I do a lot of my research on line. I book with my travel agency especially when I know there's a reasonable commission. For award travel I either do it on line or over the telephone with the airline. I know the strengths of the agents at the agency and will ask for the appropriate one when I ask for booking (sometimes I just e-mail them). My agency provides me with help when something goes wrong (once by using their personal connections out of a city that was overbooked for the next two days). Further, TAs in Ontario (and probably many other places) provide a back up when an airline or a cruise line shuts down. Had I done my own booking I would have recourse only to my credit card company; this way both cover me. Finally I do value their advice when travelling to places unfamiliar to me.