Their services are free, and their expertise generally saves travelers time and money. Many travel agents are members of ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents).
Top travel agents, who have CTC (Certified Travel Counselor) after their name, have undergone professional training and know lots about world-class resorts; charming, out-of-the-way spots -- and how to get the best price on a honeymoon package.
Agents also can be counted on to organize travel documents and ensure that the services a couple expects and pays for will be provided.
If you're sophisticated travelers, you probably already know where you want to go and the best way (car, rail, plane) to get there. In that case, using a travel agent to make reservations and coordinate arrangements makes life simpler. (By all means, research the best fares on the Web first; then you'll know just how good the agent is at finding a sweet deal for you.)
If you already have the perfect honeymoon in mind, spell it out in full detail. Then follow the travel counselor's advice to book as far in advance as possible to avoid disappointment.
If this is your first big trip away from home, pick a honeymoon destination based on what the two of you like to do together. Some couples find it easy to make a decision by imagining their honeymoon as the ultimate date.
While it's not necessary to know where you want to go before you see a travel agent, it's smart to have a general idea of where in the world you'd like -- and can afford -- to go. So come prepared to talk about what you enjoy doing in your free time and the size of your honeymoon budget. Tell the agent where you've already been and what you've appreciated most on your travels.
Couples who walk into a travel agency unprepared face the possibility that a counselor will guide them in a direction they don't necessarily want. For instance, travel agents make higher commissions when booking cruises and package vacations than writing out airline tickets.
For that reason, the clueless and undecided may end up cruising to the Bahamas -- when what they really wanted was a ride on a schooner off the coast of Maine. (Certainly, some people think cruising is a great way to spend a honeymoon. Others find it awfully confining.)
Bottom line: Make sure you buy the honeymoon you want.
And if you can't make up your mind, leave. Take more time, do some reading and net surfing, ask friends, and then go back to a travel agent when you have a plan.
Whether heading for Niagara Falls or Florida shores, hoping for a Caribbean idyll, or desiring a tour of European castles, you'll find any number of romantic escapes where you can celebrate those first amazing days together.
