To travel agent or not to travel agent?

TA Babs · November 6, 2013

TA's take all the stress out of the planning process by ensuring you can focus on the wedding and not everyone else's travel plans. Our agency has great relations with resorts so often times we are able to get answers for you when the wedding coordinator is not responding. The best part is we don't charge a fee for our services so our value is worth twice as much :-)

babystace1985 · November 6, 2013

I agree ladies! You gave me some facts I can share with my FI now to get him on board, thanks!

BeachGirl13 · June 28, 2014

We recently returned from our honeymoon which took place aboard a Carnival Cruise. We checked prices for the cruise using the usual online travel sites like Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, as well as cruise-specific sites. We also checked the same cruise via Carnival's website. Then we called an independent travel agent to see what they would offer us, price-wise, for the very same 4 day/4 night cruise that we were interested in. The travel agent was only a few dollars higher than the third-party travel sites or directly via Carnival.

We ended up booking our honeymoon cruise directly via a Carnival agent by phone, and had a great time at a pretty reasonable cost. Carnival didn't charge any more or less than the third-party travel sites, and was a little bit cheaper than going through an independent agent. However, you may wish to book a cruise or resort honeymoon via an agent especially if that agent specializes in either cruises or resorts (depending on your desires), and you have no idea which cruise lines you want to sail or which resorts you might want to honeymoon in. If you have a good idea where you want to go, how you want to get there, and you have a great deal of travel experience - then booking directly via the cruise or resort website (actually calling and reaching a live reservations agent is better) is the way to go. Our Carnival reservations agent was very helpful - but again, we already knew who we would be sailing with on our honeymoon. Happy honeymooning!

Tatimrivera · June 30, 2014

I personally booked a travel agent through destination weddings.com. My agents name is Joanne and she is delightful. We paid $50 to use the site and that money will be put toward our final cost. Joanne books everything for our guest and she matches prices. So far my experience is a great one.

I would note that the flights booked with the TA are higher than if you researched for lower flights.

Brinley · July 1, 2014

It isn't that the rates for flights are higher using a TA - it is that you are reserving for a large group and to travel and arrive all together, that comes at a higher rate. The benefit, should you get bumped, is that it would be all or nothing instead of one or two couples. I have heard lots of horror stories about that happening.

kmk2016 · July 2, 2014

It isn't that the rates for flights are higher using a TA - it is that you are reserving for a large group and to travel and arrive all together, that comes at a higher rate. The benefit, should you get bumped, is that it would be all or nothing instead of one or two couples. I have heard lots of horror stories about that happening.

Our rates definitely aren't higher because we went with a TA- it enabled us to get a rate MUCH better than our guests could try and find alone, plus gave us many perks that helped keep our wedding costs down.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

NixSpade · July 2, 2014

We are using a TA. Because we have family flying from different provinces and states. She has negotiated great rates for us and gotten really good upgrades.

Brinley · July 5, 2014

I agree - Using a TA has so many advantages. As a bride, there is enough to be planning and thinking about, it is one less stress. Think of all the extra time you have to find and share ideas on this site.

xxalex18 · August 15, 2014

For peace of mind as a bride go with the travel agent! If anything goes wrong they chase it up for you

TA Wendy · October 28, 2014

Why Use a Travel Agent?

It’s a really good and valid question, and to be honest, sometimes the answer might actually be that you don’t need one! But we’ll come back to that.

Most travel agents now prefer the title travel consultant or similar. Why? It has a lot to do with the advantages they offer today. Still, with all the websites, deal finders, mobile travel apps, and online services, a lot of people ask: why use a travel consultant?

It’s not hard to do it yourself. It might even be fun! Or, it could turn into a huge disaster. Below are a few points to consider before clicking the BUY button or tapping yourself into a nonrefundable corner.

1. Experience. Think about what you do for a living. For nearly every profession, you can find a website, video, or app that gives potential customers a way to do it themselves. With a little help from the Internet you can fix your car, build cabinets, replace plumbing, write wills, draft contracts, cut hair, make clothes, buy shoes, do accounting, buy stock, cook, bake, and let’s not forget edit videos and touch-up photos.

