Should you book your honeymoon online?

My friend, Laura Frazier, posted this blog a couple of days ago and I thought she made some excellent points that I think are so important when deciding which travel consultant to use when booking the most important vacation of your lives- your honeymoon.

"At least a couple times a month someone will call me or walk into my office and ask the question that’s probably somewhere on your mind right now-why should I use a honeymoon specialist?

There are just as many myths about travel agents as there are about Jell-O. I mean, we’ve all heard that Jell-O is made from horse hooves right? And that there’s a giant wall around the Jell-O factory so no one can see in. And travel agents went out of business when the internet came out. And everyone knows that the handful of travel agents that are still around cost way more than booking it yourself online.

Well, while I am still waiting for someone at Jell-O’s customer service dept to get back to me about the horse hoofs, (hey I am a vegetarian after all!), I can clear up some of the myths about travel consultants for you.

Travel consultants aren’t what they used to be. Just like Madonna, we’ve had to constantly reinvent ourselves to stay current. We’ve packed away our bangle bracelets and paper airline tickets, and moved into the electronic world. In fact, what you may not have realized is that travel consultants are much better today than they were in the past. Thanks to the internet, there’s an unending amount of travel information available everywhere. Since there’s nothing we hate more than looking uninformed, (or even worse knowing less than you do), we spend an ungodly amount of time doing research, attending seminars, and traveling to the destinations we sell.

To the internet retailer, travel is a commodity. It’s an airline ticket and a hotel room. To us, travel is an experience. It’s a week of your life that you probably saved up for a year or two to enjoy. It’s laying in the sunshine or having a great dinner. And, if you’re working with us, it’s likely that it’s your honeymoon or destination wedding, which is probably one of the most memorable trips you’ll ever take. An online travel site will happily take your money, and a week of your life, without ever bothering to make sure that you really intended to go to a clothing optional resort, or that you clearly understand the difference between a European and all inclusive plan. However, a good travel consultant will take the time to make sure that the trip you’re about to embark upon is actually the trip that was just a dream floating around in your head for months on end.

Price vs. Value- So we’ve all heard that it costs more to use an agent than it does to book online. Sometimes that’s true. Most of the time, it’s not. We have access to the same pricing and promotions as you’ll find online. And we frequently have access to upcoming promotions that you’re not going to be able to see yet. (Think an online site will tell you to wait a couple of weeks before booking because there’s a great sale starting later?) Feeling like you got a great deal is exciting! But, it’s important to remember that price and value are not the same thing. Sure you can find a resort that looks fantastic online (but will it actually be that fantastic in person? Will the internet tell you that the beach is rocky or the beds are hard as rocks or that reservations are required for the specialty restaurants and that in your 7 night stay, you are only entitled to eat at them 3 times- the rest of the time you get the buffet for dinner?)

What you also can’t see is that you’ve just dug out your passport and traveled for hours to this exotic location, only to find that the chicken nuggets and Jell-O jigglers are the highlights of the lunch buffet.

Oh they didn’t mention that on the website? Maybe you should ask a travel consultant!"

The main point of this article that Laura posted is not whether you can book your honeymoon online but rather why you should contact a honeymoon specialist.

A point that happened first thing this morning. I picked up email at 745am to find an email from honeymooners in Hawaii. Their tour to Pearl Harbor had problems due to traffic, then crowds, then high wind and they didn't get to see the Arizona- the groom's reason for going to Oahu. I called the travel supplier (5am their time) to see if we could re-arrange their flight to Kauai and get them back to Pearl Harbor this morning. What internet company do you think will do that for you.

My Vacation Lady is a vacation and honeymoon specialist. Our goal is to make sure your vacation or honeymoon will create memories to last a life time. We look forward to sending you away very soon on your dream vacation!