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Is it best to use a Travel Agent for DW

tasha682tasha682 member
10 Comments First Anniversary Name Dropper
in Destination Weddings Discussions
We just really fell in love with the thought of a DW! I was always interested in one but my fiance just got on board and loves the idea. 

Now where to begin?!

Do most people handle all of the travel arrangements themselves and/or through the hotel or is it best to get a travel agent to handle everything except the wedding package stuff? 

How does this usually work? I know the resorts have wedding consultants but I am not sure how you go about handling the travel arrangements for your stay and your guests. 

Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated! 
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Re: Is it best to use a Travel Agent for DW

  • saric83saric83 member
    Ninth Anniversary 500 Comments 100 Love Its Name Dropper
    It was SO much easier once our TA was involved.  Usually when we travel by ourselves, we just book through Expedia or whatever is cheapest, but for our wedding, I didn't want to deal with all of it and went with a DW-experienced TA who was free of charge.  

    She was integral in helping us find a location.  When I was trying to contact resorts myself, responses were extremely slow, if even at all.  But she had tons of info on weddings in specific locations we wanted, and when we finally chose a resort, they were much more responsive to her than me when we were trying to finalize the contract.  

    Also, I didn't want to deal with everyone contacting us about booking, so we provided them with her info, and about half of our guests booked with her.  The rest did it on their own through different sites.  While we were in Mexico, a flight got rescheduled that many of our guests were going to take on the way home, the ones without a TA were scrambling to figure out what they were supposed to do (printing new tickets, re-coordinating travel to the airport, etc.) while the rest of us were contacted by the TA who took care of everything.  

    And the resort didn't have the right info on two of the reservations, so one couple called the TA, and she took care of it with the resort right away, and the other couple who didn't book with her had to go back and forth with the desk for quite some time until they could produce their documentation.

    So I would highly recommend it for your own sanity. :)
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  • ROBINRENE5ROBINRENE5 member
    Eighth Anniversary 100 Comments 5 Love Its Combo Breaker
    We used a travel agent which was definitely helpful with our large group all making travel arrangements separately!  She booked all our rooms, got us a great rate (we even got a pretty big discount which was based on how many people came), helped with any issues with travel, booked our transportation to and from the hotel, and took alot of the headache away from me.  We met with a separate planner through the resort who helped with the details of the wedding, but the travel agent definitely took alot of stress off of me.  I would absolutely recommend using one!  Happy planning!
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  • msuprincess04msuprincess04 member
    Knottie Warrior 500 Love Its 1000 Comments First Answer
    We have a TA for our guests, though, only one or two couples used them. Our DW isn't on a resort and guests are free to stay anywhere they want. 
    "There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness." -Friedrich Nietzsche, "On Reading and Writing"
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  • MrsHarris323MrsHarris323 member
    10 Comments First Answer
    Agreed, much easier with a TA. We saved money, headaches, got a ton of freebies, spa and resort credits, airline upgrades and it made planning a breeze
    Bride to Be  8.23.14 - Dominican Republic 
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  • Carters0908Carters0908 member
    Second Anniversary 10 Comments 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    Yes it is you def want to use travel agent...Save money wont have guest blowing up your phone....So happy I went with travel agent....What state are you in...
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  • Meggos1988Meggos1988 member
    10 Comments 5 Love Its First Anniversary
    great website to use, destinationwedding.com they handle most of the stuff you dont want to!
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  • malynamalyna member
    Eighth Anniversary 10 Comments Name Dropper
    Yes, definitely! You can get resort perks and it makes planning a DW less stressful! I'm using Beach Bum Vacation - no deposit required to use their services
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  • Jsparrow10Jsparrow10 member
    Fourth Anniversary 25 Love Its 10 Comments Name Dropper
    I recently got engaged and looking into a DW as well. I have seen websites like Beach Bum off of here and destinationweddings.com says it's free. From people who have done this, is it really free at the end of the day or how does that work? Do those sites do the same as a TA? Sorry for all the questions, would want to experience as smooth and simple for guests as possible!
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  • Knottie28218423Knottie28218423 member
    First Comment
    where can we find a list of travel agents/agencies that people have had good experiences planning DW's with? Thank you!
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  • rredstick9rredstick9 member
    Name Dropper First Comment
    Who did you all use?
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