One of the best things about planning a wedding- besides marrying your soulmate- is getting to go on your honeymoon. Whether it is a trip to an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean, a dude ranch in Colorado, or backpacking across Europe, your honeymoon is the breather after your wedding. It’s your time to relax with your new husband or wife. The time to enjoy the new feelings of being married. And a time for the adventure that travel brings. Whether you are an expert traveler or if you are new to traveling, one of the best ways to travel is using a local Philadelphia travel agent. Travel agents do more than just book your flights and hotels- we’ll get to that in a bit.
I recently chatted with Carla Haydt, Agent from Magical Memory Planners. Magical Memory Planners is a full service travel agency headquartered in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania. They employ 30 agents across the United States and have been in business for 10 years! The mission at this company is to make travel easy. While the company is based near Philadelphia, they serve clients all over the United States and make travel arrangements for all vacations- Globally. They book all kinds of trips, from family trips to honeymoons to couples vacations and girls/guys weekends if you are looking to book the ultimate bachelorette/bachelor (all group travel) party weekends. They also have access to group discounts if you do decide to book a larger party for your trip.
What This Philadelphia Travel Agent Offers
Magical Memory Planners takes care of all the planning for any trip that you are looking to book. This includes cruises, all-inclusive resorts, caribbean vacations, theme parks- you name it, they help you plan it.
Advantages to using a Philadelphia Travel Agent
A common misconception about using a Philadelphia travel agent, or any travel agent for that matter, is that they cost more than just planning and booking your own trip. In fact- good travel agents are free to use, if they are good, and they are the experts, why wouldn’t you use that service?
Travel agents can also help you save money by having exclusive access to vendor sales or promotions that you wouldn’t be able to book on your own. They can also sometimes offer price adjustments if they become aware of a promotion for your trip after it has been booked.
If a destination wedding is something you are interested in, Magical Memory Planners make it easy to plan with their expertise on the requirements for the area- like how t0 get your marriage license. They also offer group discounts. You can even book a destination wedding on a cruise ship and at Disney.
Using an agent for trips like all-inclusive resorts, cruises, theme park vacations because your agent can help you book things like dining reservations and excursions for you, so you don’t have to do it yourself. They will also ensure that you get all of the services you need to make these reservations- like additional travel for your excursion. Can you imagine getting off your cruise ship and realizing you needed a car to get to your excursion? If you have an agent book for you, that hiccup is easily avoided.
Another reason using an agent is helpful is that it gives you as the traveler someone to call if something happens on the trip. For example, if your flight keeps getting delayed you can risk having your hotel cancel your reservation if you don’t make it to the resort on time. If you book through an agent, they handle the calls to the resort for you, so you don’t have to Google endless numbers while you are running through an airport. The agent can also arrange backup transportation from the airport to your resort when your delayed flights will get you in at 2 a.m. and there is no shuttle service available when you arrive. They are there for you for when all of these bumps in the road happen. And if you have a perfect trip, at least you had the peace of mind that you have someone to help in case you did need help. The agents are advocates for you, helping you get in touch with the right people. They also have bargaining power to help clients when issues do arise. For example, if you end up having to purchase an extra ticket for something that you shouldn’t have- your agent can make the right calls and get your rightful refund.
Travel agents also have access to trip insurance companies. With the unknowns of travel in the past two years, it is always a good idea to protect the financial investment you are making when you book a trip. Your agent can point you in the right direction when it comes to purchasing trip insurance in case the unwelcome and unwanted occurs while you travel.
Another advantage to using a travel agent is that they are able to keep up with the constantly changing travel restrictions and requirements. Your agent can notify you of the most recent changes that impact your travel- like health requirements and/or political volatility that may create an unsafe environment for travel.
Tips for couples planning a honeymoon
- Plan ahead- start thinking about 6 months before you travel- gives best availability and deals on trips. It helps you narrow down your options.
- Get your passport done about 6 months ahead of time- you don’t want to risk not having a passport when it comes time to travel.
- Book under your maiden name- it is ok to have your maiden name – deal with your name change when you get back.
- Create a Travel registry- allows people to contribute to your honeymoon- including special gifts not just money – like chocolate covered strawberries sent to your room. Will provide cards that can be put in your invitations, so it is easy to have people contribute
- Don’t over plan your honeymoon- you will be stressed out leading up to it- find a place where you can relax during your trip
- All-inclusive resorts and cruise lines are some of the best options for honeymoons- everything is available for you, making this an easy great experience- tours, excursions, etc. offer adventurous options for couples, or you can just hang out on the beach or by the pools all day.
- Cruises make an excellent option for not flying because they leave locally from New York City, NY, Cape Liberty, NJ, and Baltimore, MD.
- If adventure is more your speed you can think outside of the box and try a dude ranch in Colorado, San Francisco, ziplining in Costa Rica.
The Takeaway on this local Philadelphia Travel Agent!
So, if you are still on the fence about using a travel agent, reach out to Carla by email directly at carla@magicalmemoryplanners.com or Magical Memory Planning on their website that you can find here to find out more and an agent will respond to your inquiry!
Thank you for reading! I hope this blog made you excited to start planning your honeymoon! I know writing it made me want to book a trip!
