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Turns out, many travel agents don't charge clients a fee - and they can score you exclusive deals and perks.

When a friend and I first floated the idea of a Euro summer vacation, I could see the Instagram-perfect vision in my mind. We would be sipping ice-cold spritzes at cafés overlooking the Mediterranean, frolicking down cobblestone streets lined with charming boutiques, and marveling at the frescoes and marble sculptures adorning grand cathedrals.

Then it was time to plan the thing.

Enjoying a coffee in Puglia, Italy, on a previous trip - vibes I hope to recreate on my upcoming vacation.

How many countries can I fit into the week and a half that I had taken off work? Which cities should we visit, and in what order? Most of all: How much is all of this going to cost?

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Overwhelmed by the choices, I contacted a travel agent - and I'm so glad that I did. Her services were free, and I didn't have to do the heavy lifting, but I still had final say on the official itinerary.

My goal for the trip (and in life, generally) is to indulge my Champagne tastes on a beer budget. Here's how using a human travel agent helped me cut costs.

A travel agent can help you find the costs worth cutting

I had never worked with a travel agent, but a few family members convinced me to give it a try. So I sent online inquiries to a few and ended up working with a Travelmation agent who responded quickly.

So why did I use a travel agent when I could get an AI chatbot to spit out a full itinerary in seconds?

There's no cost: I learned that many travel agents don't charge clients a fee. Mine is paid through vendor commissions from the flights, tours and accommodations we booked. "I generally do not charge a fee unless the package ends up consisting of lots of items that are not commissionable - which I try to avoid," she said.

It's worth noting that some agents do charge a client-service fee, which can average between $100 and $300, while more complex itineraries can set you back up to $700, according to AAA.

Travel agents have access to cheaper bookings and perks: They can often provide discounts on hotels, cruises and tours, or access to perks like VIP packages and upgraded rooms that aren't available to the public. The agents have access to special rates or perks through their relationships with hotels, airlines and cruise lines.

But that doesn't mean every recommendation is the best deal. Pro tip: If something looks expensive, ask what alternatives were considered. Or you can find a cheaper booking on your own and ask the agent to swap out the pricier item in your itinerary.

A photo I took inside Sagrada Familia in Barcelona in 2019 when I was studying in Spain. I plan to return to the cathedral on my upcoming trip.

So how much did our travel agent save us?

When the two of us received the first draft of our 10-day, three-country itinerary, the total price was eye-popping: $9,764, or $4,882 each.

This was a bit higher than the average budget for major summer trips this year: $4,049, according to Deloitte's 2026 summer-travel survey. I knew I'd be dropping four figures, but this was way over budget.

Luckily, another great thing about working with a travel agent is that you can always make adjustments. After scouring the itinerary for what we could cut back on, I responded to our agent's email with two major changes:

-- Skip the private car from the airport. We're comfortable using rideshares and public transportation - no pricey chauffeur necessary.

-- Book just one bucket-list tour instead of a guided tour in every city. My friend and I decided to leave some free time on the itinerary to wander and enjoy the cities we're visiting.

Once we cut the tours and private transfers and sent some of our own suggestions for hotels, the cost of our final itinerary dropped significantly to $5,024.59, or $2,512.29 each - a much more manageable sum that includes airfares, train tickets and hotels for the five cities we're traveling to. Plus, I didn't waste hours researching and booking a la carte accommodations myself, where I could easily lose track of the trip's total price tag.

More travel tips

- Some first-class airfares are actually getting cheaper. Here's what you need to know.

- Basic economy tickets can save you significant cash - but make sure your trip is set in stone before booking one.

- If your dream vacation is out of reach, try a destination dupe instead.

- And finally, a Google Flights hack that can potentially save you hundreds on airfare.

Next week, Investing 101 class is in session

Sharpen your No. 2 pencils for next week's newsletter, because I'll be leading Investing 101, Don't Short Yourself style. We're going back to the basics, covering simple steps to help you transition from being a passive saver to an investor. But, first, I want to hear from you. Do you have an investing tip that changed your life? Is there a simple strategy that you wish you had known when you first started investing? Send your best investing advice to dontshortyourself@marketwatch.com, and it might make it into next week's newsletter.

One more thing: For an upcoming project, I'm surveying Gen Z-ers to better understand their investing behaviors. If you're an investor under age 30 - anything counts here from contributing to a workplace 401(k) to active day trading - please take our survey. It's anonymous, unless you choose to share your name at the end.

Reader tips

Send us your favorite way to save money - or make your money work for you - and we'll share it with our readers. Send it to dontshortyourself@marketwatch.com.

About Genna

I'm Genna Contino, an award-winning journalist on MarketWatch's personal-finance team. I'm 27 years old, originally from South Carolina, and currently splitting the rent on an overpriced apartment in New York City with my fiancé. When I'm not writing about my hack for saving hundreds of dollars on airfare, or the four must-have money conversations before moving in with your partner, you can find me reading a celebrity memoir, overanalyzing reality TV, junk journaling, borrowing DVDs from the library or getting thoroughly humbled in an adult ballet class after a 10-year hiatus.

-Genna Contino