Travel Agent Advice

No everything should be laid out for you on an invoice. I wouldnt leave anything up to chance especially with such a large trip.

Also I have used travel agents multiple times and never paid a retainer fee.

ETA: There may be some things that arent booked yet so she cant know the exact price...flights and hotel rooms but you should be getting more solid information than what it seems like your getting.

Yeah...I work in the travel industry, and there shouldn't be a retainer fee

I didn't pay a fee for my travel agent either. I would talk to some other travel agents around you and see what they have to offer!

I've used a travel agent for every trip I've ever done. Not once was there a fee

also, we don't usually get a breakdown of everything unless we ask, or about a few weeks out from the trip. Whichever comes first. I have 5 months still so probably around April I'll ask for my printout and go pick it up.

They do however always give me a breakdown of costs (airfare, transfers, hotel, taxes, etc) right when I book.

I would research this company thoroughly before booking/signing anything. Travel Agents usually do not take a retainer fee. You should be receiving a breakdown of all costs after all you want to know what kind of discount you are receiving using a travel agent (all TA's receive a TA discount when booking airlines/hotels,etc.) versus booking it yourself or using a third party website such as expedia,booking.com.

I would expect a detailed breakdown of your cost. I have heard of retainers but that's unusual now I think. However, travel agents have to make their money somewhere so the question is where. For cruises, the cruise line pays the travel agent commission so you as a traveler pay no more. However, not sure if that's the case for airfare, hotels, etc

Usually, the travel agents are paid through the hotels they book you through, so a retainer seems odd. And yes, they should give you a precise breakdown of costs, flights, hotels, and any extras you have booked and what they cost. I feel like you may need to book a different travel agent...

My agent was very upfront with me about the deposit on our trip, payment breakdowns, any confirmations or cancellations of excursions.

All helpful information! She did say that the retainer cost will be applied to our honeymoon payment. She said that we just needed to release that amount so she could go further with the planning. If anyone has a good travel agent they'd recommend that has done travel to Southeast Asia, please let me know!

Seems I'm not the norm, but I just paid a retainer and deposit to our agent which are both applied to trip total. We got a full itinerary with hotels but the price was the sum per person.

Absolutely you should be getting a breakdown on EVERYTHING.

They should not be charging you.

Try AAA if you are a member.

I've never heard of a retainer fee for a travel agent...

We have never paid a retainer fee and have used several different travel agents in the past. Also we have always gotten a detailed list of everything, including costs.

I've never seen a retainer fee but they might just put it towards the trip total. You can just ask for an itemized cost breakout. You're paying for the trip. They are providing a service, you can totally ask questions

I've always used a travel agent and never paid a retainer fee. The itinerary was detailed. We've always just paid a $400 deposit on our trip and our travel agent gives us a deadline to have the trip paid for. Up until that deadline we pay however much we want whenever we want.

Hello everyone, couldn't help but notice this thread So I would like to share some of my advice with you about travel agents, since I am kind of one, as well as suggestions that I always give to my honeymooners. With that said, when I say "kind of one", let me elaborate - I specialize in honeymoons, nothing else. So I don't consider myself a travel agent. My title is that of a honeymoon designer. I create an itinerary for you based on answers that you supply to me on a honeymoon profile that I use to find out all about you and your FH so that I can make the best recommendations while staying with your budget. It's all about YOU! Sorry for that small rant! Here goes:

1. I always recommend interviewing several travel professionals, not an agent. I say this because anyone can be a travel agent and sell travel, but a travel professional has experience in that destination, has been there and has taken the time to established relationships with the staff and management at the properties they recommend.

2. A travel professional will listen to your dreams and then recommend places that fit your personalities, not just suggest somewhere based on price. A travel professional who listens will know that if you are beach lovers that you would not be happy at Secrets Silversands in the Riviera Maya because their beach is a bit rocky and would therefore recommend Secrets Maroma for example. A travel professional has been there and knows these things to make your honeymoon much more memorable than you recalling that you cut your foot on the rocks when walking into the surf.

