinerary and other details. More good news: all the work for the details has already been done for you, by seasoned professionals, and most of it's given away for free, right here - look!

Rick Steves' Suggested Portugal Itinerary

Use that as a starting point, because you are not Rick Steves and you have your own needs, preferences and styles, but it's a perfect place to start to make sense of your choices. Any little details that you need but don't see there (where to eat dinner, where to find good gelato, etc.) - they are in the corresponding guide book that you should buy and use both for planning, and once you get there.

Take it one bite at a time. Start with flights. Here are most of the questions you need to answer first (remember, be specific):

• What are your preferred travel dates?
• What city/cities do you want to fly from/return to?
• How many are traveling?
• What are your flight priorities? (Price, connections, comfort, preferred airlines, etc.)? You can't have it all (unless price is no object), so prioritize what's most/least important to you.
• To what extent (if any) are you flexible about all of the above?

That should get you started. Hang in there, you can do this!

Search for travel agents in your area or ask any friends who have used one recently. I couldn’t tell you where a travel agency is near where I live as I haven’t used one in decades.