Travel agent or DIY honeymoon?

I recommend using a travel agent. Most travel agents don't charge for their services so you're getting them for free (the resorts/tour operators pay them commission).

There are so many resorts out there that there's no way for you to know about all of them and make an informed decision. Do you know how many room categories there are in any given resort? Do you know the difference between an Oceanview room vs Oceanfront room vs Beachfront? TAs do and can let you know other things like whether or not the food and drink is as good as advertised or if it's all buffets. Even little things like which resorts make you wear wristbands or which resorts offer free kayaking, snorkeling, etc. TAs can usually get better deals than you can on your own as well.

They also offer travel insurance (also recommended) to cover you in case anything were to happen. It's also nice to have a TA on hand while you're traveling because you'll have a point of contact should you need them. Your TA is also your liaision should you have any issues with the hotel.

I would come to a travel agent with the following list: budget, when you want to travel, length of stay, where you'd like to go, where you'd not like to go, are you more adventurous or more beach bum, are you an ocean person or a pool person, do you want all-inclusive, do you care if the resort welcomes kids, etc.

We used a travel agent and I really appreciated having someone to answer all my questions! There is no charge to use their services so there's really no reason not to!

Find one who has been where you want to go, and specializes in it. You can get a wealth of info if you get the right one. Here attached is an article i found that you might find helpful.

I agree with the ladies. A travel agent (who specializes in your preferred destination) don't cost you anything and will save you a lot of time and research (what other wedding detail can you get someone else to take care of for you free of charge to you?).

We always do it ourselves. It did take a lot of research for our honeymoon but because of where we are going in Italy and France, we wanted to find the smaller mom and pop businesses that don't need to use travel agents. And I'm too much of a control freak to trust someone else finding things for me I've never used a travel agent though so if others have had positive experiences then it is probably worth looking in to.

I didn't know travel agents still existed until I came on WW. I thought the Internet had killed that profession. If you're willing to do research, doing it on your own is fine.

My family never uses a travel agent. My mom does all the bookings and she always finds he good deals and has never had any issues. This includes bookings trips it Italy, England, mexico and in the US.

That being said, if you are at all worried use one. If it isn't going to cost you anything they are most likely well worth it.

I am going to be frank, there are so many misconceptions, but if you can find someone who has been there, and specializes in your location, it can be very helpful. For instance, I had a A client, who had just been to Negril, in a honeymoon suite with private pool. She was not my client when she booked this trip, and her major complaint, was that there was an upstairs window, where other guests passing by could look down on her sunbathing in her private pool. Had she had my services before she booked that vacation, I would have contacted the GM of that location, let him know that the particular room with the window looking down on the private pool of my client is unacceptable, I know all about that window and have seen it with my own eyes. Bottom line? Personal experience really does matter, espicially when it is free and most will beat or meet the advertised price..Lastly, alot of travel agents will throw in a gift, that you will not get from booking direct, or Hotwire etc. Its about maximizing your budget, and getting the best experience on property. Hope this makes sense! There are plenty of great agents out there. Good to at least get a quote, you never know what kind of connection you will make.

I would say travel agent if you're out of your element. I would for anything I hadn't done before that was big: I.e. Out of country travel... We're just going to Seattle were good

I'm sure it can be very useful, but we booked our entire trip in a few clicks on cheapcaribbean.com. Maybe a TA could have gotten us a better deal, who knows, but we picked flights, room type, transport, all in one place.

Things to think of when using a consolidator:

Did you get to pick your seats on your flight for each leg?

What to beware of, when booking with consolidators is if they make a bulk booking on an airline, and the plane is oversold, and no one volunteers to change flights and they have to bump someone, the first to get bumped is someone on a bulk fare.

How well will the consolidator communicate with you if there is an issue at the hotel? Are they a call center in another country or someone you know?

Just things to think about because there are so many misconceptions regarding different ways to book.

I always have my clients book their AIR direct with the airline. Do they spend $15 more than using a bulk fare? Most likely, however flight changes, cancellations, etc its good if the client is in control and not a far away company.

Best advice I can give is you only get one honeymoon! You want to sit next to your husband, and not have your flights cancelled, as well as universal medical insurance can be a life saver and is very reasonable, if your travel agent does not already gift it to you.

My honey had a $1400 medical bill on our last trip. Not fun if you do not have insurance.

I used a travel agent and it was really great. Everything will be ready and waiting for us when we arrive. I like that I don't have to think about anything and it's all there for me to pick up.

I went to two travel agents both weren't very helpful. We booked our flights by ourselves $1000 cheaper than the agent quoted us. I think we will seek out their advice after the wedding about things to do and places to stay (our Honeymoon isn't til August). Right now it looks like we will be DIY-ing it.

I've always booked myself. I love the thrill of researching vacations.

Many years ago, before I became a travel agent, I went to one, got quoted $800 more, (it was a better package) i did not use her.

Just like dating, you have to find one that is for you.

I never suggest my clients book AIR through an agent.

90% of clients know where they want to go, have researched it, just use agents for additional perks, personal experience at the property and advice and for assistance if things go wrong.

Because, everything is fine until things go wrong. :/

If you decide to DIY it, book your air direct, (not bulk, so you can choose your seats and not get bumped) look into travel insurance of something goes wrong, and start a repor with the resorts customer service, direct at the resort, not the company as a whole, to enquire of there is construction, renovations, etc , always request a quiet room (again direct with the resort) away from ice machines, and elevators, as well as ask for menus from the concierge via email in advance. Those are just some things an agent will do for you, and you should do for yourself if you are booking direct, because whoever you are booking through )expedia or direct) they are your agent, they do get comission, but do not provide those (or any usually) services. If you are proactive you can do it

Since I have plenty of time to research I am looking at all of our options. We may go and speak with a AAA agent though to finally book. I have been looking at reviews, prices, what the hotel/resort has for amenities and what they have for businesses around them. I was really excited about this one hotel until I started reading the reviews, yeah no longer looking at that place as an option. If you don't have the time to research all of this on your own I recommend a travel agent so they can do the work for you.

You can do a quick search in Orbitz or Expedia, it would give you an idea for prices and options, then you can compare it with your preferred agent.

I've never traveled before, and I very much appreciate having someone act on my behaf to make sure all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed. We also got a much better deal with the TA than I was finding on the internet. Not only was the cost better, but she was also able to recommend flying out of a different airport to get a non-stop flight as well as some other things I'd never considered.

We travel fairly frequently and always book our own trips. We got in contact with a travel agent when we first started planning our honeymoon, but we quickly realized no one's gonna understand exactly what we want and are looking for like we are, so we booked everything ourselves.

That being said, if we were new to travel, I wouldn't have felt comfortable doing it all on my own.