Search the Community

It is a question many travelers ask themselves before booking a trip — should I use a travel agent? And when it comes to booking your destination wedding or honeymoon, the answer to that question is an absolute YES. The agents at Wright Travel Agency not only organize and arrange all travel plans for you and your guests, their agents are also the person in your corner who you can turn to if you run into any issues during the travel process or if you have problems at your destination location. A good travel agent is there from beginning to end looking out for your best interest to ensure that your travel experience is as stress-free as possible. Here are several reasons why you should use Wright Travel Agency (WTA) — the official agency of the BestDestinationWedding.com — to book your destination wedding group: Wright Travel Agency does not charge a service fee, so it is completely free to use one of their agents to book your group. Wright Travel’s agents have decades of experience working with destination wedding couples, small/large groups and honeymooners -- many of these agents are also destination brides themselves, so they are familiar with the special ebbs and flows of a destination celebration and can help you every step of the way. Their agents are well-versed in the intricacies of booking a small or large wedding group and familiar with resorts throughout Mexico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Costa Rica and other Caribbean destinations, as well as other locations throughout the world. If a WTA agent’s services comes at absolutely no extra cost to you, why wouldn’t you take advantage of one of their agents’ assistance and expertise in coordinating your trip and helping your guests with their travel plans? Aside from booking travel plans, their agents can offer in-depth knowledge and insight about your destination location, the resorts you’re interested in and any fun activities or excursions your group may want to participate in. WTA agents can provide a wealth of knowledge to any traveler — and if their services are completely free to use — what is there to lose? It’s a win-win for you in more ways than one. Wright Travel agents have access to special promotions, discounts and perks for the wedding couple and the group as a whole. Resorts and hotels (along with travel suppliers) are often offering special booking discounts and promotions that can save a couple thousands of dollars. And because Wright Travel is a top producing agency with many of the destination wedding resort brands, there are exclusive bonuses when it comes to working with a WTA agent. This is in addition to perks that allow couples and their guests to receive complimentary room upgrades and extra amenities. But with all these special promotions, there are strict rules and deadlines the couple must adhere to in order to qualify for these perks and there is no better person to explain these terms than an agent who is familiar and knowledgeable about your wedding resort. Based on the number of rooms/nights/guests that book into the group, cashback amounts can range anywhere from a few $100's to several $1000's. Truth be told, you can’t expect a hotels/resort to provide you with personal reminders on important deadlines and numbers you must meet in order to qualify for a promotion or discount, but when you’re using a Wright Travel agent, he/she can give you that personalized service you need to stay on top of things. Wright Travel agents can give you valuable insight when it comes to finding the best resort/property that will fit your needs, budget and preferences. When you find yourselves early in the planing process, completely confused about what resort will best fit your needs, Wright Travel agents are there to help. Their agents are extremely well-traveled and visit several resorts throughout all destination locations at least a few times a year. A good travel advisor is a huge resource that can provide you with valuable insight and information on resort options at your destination location. Most of the time, WTA agents have either stayed or done a site inspection at the resorts you’re considering or had past couples get married at the property you choose — this is expertise and knowledge that you simply can’t put a price on. Wright Travel agents can help secure a room block so that your resort does not run out of rooms and all your guests can book at a consistent rate. One of the biggest mistakes couples make is not securing a room block at their destination hotel/resort. Sure it may seem easier just to have all your guests book on their own, when they’re ready. But when you go this route, you also risk having some guests find out the property is sold out or that the rooms that are left are double, sometimes triple, the rate that other guests have booked. And then you'll end up with family and friends not being able to attend your celebration. The other downfall to not setting aside a proper room block is that you won’t reap the benefits of a group booking — that means, your resort will see you and your guests as a bunch of individual bookings rather than a large group. So you won’t qualify for group perks, amenities, promotions or discounts. This could mean missing out on thousands of dollars in cash back benefits and perks. The resort also won’t prioritize putting your group’s rooms close together, because again, you are not recognized as a group booking. When it comes to group blocks, there are deadlines for releasing