When to book honeymoon?

[zoebartlett]

When did you ladies book your honeymoons? We''re six months out and I feel like we should book soon. Our travel agent is waiting to see if prices will go down but I''m starting to get nervous. We''ve only been in touch a few times but I haven''t heard from her in about a month or so. Should I try to get in touch or just trust that she knows what she''s doing and she''ll get in touch with us when she has new information? We''re going to Europe, by the way.

 

[Independent Gal]

My 'modern bride' schedule, which has kept me moving at a gentle, non-hysterical pace, suggests starting to plan the honeymoon 6-4 months out. I think, like any holiday, though, you just have to be attentive to the local details. e.g., if you are going to Rome over Easter weekend or to the Carnival in Venice, you want to book that as early as possible. Same thing if you're traveling at the height of summer. If you are going to Peru in low season, so long as you buy your flights 2 weeks in advance, there's no reason to panic.

Not sure about resorts... for that I'd take the MB schedule's advice I guess!

ETA: WHOA WHOA WHOA! You're using a travel agent? Do you have a specific reason for doing that? If not, I can pretty much guarantee you that you'll get better fares and better hotel rates on your own. Just use airfarewatchdog.com and tripadvisor.com and you're good to go.

 

[Dutchgirlll]

Depending on where you''re going in Europe and when. Mostly school vacation (July/August) is when prices go up. If you''re traveling in that period, I would prefer to book as early as possible. Specially your tickets.

If you''re traveling outside of that period you should be fine waiting of a bit. But that sais, nothing is as unpredictable as airline prices

Curious where you''d be going, might get you some tips!

 

[zoebartlett]

Thanks for the tips! We're going to the island of Sao Miguel, one of the Azorean (Azores) Islands, in July.

Indy, I read Trip Advisor and I already know which hotel we want to stay at (it was a recommendation from TA that led us to decide on the hotel). For some reason, I always hesitate to book our own travel arrangements. I've been abroad several times but I've used the help of a travel service in some way for my other trips. I don't want to mess this one up, and I'm kind of afraid of making a mistake. Silly I know.

ETA: My understanding is that the Azores (and Portugal in general) are more of a popular tourist destination for Europeans than Americans.

 

[Independent Gal]

Zoe, Europeans all travel in July and August as well, so if that's when you're going, it is going to be COMPLETELY packed and you'll want to get that hotel booked ASAP. Especially in August. As a general rule in Europe, August is the month to stay home. Nowhere has its normal character since all the local people are away on holiday themselves, and everywhere is jampacked to the gills with Europeans from elsewhere. And Americans of course. Just. Yuck. Avoid it if you can! Although Azores may be touristy enough that it will be the same all year?

Booking the hotel on your own is just as secure as booking it through an agent. They will send you a confirmation number and away you go! I understand your discomfort, but there is really no reason for it! It would be very hard to mess it up. It's just like booking a hotel in the US, and they will definitely speak English (not that you ahve to talk to anyone... just book online). But of course you should do what you feel most comfortable with. Don't mean to be pushy.

 

[zoebartlett]

No Indy, not being pushy at all. I know logically that it''s a piece of cake to handle the arrangements on our own but now that we have an agent, I don''t want to have to fire her. Wanna do it for me?

 

[Independent Gal]

Heehee. Kinda...

I once had an assistant whom I used to fire periodically, just for fun. It was a running joke between us. And now... it''s been so long since I ''fired'' anyone.... I kinda miss it

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

The euro is rising against the dollar and will continue to do so. There is no way prices will be going down before hand and if you know what you want, get it now.

 

[Independent Gal]

Ah, Brazen, if only we could know for certain which way currencies will move, we would all be rich (except of course that that would change hte market for currencies!)

Perhaps Zoe's agent is waiting for plane fares to come down. That is a very plausible thing to wait for. Hotels generally only go up up up, and that you pay for when you leave anyway - in terms of currency fluctuation concerns (except on some websites).

 

[aljdewey]

Zoe, if you''ve figured out which hotel you wish to stay in and you can book that online yourself with no-penalty cancellation, then go ahead and do it. You can sit a bit and wait for flights to fluctuate secure in the knowledge that you DO have a room booked.