Not so foolish advice

It's always nice when we learn to do things for ourselves. For instance, I'm pleased that I can now patch a hole in a wall by myself. But there are limits. If I find a leaky pipe, I don't think I'm ready to fire up a propane tank and solder it.

That's the way a recent article in The Motley Fool starts off with a few tips on the advantages of using a travel agent.

From offering the best deals to learning a client's specific travel preferences, the article makes the point that it's always better to use a professional travel agent than go it alone.

The Motley Fool, which for years has been giving some good advice to those who respect money, ends up by stating: "without an agent, you're on your own".

The article was written by Selena Maranjian, who prepares the Fool's syndicated newspaper column -- and she has no axe to grind, as she has no background in the travel industry

According to her profile, Selena sports a BA in anthropology from Brown University, a master's in teaching from Brown, and an MBA from Wharton. Before starting with the irreverant Motley team back in 1996, she taught high school history in Maine, amused herself at an administrative post at Harvard, and worked briefly in the "real world" in Manhattan.

Her thoughts on travel agents makes good reading for any High Street agent anywhere in the world who is feeling the pinch from on-line competition: you might even want to pass the article on to clients. You know the saying, when the going gets tough....