rooms that go unused to avoid any penalties. This is another key moment when your travel agents expertise is vital. So word to the wise, get a room block. It will save you a lot of money, headaches and stress and you will reap all the benefits of having a room block. Wright Travel agents will have established relationships with the resort you choose and their wedding department, which will benefit you throughout the planning process. If there’s a consistent complaint that destination wedding couples have, it’s that resort wedding department’s don’t reply to their emails and calls quick enough. Understandably, these wedding departments are dealing with hundreds of brides each year and being able to respond quickly to each and every questions isn’t always feasible. But having a travel agent who knows your resort’s wedding coordinator/team will do a lot to ease your worries. A knowledgeable agent can also answer some questions you might have about the wedding process at your resort. A good working relationship between your agent and the wedding department can be really valuable especially when it comes down to crunch time! Wright Travel agents will handle all your group’s travel details and questions, so you don’t have to. Imagine having to answer 20 questions from Aunt Betty about the best flight to take to your destination, followed by Uncle Mike’s wanting to know what the difference is between the different room categories and three of your guests suddenly going MIA once final payments are due — and this is all between your wedding coordinator sending you questions about the kind of bouquet you want, and by the way, you still need to create a seating chart and your dress suddenly is too big so you need to find a seamstress to fix your dress 10 days before your wedding. And one more thing, on the day that one of your bridesmaids is supposed to leave, she unexpectedly misses her flight so now she’s asking for your help in booking a new flight. Does all of this sound stressful? If it does, it’s because it is. Your job as the bride should be solely focused on being the bride, NOT a glorified travel agent or travel advisor. There are so many questions and unexpected hiccups that can happen when a group is traveling, let your travel agent handle those intricate details. This is stress you don’t need, especially when you can turn to a travel agent who will take care of everything without it costing you a dime. Wright Travel agents can offer travel insurance at a reasonable price. When booking through Wright Travel Agency, all travelers have the opportunity to purchase travel insurance, which allows you to cancel your trip for any reason prior to the originally scheduled flight departure time and receive a full refund (minus the cost of the policy). The policy offered also includes reimbursement for trip interruption, medical expenses incurred on the trip, and lost or delayed baggage. It’s a security blanket offered to travelers that offers great all-around protection for little investment. Wright Travel agents can give you suggestions on good vendors to use at your destination location. Gathering a solid crew of reliable vendors who can make your wedding vision come to life can be quite the challenge. So it’s always helpful when you can turn to your travel agent as a resource for referrals and suggestions. With WTA having worked with thousands of wedding couples, their agents will likely have a list of vendors they can recommend to you — referrals are great to have when it comes to planners, photographers, videographers, DJs, hair/makeup stylist and florists. WTA agents are happy to share their recommendations with clients. Wright Travel agents can help book any other excursions or outings that you or your guests may want to do on their trip. In addition to sharing their knowledge and suggestions of things to do/see at your destination, a WTA agent can also pre-book excursions so you don’t have to hassle with organizing these outings during your stay. If you want to do a special activity or excursion off-site with your guests, your agent can help give you ideas and options to consider. Having your WTA agent assist you means you’ll have more time to enjoy your family and friends. Wright Travel agents work for you and look out for your best interest from beginning to end. Your WTA agent works as a liaison between you and the travel supplier and resort — so your agent is always looking out for your best interest and can handle problems that you or your guests may experience prior to, during or after the trip. WTA agents are in your corner, so don't hesitate to use their expertise, knowledge and experience to make the travel planning process one less thing you have to stress over. When it comes down to it, the question really is — Why wouldn’t you use a Wright Travel agent? A travel agent is the travel expert who can save you an incredible amount of time and money when it comes to planning your destination wedding or honeymoon. They are there to guide you through the process and find the best property to fit for your needs, don’t be afraid to use their knowledge and resources as much as you can. At the end of your wedding journey, you’ll be glad you did! Click here to read more than 100+ reviews about Wright Travel Agency and their destination wedding services. For more information about booking a group, wedding, vow renewal or honeymoon at any destination location, contact Wright Travel Agency at: www.wrighttravelagency.com or you can contact them HERE!

