Yes, but the two aren't inconsistent. The rules don't say anything about how long you can hold a reservation without ticketing - that in any case is set by airline policy not ticketing rules.

But it's just more work for the TA - get them to issue the ticket since you can have unlimited free reroutes and reissues before departure without charge.

Or, if you are sure on the routing, just get the ticket issued open-dated and you can play about with the reservations to your heart's content.