There comes a time when the nebulous plans of the Camino have to solidify into a less flexible form. When “maybe Portugal, or maybe France” becomes “France”. When work wants definite dates and when it's time to buy the plane tickets, then that time has come.
After far too many hours on Kayak, I decided it was time to talk to a real travel agent.
The first call was to a local agency called Charlie Cheapseats. They never called back.
Being one who doesn't believe in rewarding bad service, I went next to my local AAA agent. I had a nice meeting with an agent there, but the prices she quoted were higher than the prices I found on Kayak, and then there would be a service fee on top of that.
I gave Charlie Cheapseats another try. This time I talked to an agent, who was helpful and provided some information, but when I called back and left a message she never returned my call. Strike two.
Finally relief came from Whitaker & DePrez, which is the parent company of Charlie Cheapseats. After some great service there, I am now booked!
It turns out that flights are significantly cheaper from nearby Toronto than they are from here, and it's possible to take a Megabus from here to Toronto for only $10!
So I will be flying from Toronto to Paris to walk to Camino Francés (though there's still time to think about the Camino del Norte!). Once I get to Santiago, I will be flying from there to Madrid, then to Paris for my return flight.
The dates are set. The tickets are paid for. It just got real.