Wedding expenses tend to quickly add up, but with the help of the Best Destination Wedding's official travel agency -- Wright Travel Agency -- the bride and groom can fly to their destination wedding for free! BRIDE & GROOM FLY FREE - GROUPS EXCLUSIVE FOR WRIGHT TRAVEL CLIENTS Book 2/1/2018 - 6/30/2018 (wedding date and travel can take place anytime after this period) Book a total of 60 nights or more for your group at selected properties and receive free round trip coach air tickets for the Bride & Groom (up to $1,000 in value). For more information contact WTA at: Email: [email protected] Or Call: 1-415-839-7511 Featured Resort Brands - AM Resorts (Secrets, Dreams, Breathless, Zoetry, NOW, Sunscape) - All-Inclusive Collection - Hard Rock Hotels - Blue Diamond Resorts (Royalton) - Melia Hotels International Resorts (Paradisus, Melia and ME) - Bahia Principe Resorts - RIU Resorts - Barcelo Resorts - Iberostar Resorts - Palladium Resorts - Karisma Resorts (El Dorado Resorts, Overwater Bungalows, Sensimar Resorts, Azul Beach Resorts, Generations Resorts, Sensatori Resorts, Nickelodeon Resorts Punta Cana, Hidden Beach, Karisma Villas) … and more (inquire with Wright Travel Agency to see if your resort qualifies) Terms and Conditions: Offer is valid on new Group Bookings with Wright Travel Agency, LLC and applies to the wedding couple ONLY. A minimum of 60 paid room nights) booked in the group block in order to qualify for the offer inclusions. Any complimentary nights or bookings made outside the group block will not apply towards this promotion. Wedding couple to receive credit 2-3 weeks after travel (valid for the wedding couple only when traveling from any US gateway, for a maximum value of $1,000 total for both tickets). Customer is responsible for any cancellation fees once airline tickets have been issued. Offer is subject to availability at time of signing contract and receipt of deposit, and may be changed or discontinued without notice. Blackout dates, minimum night stays, room category restrictions, seasonal surcharges, taxes, resort fees, and other restrictions may apply. Wright Travel Agency, LLC CST# 2084813-40. This post has been promoted to an article

If you're planning to get a new passport, you may want to get that process started ASAP as passport fees will be increasing at the beginning of April 2018. Effective April 2, 2018, the passport execution fee will increase from $25 to $35. The $10 increase only applies to U.S. passport applicants using the DS-11 form, such as first-time applicants over 16, children under 16, and applicants who re-apply after reporting their previous passport lost or stolen. The $10 fee increase does not apply to adults eligible to renew their passport by mail using the DS-82 form. Customers applying with the DS-11 form pay two separate fees: an application fee to the U.S. Department of State and the execution fee to the passport acceptance facility. Passport acceptance facilities -- which include post offices, clerks of court, or public libraries -- are designated to accept passport applications on behalf of the U.S. Department of State. . For more information on obtaining a new passport or renewing a passport, visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html/

Looking to plan an adventurous honeymoon this year? Why not explore the beautiful national parks and historic spaces throughout Canada for free? In honor of Canada celebrating its 150th birthday this year, the county's park service is offering free Discovery Passes for all visitors to national parks, national marine conservation areas and national historic sites throughout the country's 13 provinces in 2017. Passes typically cost about $7 USD per person. To obtain the pass, you have to register online -- those interested only need to order one pass for your group or family if you plan to travel together. A 2017 Discovery Pass is valid for everyone arriving in the same vehicle at a national park, or arriving together at a marine conservation area or historic site. Do note, the Discovery Pass is only accepted at national historic sites which are operated by Parks Canada. The passes, which do not cover camping fees or tours with park rangers, are valid from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017. If you have questions on the free Discovery Pass for 2017, contact Canada's National Information Service at 1-888-773-8888 or send an email to [email protected] . For assistance in booking accomodations for a destination wedding wedding or honeymoon, contact one of the Best Destination Wedding travel agents who specialize in destination wedding and honeymoon travel. You can contact them HERE! or visit the website at www.wrighttravelagency.com - - - About me: I am a former BDW Bride AKA as MarieSam and I was addicted to this forum as I planned my own wedding in 2009. Since 2010, I have been the proud owner of MarieSam Sanchez Photography -- a husband and wife photography team based in Southern California and documenting love all over the world. I am also a mother to two girls, an avid traveler and a destination wedding writer/blogger.

