burnma01

Hello,

I am starting to plan my honeymoon to Italy but need a travel agent. We currently live in NYC and there are thousands to pick from. Can anyone recommend a travel agent in NYC that specializes in Italy? Budget is not an issue so any recommendations would be great. Thanks!

Matt

janisj

Why do you think you need a travel agent?

Everything from flights to hotels to cars/trains are very easy to do on your own

Zerlina

If budget is not an issue, you can go with one of the fee-based travel agents listed here:
http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...ravel-agents/3

MFNYC

Congratulations!

People in this forum could help you better than any travel agent. Most members here are "do-it-yourselfers" and many have expertise in Italy.

For starters, when do you plan on going? For how long? What interests you (museums, outdoor activities, country, city, etc)? Budget (even though you say it's not an issue, is there a limit)? Have you or your fiance been to Italy before?

janisj

The problem w/ using a a TA -- is you rely on them for expertise, but the chances they have stayed in the same hotels you want are pretty slim. Nor is it likely they are expert on any of the local restaurants, or winery tours, or boat schedules or anything else you are interested in seeing/doing.

Whereas on here there will be some (and in some cases MANY) posters who have very detailed advice/info.

Unfortunately, most TAs are 'order takers' and tour bookers -- not local experts.

TDudette

Try American Express. They'll have a range of hotels, tours and prices from which to choose. Check out some good travel books (Fodors, Eyewitness, etc.) and get an idea of where you want to visit.

After you get this trip under your belt, you'll be ready to do it yourself!

MFNYC

If you should go with an agent, run your itinerary and hotels through this forum to get feedback before you actually book. Great advice can be offered here on hotel locations, tours to book in advance, how long to stay in each location, etc.

Beware when booking tours, many pick hotel off the beaten path. Some also includes dinners which usually is in very tourist type places, and not the best of local cuisine (and there's lots of great food in Italy).

burnma01

Thanks for the replies. We plan on going in April or May 2012. We are looking to go for 12-13 days. Neither of us has ever been to Italy. We want to spend 3-4 days in Rome but after that, we are still open to suggestions. We currently live in NYC so getting out in the country and relaxing would be great. Or some days along the coast would be good. I dont want to spend my entire honeymoon in cities. Any suggestions on a itinerary? We will fly into Rome but can fly out of any airport.

MFNYC

Given it's your honeymoon, Venice is a must! For 12-13 days in April, I'd do Rome (4-5 nights), Florence/Tuscany (5-6 nights) and Venice (3 nights.)

Mimar

Good suggestion from MFNYC. But I'd fly into Venice and out of Rome. (Open jaws tickets -- multi-city on the airline web site -- should cost about the same as round-trip. And save you time and money you'd spend backtracking.)

As well as being stunningly beautiful, Venice is very relaxing and the perfect place to get over jetlag/post-wedding fatigue.

If you want countryside, maybe skip Florence and stay in a Tuscan town. You could do a daytrip into Florence if you need to go there.

You've got lots of time to research this. You can do a better job for yourself than a travel agent would. There are many posts here on Fodors about Italian honeymoons.

uhoh_busted

Yes - perfect honeymoon, for sure! I would echo the suggestion of flying into Venice for 3 nights, then head to Florence, but maybe only to pick up a car and stay in the Tuscan countryside for 5 nights. Very beautiful, very romantic, and then head, say for Orvieto where you can return your car and train it into Rome for the last nights of your honeymoon is wonderful Rome. By then you will be really comfortable with Italians and eating dinner at 10PM, so you can hit Rome relaxed and up to speed and ready for a lot of fun.

I think you can do a better job planning this trip yourself -- but I don't know how busy your everyday life is, and if you have a big wedding planned, etc., you may want to have a TA get all the details figured out for you and nailed down so you don't need to think about it.

Also, the reality is, you should have SOME idea of how much you want to spend: $10K? $15K? You may want to give two different TAs the "bones" of your trip (open jaw flights into Venice, a car in Tuscany, return from Rome) and ask for their plans for a trip that will cost X amount and a trip that will cost Y amount, and compare what they come up with for you. You can always come back here and say "Do we want to stay at THIS hotel or THAT hotel in Venice? Rome? and see if anyone here has stayed at either or both and can give you an idea of which is nicer and why.

uhoh_busted

Oh -- and do you want to fly tourist or First Class? If so, you may want to look at spending $20-30K for this wonderful honeymoon. When you rent a car, will you want to drive a little Renault or a BMW convertible with automatic...hey this may be a good reason for getting a good TA involved. They can tell you the options. And then you just pick who has plotted out the trip of your dreams.

nytraveler

If money is not an issue then go to the web sites of Travel & Leisure (and Conde Nast Traveler if it still exists) and look at the issue where they list top travel agents by area of the world. These people are truly expert and can get you special deals, access to places most people can't get into - and the pick of hotels and restaurants. But do be prepared to pay for a very upscale honeymoon (It doens't pay to use a TA unless you are going First Class/5* - for mid level you can do as well or better yourself - and the average agent doesn;t know what the people on tis board do (in combination).

travelhorizons

I agree... at the high end, find a travel agent affiliated with Virtuoso (http://tinyurl.com/45yucka) for free amenities at 5-star hotels like complimentary breakfasts, room upgrades, and extra value-added perks.

In the mid-range, you can get a company like Select Italy to put together an entire package for you at the budget you set, including museum tickets, transfers, guided tours, hotels, anything you want.

I assume you have so much on your plate planning your wedding that you'd like someone to work with you on a trip and take care of all the minutiae for you... which is exactly what travel agents are for.

GoSox

Chiming in here. Fodors is a wonderful resource for information. Travelers share information very generously. However...travel agents, like myself, are very often insulted unnecessarily. Many of us are very useful sources of information, we often have much experience with a destination or have colleagues with knowledge to share and also have connections with vendors who offer contract rates only available through travel agents. Do not discount the value of a good travel agent. Ask your friends if they have any recommendations. It does not have to be a local person to you. I have clients from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine. Many of us only work with clients whom we know or have been referred. Have we personally stayed in every hotel you might be considering? - impossible, but a good travel agent has access to information that will help you with your decisions. And if there is a problem on site, should have a way to fix the problem.

If it is an important trip - like a honeymoon - and i was not familiar with the destination, I would always consult a travel agent. It does not have to be a high end agent, just one who is responsive to you.

ekscrunchy

This is the Italy person recommended by Conde Nast.

I would contact him only if you are planning to stay in luxury or near-luxury properties,


http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/11153

<
When to Use One, When Not To
Have a question about working with a specialist? Use the Comments Section at the bottom of this post.

The listed consultants will add enough value to justify their cost only on certain types of trips. So you must first determine whether you're better off using their services or making the arrangements yourself. Generally speaking, if you have more money than time, hire one; if you have more time than money, don't.

Do Hire a Pro For...
•Start-to-finish customized itineraries with all the bells and whistles
•Once-in-a-lifetime splurges (e.g., wedding anniversaries) involving four- or five-star hotels
•English-speaking guides and drivers
•Special access to monuments, events, or people
•Cruises with private shore excursions




Don't Hire a Pro For...
•The cheapest options
•Airline tickets only
•Single components of a trip (e.g., a one-day tour, restaurant reservations)
•B&Bs or run-of-the-mill hotels (such as those of a mid-priced chain)
•Redeeming frequent-flier miles or guest points only>