Travel agent/company recs

mocha beans

Hi, what are your recommendations on travel agents and/or companies?  We're planning a DW in Hawaii from MN in September.  We have an estate rented for the wedding itself and where us and the wedding party will stay (unless problems with it come up), but guests will need a place to stay.

Or any advice on what to look for in a good travel agent?  Do you really need one, with Orbitz and Expedia and such out there?  We've never travelled except for one trip to Vegas via Orbitz.

Thanks!

carrieoz_76

Mocha - My WC recommended someone on Maui.  We haven't looked into her yet just b/c we don't really do travel agents, but she specializes in HI and destination weddings. so you might want to check her out.  Here's the link -

http://www.travelwithamanda.biz/

SimplyMistaken

I am using destination weddings.com and have been very happy so far. 

HTH!

-Jamie

DanielleB1978

I used destinationweddings.com and was very happy with them.  I also considered going with a local travel agency.

lmydogally

We are getting married in Kauai in April

IMO going to Hawaii you really don't need a travel agent.  You can find a hotel/hotels and set up a group block with the sales department.  You can also set up a discount on Hawaiian Airlines through their wedding wings program for your guest.

I reccomend Kayak.com for hotel and flight search as it pulls comparisons from all the major sites and the hotels/airlines site.

Many of my guest own time shares or had access to them and preferred to make their own arrangements.  Others had a preference on what side of the Island they stay at or wanted a condo.  The Islands are so small, that guest can really stay anywhere. 

Also,  Travel agents cannot get you a better deal than you have access to.  I work in the hotel industry and we have travel agents contact us all the time asking for a discount.   Hotels just give them the AAA discount. 

With all that said, if we were getting married in a place that need a passport, had a language barrier or was much larger, I may have used an agent. 

carrieoz_76

Mocha - we're doing it ourselves, as here's what we use:

• kayak.com - to compare airline prices
• bing.com/travel - to track airline prices over time (used to be farecaster) - they tell you if prices are going up, down, or staying the same
• vrbo.com - to locate condos owned by individual owners (there are TONS in HI) that are available to rent, and you can read reviews from ppl who've stayed there before, look at pics, etc.
• the Maui Revealed guidebook (http://www.wizardpub.com/maui/maui.html) - for all recommendations on activities/resorts/restaurant reviews - this book is hands down the best in helping you plan time in Maui (or any of the islands - they have a book for each Hawaiian island).