Should You Use a Travel Advisor to Plan Your Italy Trip?
You’ve been dreaming about Italy for years. You’ve watched travel videos, saved Instagram posts, and bookmarked hotel recommendations. You know you want to visit Rome, explore Tuscany, and maybe see the Amalfi Coast.
But now you’re facing the actual planning, and it’s overwhelming.
Should you piece it all together yourself, or hire a travel advisor to help?
It’s a fair question. And the honest answer is: it depends on what kind of trip you want and how you prefer to plan.
Here’s what you should consider.
What a Travel Advisor Actually Does
Let’s start with what working with a travel advisor really looks like, because there are a lot of misconceptions.
A travel advisor doesn’t just book your hotel and flights (though they can do that). The real value is in designing a trip that fits you: your interests, your pace, your budget, and your travel style.
That means:
- Helping you decide what to prioritize. Italy has centuries of art, food traditions that vary by region, hilltop towns, coastal views, and iconic cities. A good advisor helps you figure out what matters most to you and builds a trip around that.
- Making thoughtful recommendations. This isn’t about upselling you on the most expensive hotel. It’s about knowing when a boutique hotel in a walkable neighborhood makes more sense than a big chain property, or when a guided food tour adds real value versus when you’re better off exploring on your own.
- Handling logistics so you don’t have to. Train schedules, ferry bookings, transfers from the airport, coordinating hotel check-ins: these details matter, and they take time. An advisor manages them so you can focus on enjoying your trip.
- Solving problems when things go wrong. Flights get delayed. Hotels mess up reservations. Tours get canceled. If you’ve planned everything yourself, you’re on your own. If you’re working with an advisor, you have someone advocating for you to get things fixed.
When It Makes Sense to Plan on Your Own
Let’s be honest: not everyone needs a travel advisor.
You might be better off planning independently if:
You genuinely enjoy the research process. Some people love spending hours comparing hotels, reading reviews, mapping out train routes, and building spreadsheets. If that sounds like you, go for it. The planning can be as rewarding as the trip itself.
Your trip is simple and straightforward. A week in one city (say, Rome) with straightforward hotel and activity bookings doesn’t require a lot of coordination. If your itinerary is uncomplicated, you can probably handle it yourself without much stress.
You have unlimited time and flexibility. If you’re retired, working remotely, or have a very flexible schedule, you can afford to spend weeks researching and adjusting your plans. You can also pivot easily if something doesn’t work out.
You’re comfortable with uncertainty. Things will go wrong occasionally. A hotel won’t be as nice as the reviews suggested, a restaurant will be closed, a connection will be tight. If you’re okay handling those situations yourself without backup, DIY planning can work.
Budget is your absolute top priority. Most travel advisors charge planning fees, ranging from $100 to $1,000 or more depending on trip length and complexity. If spending that amount doesn’t make sense for your budget, planning independently is the right call.
When It Makes Sense to Work with a Travel Advisor
On the other hand, you’ll probably get more value from working with an advisor if:
You don’t have time to plan everything yourself. You’re working full-time, managing a family, or just don’t want to spend your evenings and weekends comparing hotels and reading train schedules. An advisor does the heavy lifting so you don’t have to.
Your trip has multiple destinations or complex logistics. Rome, Florence, Venice, and the Amalfi Coast in two weeks? That requires coordinating hotels, trains, transfers, and timing, all while keeping the pace realistic. An advisor ensures your itinerary actually works without being exhausting.
You want a trip that reflects your interests, not just the highlights. Maybe you care more about food and wine than famous museums. Or you want to explore smaller towns instead of crowded tourist spots. An advisor tailors the trip to what matters to you, not just what shows up in guidebooks.
You value having someone in your corner. If something goes wrong (your flight is canceled, a hotel overbooked, a tour no-shows), you want someone who knows how to fix it quickly rather than spending your vacation on hold with customer service.
You’re traveling with family or a group. Coordinating a trip for multiple people, especially with kids of different ages or friends with different interests, adds a layer of complexity. An advisor helps balance everyone’s needs and keeps the trip manageable for all.
You want recommendations that go beyond online reviews. Travel advisors have firsthand experience, professional relationships, and insider knowledge that you won’t find on TripAdvisor. That means better recommendations and sometimes access to experiences or perks you couldn’t book on your own.
What About Cost?
Let’s address the big question: is it worth the fee?
Most travel advisors who plan custom Italy itineraries charge planning fees that range from a few hundred to over a thousand dollars, depending on the complexity of your trip. At All Together Getaways, my fees range from $300 for a simple single-destination trip to $750 for a complex multi-destination itinerary. You can see my complete fee structure here.
That might sound like a lot, but consider what you’re paying for:
- Hours of research and planning tailored to your specific situation
- Expert recommendations based on firsthand experience
- Problem-solving during your trip if anything goes wrong
- Peace of mind that the logistics will actually work
- Time saved, time you can spend on other things instead of researching and booking
For many travelers, especially those planning longer trips or traveling with family, that investment is worth it to avoid the stress and ensure the trip goes smoothly.
The Real Question: What Kind of Trip Do You Want?
Here’s what it comes down to:
Do you want a trip where you’ve thought through every detail, balanced competing priorities, and have someone supporting you if things go wrong? Or are you okay figuring things out as you go and handling issues yourself?
Neither answer is wrong. It’s about what you value and how you prefer to travel.
If you’re leaning toward working with an advisor, the best next step is a conversation. You can ask questions, get a sense of how I work, and decide if it’s a good fit. No pressure, just a straightforward discussion about your trip.
Schedule a complimentary planning call →
And if you decide to plan on your own? That’s completely fine. I hope this post helped you think through the decision more clearly.
Have questions about planning your Italy trip? Feel free to reach out. I’m always happy to point you in the right direction, even if we don’t end up working together.