A World of Choices

[windelina]

So, Monte and I are bemused and bewildered by our honeymoon options.

I've surfed and investigated and considered and now...

I think I need a Travel Agent. Can someone edumacate me on this? I've always been a do-it-yourself traveller. But the options are limitless and my questions are so broad that I think it's time I grew up and got myself a travel agent.

Do T.A.'s charge hefty service fees?
Do they get the cheap deals?

In short - is there some disadvantage to using a T.A.? And if not, can any of you out there recommend YOUR travel agent?

Comments

[onecheshire.livejournal.com]

my experience is that travel agents are paid on commission by the airlines/cruiselines although it has been a long time since I used one

[heidiz.livejournal.com]

I would offer my own expertise if I were still in the same city and country. I'd say for a honeymoon you'll want someone like AAA or Carlson-Wagonlit, because they're more into those types of packages. Although, I'm guessing you won't be doing the typical all-inclusive to Jamaica. So in that case I'll still recommend STA Travel - Taylor in the UMN union. She'd be up to a good air/hotel sale. She might not have as much experience in honeymoons (although she did get married since I left) but you'll definitely get treated with kindness and she will do her best to help you. She's also pretty well-traveled (Costa Rica, Cancun, Europe) and can give good advice based on her experiences.
The story with travel agents is we've all had to start charging service fees since airlines have taken away our commissions. However, the fees depend on the type of booking. STA will charge $15 on top of a published airfare, but only $5 on a consolidated ticket or land packages.
The benefit of using a travel agent is they can search for the best airfares faster than you can go from website to website. They have experience and know what kind of prices you can expect. Plus, you can get your airfare, hotels, railpasses, car rentals, whatever, all in one spot.
Personally, I don't like dealing with people who want me to plan their entire trip for them. It'll help the agent a lot if you have some very specific ideas. For example not "somewhere warm" but "Italy or Brazil."

In short...I can't say there's any disadvantage. You may have to pay a few bucks more for a service fee, but you get what you pay for. You will get help and good advice and a good deal so it's worth it.

The end.

[birdfigment.livejournal.com]

heidiz's recommendation is probably better, but if you want another one - at work we use TravelOne. Don't know how good they are at honeymoons, but they get us decent rates and are fast. 952-854-2551.

[toadnae.livejournal.com]

I'd also suggest talking to Mark Jungmann -- he's on L-Space. He worked as a travel agent until a couple of years ago. I believe he still keeps in touch with the industry, though.