Travel agent
Hi! Does anyone have experience with the Skyland Travel agency in town to recommend or not for help with planning a honeymoon? Or any other suggestions on agencies in the surrounding areas? We are a bit overwhelmed with resort choices and think it would be best to work with an agent.
Thanks!
TK Susan Corriston Sinclair @ Skyland was great to work with. Very nice and very knowledgeable. Helped us pick the right place for our honeymoon.
AW Most people today don't need an agent. There are 100 different resources available on line to be able to make your decisions. There are a few people on this forum that could probably help you as well.
However, if so many resources just confuse you even more, then Skylands is the local place you should go. The number of travel agencies is down to probably a dozen in the whole state. Much better than Liberty that might be the closest alternative.
GC for the price you are paying for a travel agent, it is worth it to just do it yourself with the aid of the interwebs. plus the money you save from not using an agent can be put towards upgrades for your honeymoon, for example. that's what my wife and i did for our honeymoon, anyway.
Joe Friday We travel often and normally do our own arrangements (it's been years since I've enlisted an agent!) but this is becoming overwhelming with so many options in the destination we chose - why we're thinking it's best to deal with an agent that will guide us in selecting the right one for us.
As I'm sure you know, they can make anything look good online!
I'm open to any suggestions if anyone on here has recommendations on an all inclusive resort in Cabo.
Thanks!
Ask if anyone at Skylands has been to Cabo. If they have, then it might be worth it to pay for their advice. Agents can get you discounts which sometimes help pay for their services.
Personally, travel agents have been invaluable to me in planning complicated trips (not local agents, but specialists in regions I was going to). There is nothing like speaking with someone who knows all about where you are going, and can really give you inside tips.
Rebecka Cabo - been there twice. Ensure you get a resort on the Sea of Cortez instead of the Pacific if you want to swim in the ocean. There are many beautiful resorts on the Pacific side but you just can't go into the ocean. Villa del Arco is where I have stayed. Once there & once in Villa del Palmar. Palmar has a lot more going on than Arco & is an older resort. Arco is fairly new but more sleepy.
Things to do - ATV riding was fun, take a sunset wine/cheese cruise to check out not only the sunset but the sights & the whales. We also did snorkeling & a party boat & horseback riding - which I won't do again as I felt too bad for the horses as they were just too skinny for me.
Enjoy - Cabo is lots of fun & be sure to get to town sometime to try some authentic food!
Luca Hi TK,
I work at Skyland World Travel and we have been in business for over 21 years in Hackettstown.
There are many amazing destinations for honeymooners and we will be happy to make suggestions but basically it has to be the right match for you and your partner. Not every destination is for everyone.
Give us a call or feel free to stop by anytime.
Looking forward to meeting you,
Elsa
Elsa Using an agent is totally worth it!!
Sandi at Skylands is incredible! I have used her for almost 20 yrs.
She can get you the best deals and compare info with one click.
She has traveled extensively and can tell you what is good and what's not so good.
Takes all of the stress out of booking a trip!!
Highly recommend her. Call :)
Really???With all of the internet resources available, I usually just book travel myself. Aside from recommendations on which places are nice or not, is there an advantage to using a travel agent in this day and age? I would be happy to give someone the business if there was an advantage.
Calico696 Calico,
If you're going to plant yourself at an all-inclusive resort for a week on an island -- probably not.
If you're traveling to 5 countries in Africa and need chartered small planes between each camp, or you're spending 6 weeks in India and need to get to some out-of-the-way locations -- best to go with an agent. No amount of reading or Internet research can make those types of logistics happen.
TK no one has mentioned this yet, but you can also register for honey-moon related gifts once you know your destination. People can purchase a meal, service, or tickets to an attraction, or a night at a hotel from your pre-selected registry list. The dollar amounts will vary to fit different budgets.
I thought travel agents were paid by the various hotels, airlines, resorts etc and not directly by the client? Has that changed?
hktownie "If you're going to plant yourself at an all-inclusive resort for a week on an island -- probably not.
If you're traveling to 5 countries in Africa and need chartered small planes between each camp, or you're spending 6 weeks in India and need to get to some out-of-the-way locations ..."
You could have just said "no", Rebecka... (-;
ianimal Call triple AAA ask for Maggie k. She just did my friends honey moon package - they are they so hapay with the service provided - Maggie is a fantastic travel agent !
htownnewbie Sandy no longer works at Skylands, but she is the best! She started her own business called Worldwide passages. I would definitely look her up.
First off most travel agents do not charge a fee Joe Friday. You would be much better off using an agent. They will only save you time and money not too mention help you spend your money more wisely. A good agency has the expertise and personal experience you will not find online. Using an agent can only benefit you. There is really no negatives. Silly not to really.
Jonah The price you pay for hotel, airlines, and tours through an agent is higher because it includes the commission due the agent. You might not see that listed as a fee, but it's still there. In today's world it's impossible to be an expert in every single travel destination. It's also impossible for one person to be completely up to date. On line you can talk with someone that has not only been to a particular destination, they were there two days ago at the same hotel you want to stay at. The higher price of an agent is definitely a negative, and silly to pay unless there is some specific expertise and experience that you can't find elsewhere.
To me, even if there is a fee - it's worth it for this. We have traveled to many areas and have always done our own research online, called hotels directly for further info and booked ourselves. However, we have been disappointed at times on the location, difference in pictures online versus reality, etc. Most places will tell you they are in the greatest location and quite frankly everything you want to hear. I'm speaking from experience! I do leave Hackettstown often for getaways:)
So somewhere I plan on spending a quite a bit of time, I'd rather deal with someone who does this for a living.
Thanks for everyone's advice, even if you don't agree with me!
We will be going to Skyland and looking Sandy up.
I am a travel agent and I can tell you not all agents/agencies charge fees. I personally do NOT charge any fees for my services to my clients. What people do not realize is that you are not paying anything extra when booking through a travel agents UNLESS that agent charges their own fees. We are paid by the supplier, basically meaning the brand we are booking like Sandals, ClubMed, Universal, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Rui, Disney, and I could go on. This however does not increase your package price. The upside to using a travel agent (at least my agency and myself) I will keep checking to see if any new promotions come out that can be applied to your package to save you even more money.
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