As part of its continued effort to go global, Southwest Airlines now offers service from several major U.S. cities to Cancun, Mexico, including nonstop service from Los Angeles, Calif. While Southwest has always been known for their reasonable airfare rates and flexible and abundant flight schedules, the airlines jaw-dropping rate for a direct flight from LAX to Cancun was all the motivation I needed to take advantage of a last minute trip with my family that I booked less than 24 hours before I was scheduled to depart. How much you ask? My ticket was $283 roundtrip all taxes included! (I also traveled with my 2-year-old toddler on this trip, so for the two of us it was a little under $600). Full disclosure, I was a little hesitant to take a Southwest international, because I wasn’t sure how they would compare to other airlines especially when it comes to the basic features they offer. But I’m here to report, my first and only experience with Southwest from Los Angeles to Cancun had a few ups and downs, but overall I can say it was an affordable and efficient way to travel and I'd definitely consider using their nonstop service to Cancun again. The pros about flying to Cancun via Southwest: The leather seats are comfortable and spacious and you get a good amount of legroom. Having been on several flights, I’d say legroom and comfort on my Southwest flight was above average. So if comfort is important to you — you’ll be pleased on this flight. You can check in luggage for free. This is especially important to point out because any other airline will charge you for check-in baggage. The awesome check-in policy is what Southwest is known for, and when it comes to international travel, it applies here too. Your first two check-ins are absolutely free, so if you’re bride with lots to bring, Southwest is a great option that will cut down on baggage fees! Easy check-in and flights are timely. During both legs of journey, we didn’t run into any problems with check-in or flight times. Also important to mention, there were several flights we could have chosen from when we were booking our tickets, which is a great advantage if you need flexibility. From Los Angeles, there were two non-stop flights to Cancun offered daily — one in the morning (with arrival in mid afternoon) and one in the mid afternoon (with arrival in the late evening). This gave us options if we needed them. Great rates. Bottom line, Southwest offers unbelievable rates if you can nab them at the ‘Wanna Get Away’ rate. I’ve never flown to Cancun for such a great rate with check-in baggage fees included. The cons: Southwest does not offer pre-assigned seating. So yes, you have to chance possibly not sitting next to people you know. The solution to this is purchasing the Early Bird check in option, which allows you to get a higher priority boarding to increase your chances on getting the seat(s) you want. This option was only $15/person for each flight, so it’s not too high a price to pay if you want a better chance of sitting where you want and choosing your neighbor. The no-assigned seating method may also make you a bit nervous if you’re traveling with children, but after some asking around, I found out that they do allow people traveling with children 6 and under to board the flight after the A group and preferred members board — so you’ll likely be abler to sit next to your child with no problem. I also witnessed the flight staff, really work hard to keep families together once all passengers were situated. No meals are offered for free or for purchase on Southwest flights, but they will load you up with all the drinks and snacks you can eat (chips, cookies, crackers and peanuts), which is actually a great thing compared to some other airlines that do offer food for purchase. So make sure pick up a meal at the airport or bring one from home if you like being able to eat a meal on your flight. Wifi service is TERRIBLE on Southwest. I can only attest to my two flight to and from Mexico, but either way it was a crap shoot and mostly didn’t work. Wifi will cost you $8 for all all day pass on a single device and no matter how hard I tried to pay — I was basically like “TAKE MY MONEY!” and it never worked. So don’t rely on Wifi onboard, this is a problem I’ve read is a common occurrence in other travelers who’ve used Southwest to go international. While Southwest does NOT offer any entertainment module on board (screens on the backs of seats in front of you or television screens above), they do offer free streaming TV and movies for