Please help me with planning european vacation!?

My friend and I would like to go to Scotland, England, Ireland for sure. If we can learn some French, we would like to visit france too. As for now that is the plan. We are lookiing to go in the october, november of 2011, and would like to be gone for about a month. Now here are my problems. I am trying to find deals, and am finding awesome deals on travelocity. But the problem is, it only is letting me do hotel+flight on roundtrips...I know if you book a flight and hotel at the same time you get a better deal...But, since those are the low tourist months, would I be ok just, Booking a flight from new york to Dublin from say October 3rd with the return date november 8th? Then just getting flights and hotels as we go along? I read that because it is the slow season getting rooms shouldn't be an issue and I figure I can just book one way tickets in between with hotels online...Then that way we can stay as long as we like and have a flexible trip? Please, I need help! Travel agents are just throwing brochures with tours already made by companies and that is not what I want...Any help is appreciated.!