Travel Agents

Travel agents offer a (usually) free service, making hotel and air reservations and issuing airline tickets. They can shop around for the lowest rate for you and often know about sales that aren’t known to the general public.

Stop by a travel agency and talk to an agent during an off-peak time, usually early morning or mid-day. Tell him or her your likes and dislikes and your budget range. The agent can help you start to narrow your choices to a few destinations and perhaps a few resorts. Pick up some brochures, head home, and talk over the choices with your sweetie.

Now the fun part: doing some research. Rent some travel videos. Look at some guidebooks and travel magazines. Get on the Internet and check out some travel forums for other people’s views. Talk about your options.

When you have your minds made up—or at least narrowed down—return to the travel agent for some help. If it’s a large office, ask for the agent who specializes in the region you're interested in or in the type of travel: honeymoons, cruises, etc.

Now the agent can assist you with the nitty-gritty of the travel task: making your reservations. Often you’ll need to put down a deposit on reservations or packages. This deposit may be non-refundable so make sure that you have made your final selection both in terms of resort and travel dates.