Travel agent for honey moon?

Travel agents typically don't charge customers a fee. They get a commission from the resort/airline when you book. Some will charge a down payment for their time in creating an itinerary but will credit that amount for the total you owe if you book with them (basically an insurance that they didn't spend hours of work for you to just take the itinerary and book on Expedia or something). We used a travel agent for our honeymoon. I pretty much knew what I wanted, but she was helpful in finding the best days/times to fly and was super helpful when our flight got canceled the morning of and we were, luckily, placed on the next flight out that same afternoon.

We used a travel agent - but he's a friend of DH's, and this was his gift to us.

That said, they can often help you navigate the complexities of resorts or destinations you aren't familiar with... and if you're looking for Disney, there are plenty of agents who specialize in that.

Agree with others. You don't generally "pay" directly for a travel agent; they make their money on commissions paid by vendors (e.g., airlines, resorts, cruise lines, etc.). However, especially in a time of easy, direct internet bookings, realize you may find less expensive packages on your own through various travel sites. (Those commissions have to come from somewhere, so you're probably not booking the least expensive options through a travel agent.) We're AAA members, so their travel agent services are "free" to us and we've found them very helpful (we've booked packaged trips to Hawaii and Jamaica through them, and have gone in just to ask them questions related to trips we're planning for ourselves). Clearly, AAA is getting paid, but they are so huge that they are able to maximize the economies of scale and keep prices low, compared with a small independent travel agent.

True story, my parents had never hired a travel agent prior to their recent Italy trip. Thank God they did because my father had a heart attack on the Leaning Tower of Pisa! So the travel agent helped my mom find hotels, new flights, train fare, etc, all while my mom focused on my dad. I say go for a travel agent if it is a location where English may not be easily found and it is outside your comfort zone. Their trip had a huge obstacle but because of her help, it wasn't ruined...and my mom didn't completely loose her crap!

Oh and my dad is great and lost 4plbs! Yay!

I have a travel agent and I love it!!

When visiting a TA site, they will usually pair you with someone who is an expert in that area so they can guide you to hotels and activities that match your interest and have information that you might find online. With a well-connected TA you can also get perks with the hotel like free breakfast, upgrades, VIP treatment etc.

Usinh a TA is for convenience and perks, NOT to save money as you may get better deals online.

However I was able to save $2000 for our Maldives resort by booking with our TA so it can happen!

have fun planning!

I'll be the minority here - though travel agents don't "charge" you, they won't necessarily find the best deals for you. 3 couples I'm friends with who used an agent for their honeymoon ended up spending almost double of what they would have paid if they just did a simple Google search. Same hotel, same airline, same season.... (One couple did 6 days in Mexico ended up paying $6k thru an agent, their hotel for same dates with direct flights came under 3k.... It was awful they didn't realize ...) If you are budget concious, poke around on different sites and see what things cost before you go to an agent...or after you get quotes for the destinations you would like, go online and see what you can get it for yourself. If it is the same I guess go with the agent, I see the points others are making as you won't have to do anything or worry as much about anything. one of my latest trip, a flight was cancelled also the morning of, but w just one call i was able to reschedule us on another flight - there is no magic in that, but u wouldn't even have to make a call I guess?
Also, side note, I love planning travel and finding great deals. You look things up enough, and it is not stressful or hard, it's actually a lot of fun. We as consumers now have access to everything, there is no harm in making sure you get a fair deal... my 2 cents

View Quoted Comment This too!!!!!

I don't think travel agents always have the best deals

We didn't use one. I found it easier to plan myself and just look at lots of hotel options.

We are using a travel agent. Did not cost us anything. Very helpful I didn’t have to do a thing I just chose the resort! Highly recommend!

I find myself partly in both camps. On the one hand, I'm capable of researching a trip myself, and finding the best deals--don't really need a travel agent for that.

Having said that, we are planning a Caribbean cruise for our honeymoon. I talked to a couple of travel agents that had booths at a wedding expo I attended. One thing I learned was that if I went through an agent, I could plan our whole trip, and start making monthly payments on the cost of it, so that it would be paid of by the time we went on the trip, but I wouldn't have to come up with $$$$ way ahead of time. THIS is where a travel agent can be extremely helpful. Not saying they all do this. But two of the ones I talked to do offer that perk. You can plan and book your whole trip, and when it comes time to pay, you put down a deposit, then just pay your monthly amount until it's paid off. Super easy way to pay for travel. Something to think about.

My mom has been a travel agent for almost 30 years, and has done a large variety of work in the field. From observing her work, I would say that a travel agent is useful for your honeymoon if you're not used to traveling, going somewhere where English isn't common, or somewhere where travel may be a bit tricky (ie safari).

Thanks for all the advice ladies! I’ll for sure be looking into it more. We aren’t 100% sure where we want to go yet, we’ve talked about the Maldives because it looks awesome but also talked about Colorado/Wyoming. I know completely different places 😂 were torn between hiking/exploring or beach stuff lol

My fiancé and I are thinking about renting a cabin on a mountain about an hour away from our town. We figured it would be cheaper to go up to the mountain for a few days. That way we have more money for a house. Plus I am very weird, and I actually want to go back to work after being off for a few days. I keep going back and forth on if I want to go back to work the day after I get married.