I will be hunting Botswana next July, and simply need to book a roundtrip flight on SAA from JFK to Johannesburg in "economy" class. Simple right? I will be taking archery equipment and have been there before so I am not "afraid" of the trip. On past trips there were usually connections and such and it was sensible to have an agent take care of things.
I was wondering if there is any advise that I might get. I can certainly book the flight myself and it would not seem to be any more of a big deal than to any other overseas country. Out of concern that I might be missing something, I did call a well known travel agency for hunters in Texas today and asked the same question. I was very polite and direct about my needs. To say the least, I found the "owner" of the company to be brusque, prickly, adversarial, and all about herself. I can easily afford the "$200" that she quoted as the agency cost for making the arrangements but I am sure that there are nicer places to spend it than there. That said, does anyone have a thought about having an agency make arrangements vs just booking it myself?

To me, it's always been worth the money to have an agent take care of everything. Then, if something goes south I have someone to rely on to fix the issues. I have other things on my mind when I'm going to hunt or on vacation and one of them is not worrying about unforeseen issues. Twice in the recent past I have faced issues and simply called my agent. Once I was still in Vegas getting ready to leave (Steve Turner-Travel With Guns) and the other time I was in Paris and called on my Sat phone to get help (Shawn-Gracy Travel). In both instances, the issues were quickly and professionally resolved, and I continued on. Just my 2 centavos worth of advice.

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
To me, it's always been worth the money to have an agent take care of everything. Then, if something goes south I have someone to rely on to fix the issues. I have other things on my mind when I'm going to hunt or vacation and one of them is not worrying about unforeseen issues. Just my 2 centavos worth of advice.

Exactly!

And if you are stuck somewhere it is even better having your travel agent chase the problem.

You mention a Texas agency and dealing with a female. If it its Gracy Travel that you are refering to, I've had multiple trips with them and I would use them again.

From ticketing and flights in the USA to their meet and greet in RSA at Jo Berg, Gracy is top notch.

Book it yourself. To search for airfares use ITA Matrix, find the cheapest fare and then use Book with Matrix website and it will take you to the website that found the cheapest fare, in some cases that may be the airline website. ITA will show you fares that you may not see just using the airlines website. IF you really want to spend the $200, you can still use ITA and give the agent the fare code and they can book that fare for you.

The other thing to remember is when you book with an agent, they are in control of your ticket, you can't make any changes your self.

I used Kathi Klimes on my trip to Zim in June. Had an issue at my hotel and called her via Whatsapp. She got it fixed right there.

I have no idea if I paid more using her or not, but if someone is better at something than I am, I outsource it.

Thanks for the answers, and they are obviously all going in the same direction:use an agent and minimize the chance of getting into a bind

I guess that I will do just that.

s goldsmith,

The travel agent and one that is familiar with safari travel can be invaluable if you get in a bind. my clients have thanked their lucky stars on many occasions when the travel went upside down going or coming. On one occasion Gracy got the airline to have someone crawl in the belly of the airplane and change the destination labels on the client's luggage when the client remembered they had been mislabeled. Try getting that done with Expedia. Saving a couple hundred bucks is just not worth it.
I prefer Gracy Travel but only deal with Sean Kennedy there.

Good luck on your hunt.

Mark

I would never even consider "self book" when traveling with firearms.

What bwanajay said! Ditto with archery.

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
I used Kathi Klimes on my trip to Zim in June. Had an issue at my hotel and called her via Whatsapp. She got it fixed right there.

I have no idea if I paid more using her or not, but if someone is better at something than I am, I outsource it.

Kathi has arranged many journeys for us.

She has done an absolutely fantastic job.

I would recommend her without any reservations whatsoever.

A great lady to deal with.

When you deal with Kathi Klimes you are dealing with the owner. I have used other agencies before but often found that I knew more about routes, individual airline rules, etc. than they did. Not so with Kathi. She obviously spends a ton of time knowing all the ins and outs. She will be there for you if you have any issues.

While I do not travel nearly as much as some of you, my only problem in 14 overseas hunting trips was a direct result from not being able to get in touch with my travel agent. The same storm that delayed our travel also flooded her daughters basement, which was the reason she cited for us not being able to get in touch with her. This was my first African trip and I have done all my own travel plans since then.

Thank you all for your comments. May I please have Kathi Klimes' contact info?

Kathi Klimes at Wild Travel (708) 452-3552. Kathi@wildtravel.net

I have only five words: Steve at Travel With Guns.

I book my own. But then again I don’t take a rifle. When I did, I still did my own reservations but firearms travel was a lot simpler 10 years ago. Today I would use an agent experienced with firearm permits.

I've always booked my own flights. Just make sure you give yourself plenty of connection times when changing planes, and be sure to read (I always make a hardcopy) of each airlines regs concerning traveling with guns and ammo (they vary between airlines).

Also check the latest TSA guns and ammo regs.

Allow yourself extra time for initial check in if traveling with guns and ammo.

I go for at least 2 hours connect time if going through Atlanta.

Have a great trip.

BH63

What gotogirl3 said, hands down.

It is all fine doing it yourself- until the proverbial shit hits the fan!

Then you wish had done it differently!

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
It is all fine doing it yourself- until the proverbial shit hits the fan!

Then you wish had done it differently!

If that isn't the truth!

Few trips ago I saw a special on BC fares that expired at midnight, so I booked the tickets, then asked a few of the highly recommended agents on this forum to manage my trip for whatever fee they charge (including one I've used several times).

None would do it since they didn't book the tickets. Maybe I can understand that, but as I dug deeper, I knew as much or more about traveling with firearms than they did. I managed it myself, and have done so since. It's nice having someone to call and help, but I'm pretty sure my wife is more effective at getting the attention of an airline than most of these agents ....

I have done both. I had a couple glitches with booking agents and so far no surprises when I have booked my own. Any and all information is available on The Net. I also clear my own Trophies. Cites Animals up to and Including The Big 5.

quote:

Originally posted by nhoro:
Few trips ago I saw a special on BC fares that expired at midnight, so I booked the tickets, then asked a few of the highly recommended agents on this forum to manage my trip for whatever fee they charge (including one I've used several times).

None would do it since they didn't book the tickets. Maybe I can understand that, but as I dug deeper, I knew as much or more about traveling with firearms than they did. I managed it myself, and have done so since. It's nice having someone to call and help, but I'm pretty sure my wife is more effective at getting the attention of an airline than most of these agents ....

I did the same thing: I saw I could book DL economy comfort inside row aisle first bulkhead both ways and bought it. Kathy Klimes still worked with me and got everything else set up.

I remember flying to Beijing with guns in 1999...boy I would have liked to see anyone try that without using a professional...