Finding instructions or tools is not the problem. Doing it RIGHT is the issue. If you put the wrong screw in the wall, it’s no big deal. If you put your family in the wrong resort, it’s a much bigger deal. It becomes even bigger if something goes wrong.

Most people deal with planning a vacation once or twice a year. Travel consultants deal with it all day, every day and many have been doing it for years. Their livelihood fully depends on using their knowledge and experience to craft a vacation you’ll love so much that you’ll keep coming back for more.

Websites and apps with advertising-driven, biased offerings are counting on your own lack of experience to push you to options that will earn them the most profit. Your satisfaction is not part of the display algorithm.

2. Real Deals. Have you ever wondered why some cruises, resorts, or hotels seem to have cheaper deals on some websites? There’s always a reason. Sometimes, it’s a good reason. Sometimes, it’s a very bad reason that you won’t know about until you arrive and it’s too late. There’s always a reason, and a great price is not always a good deal.

For example, every hotel has “undesirable” rooms they have trouble filling. Smaller rooms in noisy areas, rooms that haven’t been renovated lately, or those that overlook the dumpsters are always cheaper than nice ones in quiet areas with good views.

Websites are perfect for liquidating those rooms at bargain rates. Unfortunately, these so-called deals rarely mention things like smelly carpet or noise. It’s also no coincidence that many require full payment upon booking and are nonrefundable.

Even the most beautiful cruise ship has cabins they have trouble selling. The ones directly under the dance floor of the all-night disco, or the ones near the anchor chain that bangs against the side of the ship are just two examples. There are plenty of hard-to-sell cabins that are perfect for online deals.

To be fair, sometimes you can get lucky online! Sometimes the deals are real and worth the risk. Sometimes.

Travel consultants know the legitimate deals from the come-ons. They’ve been trained to uncover the reason behind the bargain. They understand travel lingo, know what to look for and most importantly: they know what to avoid.

3. Transparency. With websites and apps, you may not know what you’ll actually be paying! Many hotels add nightly “resort fees” of $25 to $50 on top of the discounted rate apps and websites display. Of course, you won’t know about them until you check out. Even rental cars can end up costing double the online rate once extra charges like airport fees, taxes, surcharges and such have been added.

Travel consultants know these little details. They make sure you are never unpleasantly surprised. You’ll always know exactly what you’ll be paying and what you’ll get for it.

4. Options. When you buy a cruise or vacation package online, you’ll almost always be required to pay for the entire trip up-front. Did you know that travel consultants offer another option? Usually they can hold the space for you for a small deposit of around $150 to $200. Final payment is not due until between 30 to 60 days prior to departure. In many cases, you can change your plans or cancel entirely prior to final payment!

In addition to the payment options, travel consultants can research and suggest alternatives to what you may have requested. While “Resort A” may be wonderful, its website will never tell you that “Resort B” has a nicer beach or better rates, or that that its own casino is closed for loud and dusty renovations.

5. Advice and Connections. Travel consultants offer something you’ll never find online or in an app: professional advice. Online, every resort or cruise is made to look beautiful and appealing. But, it’s no bargain if you end up regretting the trip. The main reason to use a travel consultant is to make sure you never waste a penny on a vacation you won’t truly enjoy.

There’s one more thing you’ll only get from a travel consultant: relationships. They have real one-to-one personal relationships with travel suppliers that can fix things should something happen to go wrong.

If a travel app messes up your reservations, you’re on your own. But with a travel consultant – you’ll have an advocate on your side with connections. In other words: a human who cares. To the machines, you’re nothing but their data.

Also, you might have heard that some travel consultants charge fees for their professional service. Like other skilled advisors, the best often do. But fees don’t mean you’ll always pay more. In fact, they’re likely to save you more than you ever imagined.

When You Don’t Need a Travel Consultant

It’s true. Sometimes you might not need a travel consultant. If you’re willing to take some risks, and not be concerned if something goes wrong, you might get lucky with the apps and websites. Many people do. Travel consultants just prefer not to gamble.