Travel guide or do it yourself?

I would say a package tour. I just started traveling last year, and I used EF College Break. They were really good and they take care of all the details for you. All you pay for is lunch and dinner, since the package tour includes round trip airfare and hotels and a tour director. So it was pretty cool that I did not have to worry about anything and just have fun. You should check it out. I think its only for people 18-26 though since it is a student subsidized travel thing. So basically, you do the tourist thing one morning with them, and then you are free to explore and experience. Oh, and if you decide to use them I recently got a promo code for them at this fair. it is HESSELN1188 and it saves you like an extra $100. You should see if it works for you. I had lots of fun on my trip. (I went to France!) You just book online. Um, just google ef college break and you should find it. Its the cheapest way to travel, I've found so far-and I've looked for a long time. Also they have a pricing guarantee, so if you do find it cheaper anywhere else, they will match the price.

i'd prefer researching & putting it together my-self...

at least you can compare with others & see which one is cheaper ...good luck =)