European Honeymoons - Travel agent - yes or no?

We did a trip to France a couple years ago and I planned the entire thing with no travel agent. We rented apartments in Paris and Nice, I coordinated all of the travel and day trips, etc. I love organizing trips (doing our Hawaii honeymoon), but it is a lot of work when there's So many options. If we had decided on a Europe HM I would definitely use a travel agent.

Where in Europe are you thinking ?

I think with any honeymoon trips it is best to use a travel agent. Your already have so many things to plan for the wedding, its nice to have someone else helping you plan the honeymoon.

I took 3 girlfriends to greece for 2 weeks. We used a travel agent for places we couldn't drive to: 3 island day trip; Mykonos for 3 days; Delphi. There were hotels, ferries and transfers to book.

The other part of the trip, we stayed with my grandma and took her car and drove to places.

Thanks for the tips. We really aren't overly picky about where we go since neither of us have ever been to Europe. since we're first timers, we thought of hitting London, Paris and Rome. Both of us would also like to go to Germany and Ireland but I think more than 3 stops would be too much since it'll only be a 10 day trip. If I could spend a year there I would want to see every country! Any recommendations?

We are doing a European honeymoon (Paris, Copenhagen, Split, Hvar, and Dubrovnik) and are planning the whole thing ourselves. For places to stay we are renting apartments through Air Bnb. We have been getting recommendations from friends who have visited or lived in those cites to find out what area to stay in, then booking apartments that have 20+ great reviews in English. It has been a good method so far. For things to do, I've just been researching things to do in those cities on travel websites and am booking directly with the tour companies. So far we have scheduled a wine tasting/dinner tour in Split, a sea kayaking day trip in Hvar, and have decided to go to the Carlsberg Brewery in Copenhagen but cannot buy tickets this far in advance.

There are some places where it's harder to get in to if you don't have a reservation (like the Sistine Chapel in Rome, Alhahambra in Spain). If there is a site you want to go to that is a heavy tourist attraction, it might not be a bad idea to try to pre-book or use a travel agent for.

I've never used a Travel Agent before but I am using one for our Honeymoon to Ireland. I just don't have the time and I really appreciate all of the tips our Travel Agent has given us. If you do go with a Travel Agent make sure he/she has been to that location before. Have fun!

You dont necessarily need a travel agent Europe is pretty easy to navigate if staying mainland. I really recommend London (biased though as i live here) and I would say look in to Barcelona, Milan and Amsterdam if you like your cities. Dublin is great too! If you want something a bit more beachy go to greece, spainish islands or portugal

When most people travel in Europe they want to see more than one city or even more than one country. Planning a multiple destination itinerary can be time consuming and nerve racking when there are so many moving parts to make sure fit. Having a travel agent will take the stress off of the honeymoon and give you a seamless trip that you will be talking about for years to come!

A good agent won’t cost more than doing it on your own, and can in fact save you money and hours of frustration! But just like any industry, there are great agents, and not so great agents. Here’s some questions to ask when looking for an agent:

- How long have they been in business?

- What professional certifications do they hold?

- Are they able to articulate why they are recommended a certain destination or resort for you?

- Are they able to explain all the ins and outs of the trip insurance?

- When is the last time they visited the particular resort or destination they are recommending?

I'm a little late to this forum, but having used a travel agent and done the DIY thing for Europe trips, I would definitely say plan it yourself (at least initially, you can always see if a travel agent can beat the prices you found, but they never have for me). Unless you're going somewhere really remote, Europe is very accessible. You might want to try out Vamo.com, they are a new site designed for planning travel to multiple destinations. They try to book you an open jaw flight (when you fly out of a different city) so you don't have to waste time doubling back and they find those flights and they use data skyscanner.com to find flights in-between which is definitely where i've found the cheapest flights within Europe before Vamo came along. I think they have some good deals on hotels too.

I think you're right that three main stops is probably enough for a 10 day trip, but you could do a day trip from one of those cities. Versailles is easy striking distance from Paris and Tivoli and Orvieto are both close to Rome.

Not using a travel agent costs you more in the end. Travel Agents get paid by the vendors. If you choose not to use a travel agent the vendor keeps the commission for themselves. They don't give it to the client. So in the end your really paying more if that makes sense. You also have nobody to help you in a time of need. Having a travel agent is your connection to help with any problem that could arise.

Most people don't use a travel agent in fear we will cost them more. Great example on my last flight. While I was waiting for the plane the girl next to me was bragging how she got a good deal on the emergency exit row. I paid less sitting in First Class.

I will say clients who do a little research is a good thing. It helps me understand their needs. Then I show them what they are missing. Anyone who does not use a travel agent is spending more on their trip.

Check out this story it may change your thought process

http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2014/09/25/travel-agents/16221261/

Travelling long distances especially for your honeymoon demands a lot of planning and time and effort on your part. I don’t think one would be able to plan the wedding as well as the honeymoon simultaneously unless you start really early. Hence it is always good to hire a travel agent as they would leave you with at least one headache less. Europe is a huge place and there are numerous places that can go to. For me, London, Barcelona, Milan and Munich are a must besides Budapest, Stockholm, Oslo and Paris. But it entirely depends on you budget. We are planning our honeymoon in two parts, one a 8 days voyage from Chicago to Rhode Islands on the cruise( http://www.blountsmallshipadventures.com/where-we-go/2015-magical-lake-michigan-chicago-to-chicago/?view=itinerary )before setting off on our European adventure that spans close to 15 days. We have not hired a travel agent for the cruise but for the European adventure we have.

We have always used Sterling Expeditions Travel PM me if you'd like their information. They worked with our budget and were awesome!!!

The 1 trip you want to be executed without flaw is your HONEYMOON. Rely on an experienced travel agent to perform the research/advice, booking, and monitor while you are in trip. Trust me, you dont want to worry about travel logistics while you are planning a wedding.

Cathy Rosen and Sand & C Travel is excellent for honeymoons and knows Europe: http://www.vacation.com/travel-agents/usa/?name=cathy-rosen/30586

Make sure you get travel insurance. CSAtravelprotection.com has a honeymoon policy.