To Travel Agent or not to Travel Agent

[TokyoBride]

I've been booking my own travel via Orbitz and the like since as far back as I can remember, I guess most of us are in the techy generation But Orbitz deals seem the best when you can book flight/hotel together (i.e. flying in and out of one city and staying at only 1 hotel during that time). We'll be flying from Tokyo to Honolulu to Big Island and back to Tokyo, possibly with a rental car in there at some point, and I was wondering if a good travel agent may be able to get us a great deal along with better perks such as room upgrade, champagne on the wedding night, etc. I'd like to put the question out there as to whether anyone has booked or is booking their (or their guests') Hawaiian wedding/honeymoon through a travel agent that they would or wouldn't recommend. If you decided to not use a travel agent, that explanation would be equally appreciated!

 

In regards to this topic, I've been listening to the Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast which is through a travel agency but has really great general Hawaiian travel tips, if anyone is looking for some good listening while commuting, it's my recommendation :-)

[TammyWright]

of course use a TA...i can usually match or beat orbitz's price!! not only that but your guests that may not be as techy have a person to contact that knows your wedding details, etc.

 

also, when you book a group with a TA it is much easier to negotiate perks because you have a number of bookings made in one place to use as leverage.

[Jen_S]

I agree with Tammy use a TA we thought about not using one also and then we thought about all the calls and questions. You will have enough to do planning your wedding you do not need to be a TA for some of your guests.

[Sheree10]

Initially, I was going to have my guests book on their own and get group rates from the airlines and resort. Well, since then we've decided to use a TA. At least the guests have someone to contact besides me about their travel arrangements. I've been in contact with one TA and she seems really nice. She was able to get some quotes for our resort next year.

[La Romana Stacey]

I also agree with Tammy. There are lots of things that are easy for a TA to arrange which may be a headach for you. For example making sure all of your rooms are in the same area of the resort, taking care of schedule changes, doing individual room requests for each guests, etc. I'm learning that people can be very pick about certain things when they travel. It's probably better for your own sanity if someone else can handle this for you!

[tylersgirl]

Yes, I would definitely recommend using a TA!

[rms102]

Great...I will check into TA.

[BeachBound2011]

I'm using a Travel Agent and she hasn't found flight deals as cheap as I have.  In fact, she's asking ME where I found flights so cheap (priceline), so I'm obviously not big on using a TA. . .