Learn Hardcore Japanese: ryokougaisya ni itte, ryokou no ryoukin to yotei wo soudansimasita. - I went to a travel agency and discussed the trip’s cost and schedule.

旅行代理店 also means travel agency (literally travel agent shop/office), but in everyday conversation 旅行会社 is more common and sounds more natural and modern.

In most situations you can treat 旅行会社 and 旅行代理店 as the same, though 旅行会社 feels a bit broader (a company that handles travel services) and 旅行代理店 focuses on the idea of acting as an agent.

Why is the particle に used after 旅行会社? Could we use へ or で instead?

In 旅行会社に行って, the particle に marks the destination of the movement:

旅行会社に行く = go to the travel agency.

You could also say:

旅行会社へ行く

Here へ also marks direction, but:

に is more neutral and common.
へ can sound a little more formal or literary; it emphasizes the direction a bit more.

Using で here would be wrong, because で usually marks the place where an action happens, not the destination of movement.

However, in a slightly different structure you could use で:

旅行会社で旅行の料金と予定を相談しました。
= At the travel agency, I discussed the trip’s cost and schedule.

Here で marks the location where the discussion took place.

What does 行って mean here, and why is it in the て-form?

行って is the て-form of 行く (to go). In this sentence:

旅行会社に行って、旅行の料金と予定を相談しました。

the て-form is used to link two actions in sequence:

I went to the travel agency,
and (then) I discussed the trip’s cost and schedule.

So the basic meaning is:

I went to the travel agency and discussed the trip’s cost and schedule.

The て-form often means “and then…” or “and …” when connecting verbs like this.

There is no I or we in the sentence. How do we know who did the action?

Japanese often omits the subject when it is clear from context.

In:

旅行会社に行って、旅行の料金と予定を相談しました。

no subject is written, but in a normal conversation the default assumption is that the speaker did it:

[I] went to a travel agency and discussed the trip’s cost and schedule.

If the context had clearly established someone else as the topic (e.g. “My parents…”), then it could mean they went and discussed it. Japanese relies heavily on context instead of always stating I, you, they, etc.

What is the role of の in 旅行の料金 and 旅行の予定?

The particle の here works like a possessive / “of” in English:

旅行の料金 = the cost/fee of the trip
旅行の予定 = the plan/schedule of the trip

So 旅行 is modifying 料金 and 予定, telling you what the cost and plan are for: they’re the trip’s cost and the trip’s plan.

What is the difference between 料金, 値段, and 費用?

All three relate to money, but they’re used a bit differently:

料金 (りょうきん)
- Fee, charge, fare, rate.
- Common for services: train fare, hotel fee, tour fee, phone charges, etc.
- 旅行の料金 sounds natural for tour/package costs.
値段 (ねだん)
- Price (often of goods/things).
- Like the price tag on a product.
- 旅行の値段 is understandable, but sounds more like the price tag of a travel product, less like a formal tour fee.
費用 (ひよう)
- Expense, cost (more general/abstract).
- Often used when talking about total expenses, budget, etc.
- 旅行の費用 feels like overall cost/expenses of the trip.

In a context with a travel agency discussing package tours, 旅行の料金 is the most natural.

What exactly does 予定 mean here? How is it different from 計画?

予定 (よてい) and 計画 (けいかく) both relate to plans, but:

予定 = schedule / arrangement / planned timing
- Focuses on when things will happen and what has been set as the schedule.
- 旅行の予定 = the trip itinerary, when you leave, where you go on which day, etc.
計画 = plan / project (more about design/content)
- Focuses on what you intend to do, how you design the whole thing.
- 旅行の計画 = the overall plan or design of the trip (where to visit, how long to stay, etc.), not necessarily a fixed timetable.

In this sentence, 予定 suggests discussing the itinerary/schedule with the travel agency.

Why is と used between 料金 and 予定? Could we use や instead?

料金と予定 uses と to connect two nouns:

AとB = A and B (a complete, specific list).

So:

旅行の料金と予定 = the trip’s cost and (the trip’s) schedule.

If you said:

旅行の料金や予定

using や, it would mean:

the trip’s cost, schedule, and other things like that (an incomplete list, “A, B, etc.”).

In this sentence, we’re specifically talking about those two things, so と (a full list) is more natural than や.

Why does 相談しました take を? I thought 相談する was often used with と or に.

相談する can be used in several patterns, each with a slightly different focus:

Person と相談する – talk/consult with someone
- 先生と相談する = consult with the teacher.
Person に相談する – consult someone (ask them for advice)
- 先生に相談する = consult the teacher.
Topic について相談する – consult about a topic
- 旅行の予定について相談する = consult about the trip schedule.
Topic を相談する – discuss/consult that topic itself
- 旅行の料金と予定を相談する = discuss the trip’s cost and schedule.

In this sentence we use を because 旅行の料金と予定 are the direct objects: they are the things being discussed/consulted about.

You could also say:

旅行の料金と予定について相談しました。

That explicitly adds “about” (について) to the topic, and is also very natural.

Could we say 旅行会社に行って、旅行の料金と予定について相談しました instead? Is there any difference?

Yes, that sentence is perfectly natural:

旅行会社に行って、旅行の料金と予定について相談しました。

The meaning is almost the same. The difference is subtle:

料金と予定を相談しました
- Slightly more direct and compact.
- Treats 料金と予定 directly as the objects of 相談する.
料金と予定について相談しました
- Explicitly highlights that the consultation was about those topics.
- Sounds just a bit more explanatory or formal.

In everyday conversation, both are fine; the nuance difference is small.

Why is the verb 相談しました in past polite form? When would we use 相談します or 相談した instead?

相談しました is:

相談する (to consult/discuss)
- ました = past polite → consulted / discussed.

So:

相談しました = I consulted / I discussed (polite past).

Other forms:

相談します – polite non-past (present/future):
- I (will) consult / I (usually) consult.
相談した – plain past:
- Used in casual speech or plain narrative, not polite.

Choice depends on time and politeness:

Speaking formally about something you already did → 相談しました
Stating what you will do (formally) → 相談します
Talking casually with a friend about the past → 相談した

Could we omit 旅行 and just say 料金と予定を相談しました?

Yes, you could say:

旅行会社に行って、料金と予定を相談しました。

Grammatically this is fine. The meaning would still be understood if the context already makes it clear that you’re talking about a trip.

However, including 旅行の:

旅行の料金と予定を相談しました。

makes it explicit that the fee and schedule are for the trip, which is useful if there could be any ambiguity. In a textbook example sentence, it’s natural to keep 旅行の to make the meaning clearer.