Did i mention how much I despise the airlines?

[DandyDon]

I will not book international vacations with an online site anymore. I will find a travel agent in the future.

I always book direct with the airline. I search flights & fares at Matrix, then take that info with me. Expedia is known to package trips in ways that appeal, but I use Hotels.com and Kayak.com to search hotels and cars.

I need to find another diving outlet quick lest I forget everything I learned back in January!

Catalina Island is great.

 

[ggunn]

I would always use an agent for booking a hotel/resort in another country. Maybe not for the air fare. This gives you lots of protections should things go awry. Livaboard cancells or disappears? You can dispute the charge or sue the travel agent and stand a good chance of getting your money back. If you booked with the international destination directly, you're probably screwed. For airfare, far less critical as you're probably dealing with a US based airline anyway.

In general for hotels I agree, but the Cozumel hotel where I stay I pay in cash when I get there.