Its similar to property investing I guess... you can pay someone to tell you how to invest, or you can do a lot of your own research and decide on strategy
I love traveling and visiting new places and I spend a lot of time on research, reading feedback and then comparing prices.... I dont like using travel agents, what works for some families, might not work for others and thats why I like to make my own decisions about everything.... Flights for example, where to stop, for how long, if we stay day there or 2 at no extra cost and avoid long waiting hours at airport, do you book hotel which is reasonable priced close to trains or buses or close to main attractions you are planning to see and etc etc
And I dont like overpaying anything
Research gives you good knowledge about place you are going to visit and gives you very good ideas what you wana see there, whats important and whats not... more bookings you do, better you become as you learn every time what would you change and what works best
I like to use tourist guides in big cities and I found in Europe a lot of english students do guides for free (you pay like a donation at the end) and those groups are great, they make day so full of things to see and knowledge to take home, while interesting for kids as well as for adults....
Enjoy your travel experience!