How can I find a decent personal travel agent?

I think you may need to rejig your parameters a little.   Behind the vast majority of travel websites there is a mainframe computer.   If it's an airline website then it connects to their reservations system.   If it's an agency system it probably connects to what is known as a GDS (Global Distribution System).   They go by names like Sabre, Galileo and Amadeus. No system is completely unbiased.   Agents will have deals with certain airlines, hotel groups and car hire companies but each agency will have their own deals and individual agents work with or for an agency as a rule, not several.   The different GDS all work slightly differently and the agency, whether working as a human to the GDS or as a website to the GDS can add their own bias.   For instance, the basic request is along the lines "what flights are available between city A and city B on this date".   By simply adding "and show me BA flights" the display will show BA flights on the primary screen.   But a website introduces several different layers of bias and reduced accuracy which may not be obvious.   You might think that when a website offers availability of a flight/fare it can guarantee that when you say "yes please" that will be bookable.   That isn't so for a number of reasons (nothing to do with trying to sell you up, solid technical reasons).   An agent using a GDS can still get caught by the same reasons but the risk is much lower. You may think that the web has all the best deals but actually, particularly when it comes to international travel, this is often not the case.   Here in the UK if you want to travel to certain countries you need to find where the nationals of that country live and then find the agencies within that community.   They almost always have better deals than anything you can find on the web. It's also the case that one person can only have so much expertise.   I can look at hotels in the UK over the web and make an informed decision about which one to book.   However, when I go to Japan, particularly off the beaten track that's much more difficult so I use a specialist.   Similarly, travelling to South America although the problems aren't so acute I find that using a different specialist meets my needs. Can one human agent point you at the right specialist?   Possibly, if you pay them sufficient retainer and fees.   But if you want just one person you run the risk of getting caught by their "preferred suppliers". I would suggest you need to better understand how bookings are made and accept that one person may not be able to meet all your needs.

If you have a credit card with a concierge service, that will be a good start. I have a NatWest Mastercard with concierge inclued & use them for a lot of my travel booking. Some things I'll do myself (straightforward, especially short-haul, low-cost airline or fixed routing). Sometimes just to save time: it is faster to tell someone than check websites, particularly if I have some flexibility. But if it is complex trip (multi-stop) then websites do a very bad job, and usually give "retail" one plus one pricing, rather than the aggregate or deals that agents get. I checked, and about two in three it is same as I could have found (but I saved time) nad one in three was cheaper - often about 20% And it is free (included in credit card fee) Or I disagree with . This kind of travel agent does still exist: just the fee basis has changed from hidden commission to paying for the service (and then you can see if the savings are worth it). In our previous startup we used a travel agent. they charged a flat £50 fee per ticket so not worth it for cheap flights, but they saved us a lot more than that on the company budget. By the way, my favourite flight search site if I'm doing it myself is http://Skyscanner.net

I have a different take on this topic where the general tone is ghat in this age of internet and web, good travel agents don't exist, are (more or less) cheats or just not required. 1. I firmly believe that having a good travel agent by your side always helps, in terms of planning, adding value or saving costs. He afterall is more experienced spending 8 hours a day thinking of (executing and planning) holidays. Add to this he travels solo or with groups and has a good network of associates and friends in his domain of operations. Arithmetically speaking, he accumulates 2000 hrs per year of experience, that he uses to plan your perfect and hasslefree holidays. 2. Sometimes, a job should be left to specialists in your own interest. Inspite of all the information available on the net, we don't perform surgeries on self ;) We look for a good doctor. So, in specialised cases, a travel agent does come handy instead of planning self travel. 3. As with surgery there perhaps is no single travel agent who can help you for all your travels. As you require a Cardiologist for heart ailments, you would require a travel agent who specializes in adventure holidays if you are planning an Adventure holiday. An agent who specializes in honeymoon holidays may not be of much help..unless ofcourse if you think that wedding itself is an adventure ;) 4. And yes, bad travel agents exist. But aren't there cases when bookings done via reputed portals have been "knocked off" by hotels leaving guests helpless and clueless in an alien land? 5. A good travel agent takes your call even at wee hours of midnight and tries to help. Your calls don't go through the helplines. That's a huge psychological advantage knowing that there is a good hand always available if required. ...and finally, how to find a good travel agency? Well, don't you get a good doctor everything's you have a problem? Do some research, talk to friends, use Facebook/Twitter and ask for references/good experiences of ex-travelers and you will not be disappointed. There does exist a good and extremely knowledgeable travel agent always willing to help in every corner of the world.

I spend a good deal of my time doing web research as part of product planning and competitor analysis for a travel company. The web is an amazing tool and also an amazing trap. I've got it nailed down to about 10 sites that have reliable information without a sales agenda. Take forum information with a grain of salt - if you think you find something of value in a forum check how many posts the person has previously made and on what subject - 90% have made less than a dozen posts and all on the same subject which either publisises their own business or tries to discredit their competitors. If you have your destination in mind try and find a site dedicated to that destination that makes its revenue from advertisers and memberships rather than commissions. Be wary of sites that don't tell you how they are monetised.

Touche to Yishan's comment. I run a web-startup (http://mygola.com/exp-qu-253-30-pp-24) with that exact same premise - what if you took the high-touch that a travel agent can provide and combined it with the power of the web? We've spent a huge amount of time becoming experts in exactly the kind of things you mention. Happy if you'd try the service.