re: Travel Agent - Do people still use them?

I used a travel agency from Costa Rica when I planned my Costa Rican honeymoon. Yes I did a lot of my own research but this company was very familiar with the different companies in the country that offered excursions and only booked with those they knew were legit. They took a lot of worry out of our trip. We were able to step off the plane and know everything was planned out for us and just enjoy the honeymoon.

There was even an issue during the trip and my agent was able to contact us by phone to alert us of it and the changes they had made for us so we could still do the excursion. If we had booked the excursion on our own we would have just had it cancelled and money refunded.

So I would say there are advantages to using a travel agent. Is one needed for every trip? No. But to say they are useless nowadays because you can just plan everything online is an ignorant statement.