Girl, I hear you! Yesterday I spent hours trying to figure out a complicated trip we're planning to take a year from now. I listened to 25 minutes of "Rhapsody in Blue," the United Airlines theme song. I spoke to people in Houston and Bangladesh. I consulted Kayak countless times to see what airline went where. By the end of the day, I was nowhere close to nailing it all down. I drank three glasses of wine before dinner.
Why don't I use a travel agent? Because they don't come cheap ($100/ticket to get me an upgrade), and because they've got lots of picky clients to deal. I have only myself, and I can tell you that self is a pain in the butt.
That self wants upgraded seats using miles and not just any upgraded seat, but one away from the galley and the bathrooms and not facing backward ( and confirmed upgrades, which means booking eleven months ahead).That self wants a cruise cabin near the center of the ship, but not near the elevators and doesn't want to pay for a premium cabin. And that self is hellbent on reading airline reviews, choosing a seat on the advice of SeatGuru, and reading TripAdvisor hotel reviews to glean any fact that might indicate traffic noise, thin walls, claustrophobic rooms, and snooty service.
That self is a client I'd prefer not to deal with, but I'm stuck.
Here's a tip I picked up from a friend at the pool: When you call an airline, put your phone on speakerphone and set the phone down beside you while you wait. This is very helpful as long as you remember not to leave the room without taking the phone with you. I started to do this and almost missed the helpful lady in Houston. At which point, I would have thrown the computer, the phone, and myself out the window.
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