MemberHi Ladies, have any of you or are any of you not going through a travel agent and booking yourselves? We originally planned to book through DestinationWeddings but after a bad experience with them and finding that rates were cheaper online we are booking ourselves.
MemberI have never booked a vacation through a travel agent.
MemberAs with any industry there are good and bad agents. Here’s a couple of things you should look for when interviewing an agent:
1. How long have they been in business?
2. What professional certifications do they carry?
3. Have they personally traveled to the destination they are recommending within the last three years?
4. Pricing aside, why do they feel the destination or resort they are recommending is a good fit for you?
5. Will they personally be available to you while you are traveling?
6. How many destination weddings are they currently handling in addition to yours?
Planning a destination wedding is no small undertaking. It takes an experienced agent, who is very detail oriented, to handle a group. The agent that you use should be able to secure group rates if you have enough people, and also help you take advantage of special offers for bridal parties.
Anytime you mix family, friends, and money, things can get sticky very easily. Your agent should keep you completely out of the financial aspect of this trip. In addition to securing benefits, this is probably one of the best reasons to not manage this process on your own. Group pricing can also be confusing. While your guests may be able to find airfare for two for less, they can’t get airfare for 40 for less. That’s not how group air works.
I’ve seen brides recommend to their guests that they just book online however they would like, but dependent upon the size of the party, you and your guests could really miss out by doing so.
Best of luck to you!
MemberI booked ours myself. I’ve traveled a lot and prefer to do my own research and book myself.
It can be time consuming, but to me it is worth it.
MemberI’ve never used a travel agent. I almost feel like now with the internet, you can probably do the research all yourself, unless you would like to go somewhere pretty special or exclusive.
MemberI own an online travel service. Feel free to look and there is no pressure to commit–just an alternative. 90% of the time, I am cheaper. http://www.ytbtravel.com/tossie but I am always about saving money-go wherever it’s cheaper.
The topic ‘Booking yourself?’ is closed to new replies.