Today I wanted to book a train ticket up to Da Nang, Vietnam. So I went to one of the many travel agencies around. The guy said it is probably hard to do and showed me a $48 plane ticket that can get me there. I went to another travel agency and the woman called for a train ticket, but there was no answer. It wasn’t surprising since the trains are supposed to be booked full all week due to the Chinese New Year. I heard the highways aren’t very safe during the holiday for buses so I figured going by air would be my best bet.
Minutes after I paid the money for the plane ticket, I realized which airline he was talking about (Pacific Airlines) and I found out I could have just ordered the ticket myself on their web site. I checked a different Vietnamese airline and they didn’t have online booking, so I wasn’t sure before. The travel agent left on his motorcycle, went someplace else where he could go to the web site, type in my name and print out the confirmation page. He charged me 33% over the ticket price to do what I could have easily done myself. And also I could have got a flight at a better time if I did it myself. I think this is the first and last time I use a travel agent without exhausting every other option.
I leave tomorrow evening for Da Nang.