I've only used a travel agent once in my life and that was almost 10 years ago so I don't remember - do you pay an additional fee to have a travel agent book something for you?
We were looking at Sandals St. Lucia and she gave us the same rates we found on their website, so is it even worth it to go through a travel agent?
TIA!
branflake1229
Posted:
Member since
Re: Stupid Honeymoon Question
You don't have to pay for a travel agent - at least I've never heard of anyone paying. My mom has a woman she has been using for years, and because they've been loyal customers, the woman often sends a bottle of wine or champagne to my parent's hotel room or cruise cabin. My mom always recommends using a travel agent, because, obviously, they know more about travel than any of us, and they do sometimes have access to special offers and discounts that we may not otherwise know about.
Kricket212
Posted:
Member since
Re: Stupid Honeymoon Question
I think you should go & speak to someone..then you can always say you are going to think about it & shop around online for lower prices.
bluegreen08
Posted:
Member since
Re: Stupid Honeymoon Question
we spoke briefly with a travel agent, hated her, and booked on our own. everything worked out perfectly
(we went to sandals grande st lucian)
sometimes a travel agent will throw in something free or give you part of their cut, but we didnt want to give this woman any commission after treating us so horribly and were happy with the price we paid
Celeste617
Posted:
Member since
Re: Stupid Honeymoon Question
It can't hurt to shop around and meet with other travel agents to see if you can get better deals. We'll be using FHs friend's mother since she does it for a living and we've already been told that she will be able to get us some extras due to her hookups which would be swell. Also, if the travel agent is able to get you the same prices, then you can have them take care of all the dirty work - as it is you are doing so much planning right now anyway! Good luck
mekaRamsay22
Posted:
Member since
Re: Stupid Honeymoon Question
I've never used a travel agent. I've spoken to a few but found cheapier price on my own for the same hotels. I think they do charge but they include it in the price but it doesn't hurt to speak to one and then see what you come up with on your own price wise.
sophisticat13
Posted:
Member since
Re: Stupid Honeymoon Question
It was worth it for us...we went to Hawaii and there were a lot of arrangements due to the inter-island flights, three different hotels and we booked a luau and some other fun stuff through her. It took a lot of stress out of the planning because she did all the work :) For you it doesn't sound like it's worth it if you are getting the same prices though and don't have to worry about different hotels and a lot of arrangements. Travel agents can sometimes get you free stuff (we got free breakfast every day) but their prices usually include fees for their services...(one travel agent friend told me that the flights travel agents book have an added fee of at least $25-50 per ticket)!
IMO I think it's worth it if there are a lot of plans to make and you're limited on time.
Almostawife
Posted:
Member since
Re: Stupid Honeymoon Question
you'll get the same rates booking Sandals whether you use a travel agent or not. Some travel agents today are charging like $25 per airline ticket because the airlines are not compensating them anymore.
The benefit to working with a travel agent is getting the best room for your needs, knowing what comes with the room, getting insurance if you want it, and having them keep tabs on the trip for you. Also most flights to the Island need connections and you want to make sure you have enough time to connect also during certain times of years, you don't want to connect through certain states due to storms, etc. this is what a travel agent is good for.
I booked my Sandals honeymoon through my travel agent and so far she has gotten the price reduced for me because of the recent sales, she has also inquired all about the new towers and which location at the resort is better.
mmm117
Posted:
Member since
Re: Stupid Honeymoon Question
Posted by sophisticat13
It was worth it for us...we went to Hawaii and there were a lot of arrangements due to the inter-island flights, three different hotels and we booked a luau and some other fun stuff through her. It took a lot of stress out of the planning because she did all the work :) For you it doesn't sound like it's worth it if you are getting the same prices though and don't have to worry about different hotels and a lot of arrangements. Travel agents can sometimes get you free stuff (we got free breakfast every day) but their prices usually include fees for their services...(one travel agent friend told me that the flights travel agents book have an added fee of at least $25-50 per ticket)!
IMO I think it's worth it if there are a lot of plans to make and you're limited on time.
I agree. I personally love researching and booking my own domestic/Carribean trips but if your HM has a lot of stops, modes of transportation, foreign language barrier, etc. then I think it's a lot easier to get the help of an expert.
We're using a travel agent to book our HM to Hong Kong and Bali and she's been fantastic....and we don't pay her. But for an all inclusive like Sandals you can probably do just fine on your own!
stephanienyc2002
Posted:
Member since
Re: Stupid Honeymoon Question
Posted by sophisticat13
It was worth it for us...we went to Hawaii and there were a lot of arrangements due to the inter-island flights, three different hotels and we booked a luau and some other fun stuff through her. It took a lot of stress out of the planning because she did all the work :) For you it doesn't sound like it's worth it if you are getting the same prices though and don't have to worry about different hotels and a lot of arrangements. Travel agents can sometimes get you free stuff (we got free breakfast every day) but their prices usually include fees for their services...(one travel agent friend told me that the flights travel agents book have an added fee of at least $25-50 per ticket)!
IMO I think it's worth it if there are a lot of plans to make and you're limited on time.
i had the same situation, 5 flights total on our HM and i was not making all thos arragements plus transfers etc... plus you always have someone to call and resort to if you have any probs, like a room you don't like and whatnot. it's better to have them deal with it than have you go try to work it w/ the hotel. i have to say all TAs are not great. i went to the UK in october, 16 day trip and 4 countries. our TA ****** (liberty tvl) they did some really shady sh^& and i def think that they did a bait & switch kind of thing. i did have a great time, but who doesn't on vacation. we overpaid and they acted like it ws the tour operator's fault in london. the To in london (B/c hells yeah i ewnt to their office there to complain) said they just got taken over by another company and coldn't help us. the company that took over said we didn't book w/ them originally and they couldn't help us. the TA said oh, so sorry we don't know anything, can't believe that's happening. BS
this is the second time i had booked a trip with liberty and the same thing happened so BEWARE!!!
i did my HM to greece through Homeric Tours. i hope this time it's different. my sister had a great experience with Roberta Sonino tvl, but deal directly w/ bobbie. i dealt w/ another guy for my HM and felt that he was so busy i never really got anything from him. i should have gone to her from t he start.
