Travel Agency Packages - Is it cheaper to go through a travel agency or one of these "package deal" websites like travelocity?

Is it cheaper to go through a travel agency or one of these "package deal" websites like travelocity?

I'm planning a trip to New York in October and I don't want to pay hundreds of dollars that i don't need.

I always compare from a few different places. I compare all the travel websites, kayak.com, travelocity.com and expedia.com and I also call my loca travel agency and see what they are offering. It doesn't make sense to pay more for the same thing that you can get elsewhere for less.
Sites like Travelocity or Orbitz will be great for your purposes. For a simple trip to NY, that should be enough research. If you were planning a complicated trip through Europe then you might want to do your own research, and take it to a travel agent to see if she can beat those prices or suggest better places. BTW travel agents are free to use, but you might not feel like going all the way there for a simple NY trip.
go to www.travelvaluemart.com
I just booked a trip to NYC and I did some comparison shopping with travelocity/expedia/hotels.com etc. and found that I only saved about $75-$100 by booking WITH the agency rather than doing the exact same deal on my own. So I didn't save too much, but it helped.
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