Question about travel agents.....

both!! I would have never heard about the HM spots we picked, I would have never gotten such great deals and freebies, and I would have never arranged everything so quickly!

I think they are particularly great if you want a more unique, complex HM. I used a Travel Agent rated by Conde Nast and NY Magazine as one of the top in NYC. Her name is Tricia Townsend (from Protravel). I never met her; I booked the whole trip over the phone. She does charge $250. But it was completely worth it.

Also, if anything goes wrong when you are on your HM, the travel agent can take care of it. Expedia, Orbitz, etc. are bad because you pay upfront. So if you don't like the hotel, you are screwed.

Both. Travel agents are able to work great deal plus they put everything together and make sure everything works. It was nice to know that if something went wrong, she was there to help us. I usually plan my own small trips but with a complicated trip like our honeymoon, we prefered to go with a travel agent.

I've never heard of a travel agent that charges a fee for their services, though. I am not making judgements but it sounds sketchy to me. They make their commission from the places they book, not from the client.

I love our travel agent so if you need a recommendation, FM me and I'd be happy to pass her information along.