FH and i are planning on honeymooning in Italy. we have never been there, nor have we ever travelled to europe before, it's really difficult trying to find hotels on the internet! i have found some that look nice, but it's hard to tell from the pics....plus the ones we like are SUPER expensive. i am just so lost....since we are getting married in april 08, when do you think is a good time to start booking? and how should we start? are we better off going through an agent? (although i would rather do things on my own)
kimnsteve
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Re: when to book HM??
i would defin go to a travel agent for italy ...when i went which was a long time ago...they planned each day for us which i thoght was great
Espo22
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Re: when to book HM??
To go to Italy i strongly suggest you go to a travel agent seriously...They can help you out with all of this, suggest things for you to do and set up tours and all that...They will give you info about the cities...Also its good to have travel insurance.
They'll handle everything for you and keep on top of it
Mizzdimple
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Re: when to book HM??
yes go to an agent...
DavaDay
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Re: when to book HM??
Have you ever been to TripAdvisor? It's a great way to look for hotels. You can put in the name of a city, and it'll give you a ranked list of all the hotels there, and you can choose your price range and it'll only show you those. So let's say your price limit is $200 a night, and you want to stay 3 nights in Rome. You put that info in, and it'll show you the best hotels that fit those criteria, ranked in order from best to worst (based on user reviews and travel book reviews).
We use this site to help us plan anytime we go ANYWHERE. Have fun!
Espo22
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Re: when to book HM??
Ive checked out Alitalia brochures and they had amazing deals, havent seen it in a while but i always remembered the deals they had...They also included calling cards, set up car rentals for you if you needed, set up tours.
i have never been to a travel agent before but i guess it will make things easier. we dont really want to be doing a lot of crazy things while we are there, mostly relax and sightsee at our own pace. that was why i didnt think we needed to use an agent. we DO plan on going to a few different cities though so we will have to either book connecting flights in italy or take the train. good thing is we have a friend who lives in Italy who can help us figure out the details for traveling while we are there. but....like i said i have no clue how these things work, i have really only traveled in the US.
Ilovebriani
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Re: when to book HM??
Thanks girls! this is really helpful advice.
Espo22
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Re: when to book HM??
Posted by Ilovebriani
i have never been to a travel agent before but i guess it will make things easier. we dont really want to be doing a lot of crazy things while we are there, mostly relax and sightsee at our own pace. that was why i didnt think we needed to use an agent. we DO plan on going to a few different cities though so we will have to either book connecting flights in italy or take the train. good thing is we have a friend who lives in Italy who can help us figure out the details for traveling while we are there. but....like i said i have no clue how these things work, i have really only traveled in the US.
Its real good to get travel insurance, you never know what can happen...Most of the time when you book online its non-refundable and non-exchangeable...This way if anything they will book another trip for you or do something. You dont have to do the tours if you book with a TA, you can just book flight and hotel, they can suggest things for you to see and where to go...They also give you coupons for things alot of times too.
megzzie
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Re: when to book HM??
When FH's sisters went to Italy for the first time, I think they went to a travel agent, but I don't think that they booked through her. They just went to a couple of TAs, got advice, and then booked/planned on their own.
Ilovebriani
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Re: when to book HM??
Posted by megzzie
When FH's sisters went to Italy for the first time, I think they went to a travel agent, but I don't think that they booked through her. They just went to a couple of TAs, got advice, and then booked/planned on their own.
did they pay a fee? any idea of what it costs?
Espo22
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Re: when to book HM??
TA's dont get commission anymore
Here is a post that Sherinjeff posted earlier today, i copied what she wrote:
I used to be a travel agent....
A lot of times Agency's will acquire discounts from resorts and such that enables them to put together a good package for clients. Several years ago, the airlines cut TA's commissions and its been rough. You have to become a wholesaler and sell bulk seats. So.. what happens a lot.. is a TA will know all the people that have the bulk fares and book thru them to save you money as well. Also... if there are any changes the TA will take care of everything for you.
Dont forget ... you can also get Vacation Insurance which is not a lot of money....but is worth it if you are going to say.. the tropics during hurricane season, or you have ANY reason to think you may need to make changes to your itinerary ( sick family member or the like) ...
Having said that... I usually book online with the airline myself unless its a 'package' Im looking for. .. then its a TA
I dont like booking packages thru like 'orbitz'.. for several reasons.. 1). NON refundable/ changeable/ cancelable.. 2) full paypayment up front for every thing... 3) .. its harder to get upgrades for hotel rooms, cars...etc. since they are a wholesaler, I always get the feeling that I get treated poorly by the hotels and cars and I ALWAYS ended up with really bad seats on the air.
Just my .02 cents... LOL
megzzie
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Re: when to book HM??
Posted by Ilovebriani
Posted by megzzie
When FH's sisters went to Italy for the first time, I think they went to a travel agent, but I don't think that they booked through her. They just went to a couple of TAs, got advice, and then booked/planned on their own.
did they pay a fee? any idea of what it costs?
Not that I know of...but Denise just mentioned that TAs don't get commission, so I guess they didn't pay anything
Ilovebriani
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Re: when to book HM??
wow! thanks again! very helpful! that is crazy that they dont get commision! how do they survive!
lb9977
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Re: when to book HM??
TA don't get commission from airlines, they get commission from hotels, rental cars, vacation packages. Also some travel agents do charge a travel agent service fee. But only if you buy thier package. Many times it will be hidden in their fees so ask up front if they charge a fee.