3. Most travel professionals do charge a retainer/deposit for their services. After all, you will be working with a professional and as in any field, the specialist gets paid more and requires a retainer upfront. Now, I am not saying that travel agents who do not charge a fee are not good agents, I'm saying that as travel specialist, our time is as valuable as yours and that is why you want to work with a travel professional, so that you are not wasting your time researching, getting overwhelmed and frustrated which in turn saves you money and time. And to be honest, without a retainer/deposit upfront, we have no guarantee that you will not take the information that we have spend on finding you the best flights with the right connection, transfers, car rentals, beautiful rooms with plunge pools that are not available on Orbitz, etc., and then not booking with that agent. That is why agents charge a fee. And, yes, in most cases that deposit is applied to your reservation. The deposit is our way of making sure that we get your business, rather than you taking all the work we did and going off and finding something on Travelocity for a less price. The deposit helps us keep your business after we have done the work for you. I'm sure you understand where we are coming from.

4. Travel professionals know that you can go online to Expedia and find the exact same deal for less money than the itinerary that we have created for you. However, please, please, please keep in mind, if you do not take away anything else from this post, take this: If something was to go wrong with your travel plans, there is no travel gnome that will be available to help you, if you are stranded at the airport because your flights were cancelled or you missed your connection because you DIYd your honeymoon and didn't see that you only had a 45 minute connection in the Miami airport, for example and missed your connection because you landed at Gate 2 and your connection is at Gate 60. I can say that I have been woken up by clients, at 2:22A, who forgot and left their transfer information sitting on their dining room table and was already at the airport when they remembered. So not a problem for me, I simply went downstairs and scanned a copy of the transfer document and emailed it to them and they had it before they hit the ground in Jamaica. But it would not have made a difference anyway, because I have a connection at the transfer company and they would have taken them to their resort anyway, since I had called the day before to make sure that they were on the transfer list. The point is that I am available 24/7 to my honeymooners because I know that "stuff happens" while traveling.

5. I know that everyone wants the best price and to let you know, I have the exact same price that you can find on CheapCaribbean.com, although sometimes my price does not match theirs. The reason my price does not match theirs is because my quotes include everything, from the flights, transfers, accommodations (that, by the way, the online agencies do not have access to the "A List" room categories), meal plans, gratuities, travel insurance and in some cases an excursion. So don't freak out when my price doesn't equal the online agency price. Just let me know and then I can usually match the price for you, but the price match does have to match exactly, apples to apples, in other words, the same exact flight schedule and class of service, the exact room category (not the online agency tropical view versus my oceanfront suite with a private plunge pool), shuttle transfers versus private transfers, etc., you get the picture. So price shouldn't deter you from using a travel professional.

6. To answer the original question on this thread, a travel professional, or any agent who asks for a retainer/deposit or a Plan to Go Fee, is what most are calling it these days, should give you a breakdown of your itinerary. However, keep in mind, as one person above mentioned, at the time of putting your quotes together, the agent usually doesn't have that information. The travel suppliers have packages that agents can purchase and therefore, the price is not broken down. I can say that on the itineraries to the Caribbean that I create, you will not find a price breakdown for the airfare, room, transfers, etc, because it is all bundled together. However, if you are wanting to honeymoon in Italy for example, and want to visit, Rome, Florence and Venice, then when I have to put all that together separately, then you would see a breakdown of the individual charges for the flights, each hotel, car rental, etc. So to answer your question, you should not feel uncomfortable asking the agent that you already gave a deposit to for an itemized invoice. Just remember that the invoice may not be as broken down as you would like.

7. A travel professional cares about YOU! We have your best interest at heart, we (I) will fight for you to get the last oceanfront suite when the travel supplier says that there are no more available, but I know that another travel supplier has availability. For example, I have a honeymoon couple that is leaving for St Lucia in a March. The resort has a rooftop Presidential suite that was not available at the time I booked their reservation, but I knew if I check back after 10P, that more than likely the room would be available. So I made the reservation for the next room category down, which was the oceanfront suite with a plunge pool. I then checked back and viola' the Presidential suite was available. So I cancelled the oceanfront suite and booked the Presidential suite and have not told the couple so that it will be a surprise when they arrive. They are very happy with their oceanfront suite, not expecting to open the door to their original desire of being on the rooftop. This is the personal touch that you will find in a travel professional which you will not get from an online travel agency, like Kayak or CheapDeals.com. Travel professionals care about YOU! My job is to make sure that YOU get the best in service and amenities while staying within your budget.

So I have gone on long enough with my reasons why you should use a travel professional. Remember to interview several and find the one that best matches your personalities, who is outgoing and fun and know their stuff about the destinations and resorts that you are considering. You don't want a boring travel agent who doesn't listen to YOU!

Sorry for the long rant, but I love what I do which is helping honeymoon couples find their way through all the research and frustration of the internet to create the best itinerary for them to experience.

Hopes this helps and Happy Honeymooning!

Lisa