purchase if you use your own device — BUT again, anything streaming on my flights was terrible. This was basically the message I saw the whole time when trying to watch their free live TV, “ Hold tight! Our Live TV is currently outside a coverage area.” There simply wasn’t a stable connection and it was quite frustrating. So I basically spent my in-flight time on my laptop catching up on work (i.e., writing up this review LOL.) If you can get past Southwest's minor shortcomings, it’s a great and affordable option for traveling into Mexico. It all really depends on what in-flight comforts and services are important to you! Note: My travel period from LAX to Cancun was May 29, 2017 to June 1, 2017. To find out more information about booking your honeymoon or destination wedding, contact Wright Travel Agency at:www.wrighttravelagency.com or you can contact them HERE! - - - About me: I am a former BDW Bride AKA as MarieSam and I was addicted to this forum as I planned my own wedding in 2009. Since 2010, I have been the proud owner of MarieSam Sanchez Photography -- a husband and wife photography team based in Southern California and documenting love all over the world. I am also a mother to two girls, an avid traveler and a destination wedding writer/blogger.

Some couples are set on having their wedding on a particular date that falls on a weekend. But if you're a pair who is more flexible on the date you tie the knot, you may want to consider having a weekday wedding. Here are five reasons why a weekday wedding may be the way to go for you: 1) It allows your guests to extend their trip into the weekend. While you and your sweetheart may be spending an extended amount of time at your destination location before and after the Big Day, your guests may not have that flexibility. When you plan your wedding a few days before the weekend, it may give them a chance to extend their stay by taking advantage of the weekend. For example, plan your wedding on a Thursday or Friday and that gives your guests the option to take some additional time to unwind on Saturday and Sunday. 2) May help cut down on crowds at your venue. While destination locations usually double as popular vacation spots, having your wedding on a weekday could drastically cut down on the crowds in or around your venue -- especially if you are having a beach wedding. Having your wedding ceremony on the beach on a Thursday could cut back on the chances that you'll have a bunch of swimsuited observers watching the festivities nearby. 3) It will give you some flexibility on the rest of your wedding festivities. When you plan your wedding on a Saturday, it's very likely that your guests will make plans to depart and go home on Sunday. But if you plan your wedding on a weekday before the weekend, you'll be able to schedule other fun group activities during the remaining days thereafter. You'll also have less of a chance of booking a day when another wedding will be taking place, especially if you're having it at a popular venue that hosts more than one wedding a day. 4) Popular vendors are more likely to be available on a weekday. When it comes to booking your wedding at a popular destination location, some couples will find during the planning process that their favorite or preferred vendors may already booked. Popular photographers, videographers, event planners/designers, hair/makeup stylists, DJs or bands will often book weddings several months or even a year in advance. So if you find out that your favorite vendor is already locked into another event, consider a weekday wedding to increase your chances! 5) It may cut down on some wedding and travel costs. While destination locations are no stranger to weekday weddings, you may find that your location/venue or even vendor offers a small price break for a weekday event. It's not common, but definitely worth asking about. You may also find that your weekday event date(s) will also cut down on travel and lodging costs for your guests. To find out more information about booking a destination wedding or honeymoon, contact Wright Travel Agency at: www.wrighttravelagency.com or you can contact them HERE! - - - About me: I am a former BDW Bride AKA as MarieSam and I was addicted to this forum as I planned my own wedding in 2009. Since 2010, I have been the proud owner of MarieSam Sanchez Photography -- a husband and wife photography team based in Southern California and documenting love all over the world. I am also a mother to two girls, an avid traveler and a destination wedding writer/blogger.