Travel agents are dead, right? Nope. As Kara and I found out on our recent trip to Hawaii, booking through a travel agent can be a truly wonderful thing. With TripAdvisor and Foursquare at our fingertips, Kara and I had never considered using a travel agent until my mother suggested we use a family friend to book our trip to Hawaii. Our friend, LuAnn Rockett of Rockett Getaways, had been to Hawaii multiple times and my mom assured me that she would be able to provide valuable guidance and save us money on our trip. She was right. Having a human being to bounce things off of while planning our trip was incredibly valuable. And when it came time to book everything, we did not have to worry about going through the tedious process of making reservations and keeping track of confirmations. But the real value of using a travel agent was found once we got to the islands. Thanks to the government shutdown, all National Parks in Hawaii were closed for our entire two-week trip. This basically blew our plans up for four days. With LuAnn on speed dial, we were able to quickly explore options of altering our trip (which we ended up not doing). Within minutes after our call to LuAnn, she was able to give us suggested alternate itineraries, pricing, etc.: information that would have taken us hours to compile while we could have been lying out on the beach. Lastly, I was shocked to find out how much money we saved by booking through our travel agent. Not only did we get great deals on flights, but LuAnn was also able to upgrade us to Fairmont Gold, which as my CPA wife calculated, saved us about $150 per day in free breakfast, valet parking, snacks, bottled water, etc. I know the concept of using a travel agent is foreign to most people these days. It was to me until recently. But I will certainly use LuAnn again, and I would highly recommend a travel agent to my friends. If you are planning a big trip, be sure to give her a shout: http://rockettgetaways.com

LuAnn was great to work with. We were all over the board on what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go which was making our trip impossible to plan. I reached out to LuAnn without a lot of advance time before we wanted to travel. She responded immediately, listened to what I had to say about what we wanted to do; gave us some very practical insight and then put together a fantastic trip for us. When we wanted to "tweak" it a little, she was very responsive again and worked quickly to make all of the changes. It was a fabulous trip and it wouldn't have happened without her help. When we got home, she reached out to us to get our feedback so that she could put that knowledge to use for planning future trips. I would definitely recommend her to others.

LuAnn Rockett is wonderful to work with. I have had experience with her planning my honeymoon (an Alaskan cruise with many excursions) as well as planning extended trips to Europe for my boss. She is knowledgeable, understanding and can help you at any price point with wherever you want to go. I highly recommend her with five stars and hope that you will give her a try. Phyl Tucker, GA

LuAnn Rockett provides exceptional service! In 2012, LuAnn helped me plan a trip to Spain for me, my 67 year old mother and brother. Since then LuAnn has helped me plan three additional family trips-an Alaskan Cruise, a land tour of Israel and Jordan and a Mediterranean Cruise. She has helped me plan a trip to Rome and Paris, with a day trip to Florence with a friend and two solo trips to all-inclusives in Cancun, Mexico. I've also recommended LuAnn's services to several friends. LuAnn is well traveled and always has great suggestions about what to see and do and the best way to spend your time. I appreciate how LuAnn considers your interests and budget, then plans your itinerary accordingly. She is incredibly efficient. Did I already say LuAnn is incredibly efficient? Once your itinerary is set, all you have to do is pack your bags and wait for your departure date. I also love how LuAnn checks in with you a few days after you get back home. She is with you from start to finish!

LuAnn is excellent to work with. She listens to what you want in a vacation, and delivers great suggestions with reputable tour companies. She makes travel easy and enjoyable. She has a strong focus on the details, and is happy to step in to assist if anything is needed while on your trip.