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Question re: travel agency

Knottie1430106330Knottie1430106330 member
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in Destination Weddings Discussions
Hi, I am planning a destination wedding and have determined that I want to use a travel agent. Has anyone used one that they are particularly happy with? We have spoken to modern destination weddings as well as destination weddings.com and they both seem very nice. They both charge a nominal fee which gets applied to the final price. We also spoke to a travel agent who was charging a lot more however I am unsure if it is worth the cost. I appreciate any help!
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Re: Question re: travel agency

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    Jells2dot0Jells2dot0 mod
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    Where are you planning your wedding?

     







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    CMGragainCMGragain member
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    Travel agents do not normally plan weddings.  They plan travel.  Their services are free.  If your travel agent is also serving as a wedding planner (two VERY different jobs) then I could see where they would charge a fee.  Be certain they are licensed.
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] member
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    Knottie1430106330 said:
    Hi, I am planning a destination wedding and have determined that I want to use a travel agent. Has anyone used one that they are particularly happy with? We have spoken to modern destination weddings as well as destination weddings.com and they both seem very nice. They both charge a nominal fee which gets applied to the final price. We also spoke to a travel agent who was charging a lot more however I am unsure if it is worth the cost. I appreciate any help!
    Would all your guests have to book through the travel agent?  Would they not be able to use airline miles or credit card points or hotel discounts?
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    futuremrss2015futuremrss2015 member
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    I'm using Beachbum Vacations (Danialle to be exact) and they are great.  She really helped me narrow down which resort to get married at and has had a lot of good advice about room blocks, timing etc just based on her past experience with other brides.  And the best part is that its free!  No small fee to get started - nada.  So far all of my guests have had a positive experience booking their rooms with her.
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    Jells2dot0Jells2dot0 mod
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    Travel agents that charge a fee that they apply to the final booking cost are not the same as agents who charge a non-refundable, non-transferrable fee for using their services.

    One of my closest friends is a travel agent that does a lot of destination weddings. Some DWs are more straight forward than others, but most of the time, it requires a lot of work on the part of the agent. Charging a fee that gets applied to the final payment is a way to have a contract or retainer- it ensures the couple plan on using the agent's services and passing the agent's info on to the guests. And the agent fully commits to working the wedding travel plans from top to bottom, perhaps having to pass up new clients because the wedding is so time consuming. the guests can still choose to book on their own if they want, though they might not be able to partake in certain activities if they were arranged by the agent through a group block. The agent can also work around guests who want to use air miles for their flights.

    It reminds me of my H's ex, who was a real estate agent for a bit. The kids were telling H and I that their mom was having a tough time with a particular client. They had her show them homes almost every weekend for several months. Then, one day, they stopped calling. She reached out to them and they said that they bought one of the homes she showed them, but through a friend of a friend who was also an agent. All of that work, and not 1 penny earned. Travel agents run into the same problem, especially with the internet, so many are going to a fee structure.

     







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    CMGragainCMGragain member
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    edited June 2015
    "It reminds me of my H's ex, who was a real estate agent for a bit. The kids were telling H and I that their mom was having a tough time with a particular client. They had her show them homes almost every weekend for several months. Then, one day, they stopped calling. She reached out to them and they said that they bought one of the homes she showed them, but through a friend of a friend who was also an agent. All of that work, and not 1 penny earned. Travel agents run into the same problem, especially with the internet, so many are going to a fee structure"

    This is against realtor ethics.  Her broker should have sued the broker who wrote the contract.  She would have been paid.  It would be different if they had bought another house that she had not previously showed them.
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    Jells2dot0Jells2dot0 mod
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    CMGragain said:
    "It reminds me of my H's ex, who was a real estate agent for a bit. The kids were telling H and I that their mom was having a tough time with a particular client. They had her show them homes almost every weekend for several months. Then, one day, they stopped calling. She reached out to them and they said that they bought one of the homes she showed them, but through a friend of a friend who was also an agent. All of that work, and not 1 penny earned. Travel agents run into the same problem, especially with the internet, so many are going to a fee structure"

    This is against realtor ethics.  Her broker should have sued the broker who wrote the contract.  She would have been paid.  It would be different if they had bought another house that she had not previously showed them.

    I'm not sure what happened, to be honest. She isn't one to take things lightly and I'm sure she went after the other agent in some form. I'm sure the only reason the girls knew about it was because mom was causing such a stink about it. I just do not know the outcome.

     







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    amwood13amwood13 member
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    Hi! I used a travel agency to book my honeymoon - they are AWESOME! I met them at a bridal show and the company is Alpha World Travel and it's only 2 agents (Lynn and Holly) so it's a small personal agency. They are Destination Wedding and Honeymoon specialists, so that is pretty much all they do.

    I played around with the idea of a destination wedding, but ultimately decided it wasn't for us (family issues). However, they were fantastic in giving me any answers I needed about the destination wedding process and Holly told me she has planned and coordinated local weddings, so I knew they would be easy to work with and both were very knowledgeable about different destinations and resorts. Ultimately, I decided just to book my honeymoon with them and it was so easy! Working on a local wedding now...so time consuming haha!

    They didn't charge a fee, they explained to me that they get paid by the resort when we travel. I would definitely use a travel agent for your destination wedding because when we were thinking about it, our major concern was who was going to help all our friends and family!! No way was I going to make everyone's reservations, nor did I want to deal with all that stress. I looked at destinationweddings.com but really preferred to work with a 'person' and not so much a big website. I don't think I would pay a large fee considering they get paid by the resorts....though maybe the large fee gets applied to your final price?? Good luck and keep us posted!
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    Knottie60235677Knottie60235677 member
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    Currently my FI are using a travel agent to book our destination wedding. There are no extra expenses incurred as the resort we are staying at and getting married at is all inclusive.
    However, the travel agent and the resort wedding planner are two different entities.
    I am in touch with the resort wedding planner and the travel agent is solely focused on travel arrangements. Ie: blocking rooms, airfare, and all that is associated with travel and lodging.
    ...hope this is helpful.
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    midwestLovemidwestLove member
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    Whoever you go with I would ask for references. I've heard plenty of horror stories of DW planners that bolt and your deposit/money is gone. Scams. Not to cloud with fear.....there are great DW planners, but just protect yourself with a few steps like references, reading reviews, etc.

    I agree with the previous person that if they are a travel agent they should have an IATA number to show legitimacy and licensing. 

    Best of luck!
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    jenng004jenng004 member
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    My (now) husband and I used Beach Bum Vacation, Rachael was our "Beach Bum" and she was absolutely amazing!  She gave us information on several resorts in different locations (Jamaica, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic), as we weren't sure where we wanted to get married.  She was always quick to answer any questions we and our guests had.  The best part - like a previous knottie stated - they charge you and your guests ABSOLUTELY nothing!! 
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