My Go-To Travel Planning Websites
If there’s one thing I love more than anything, it’s hopping onto some websites and planning travel! I love it SO much in fact, I help my couples plan their travel to help make their adventure elopement even more special! Planning a wedding or elopement can be incredibly stressful. I feel like at this point, I’ve got it down to a science! So, here are my favorite travel planning websites I use to get myself and my couples to their adventures no matter where they take us!
Sonoran Desert, Arizona
My all-time favorite platform to book travel plans is Booking.com. Flights, hotels, rental cars, I book almost everything through them I can! I’m booking travel on their website so much, I’m at Genius Level 3! What I love about booking.com is they let you sort by property type- something that can be deeply important to people (or if we want the ability for an extra photoshoot spot!), I can see a map view of all the places to stay, and their reviews and ratings have always been reflective of the experience I’ve had. Booking rental cars through them is great! It’s so easy to see a bunch of options and choose what’s best depending on how much gear I need to bring. I love that they have options that don’t require any money to make reservations and their cancellation policies have never given me any trouble. I love that it’s a one-stop shop for booking a hotel, flights, and rental car. This helps keep everything organized and efficient- not to mention, you often get a discount for bundling!
For my adventurous couples who are on a budget, I LOVE Groupon! Go to their “getaways” tab and check “air-inclusive”. By booking through Groupon, I’ve saved thousands of dollars and visited places that I don’t think I ever would have before. I know people are hesitant to book through them, but I promise it’s legit! I’ve personally traveled to: China, the Bahamas, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Ireland with them! Most of the tour operators and travel agencies that have deals on Groupon you can book directly with as well (usually the deals aren’t as good though), so you can research their websites, see their reviews, and know the company you’re booking through is going to give you the experience you’re after! You can often upgrade the rooms, change airports, and upgrade rental cars for a small fee, when you reach out to the companies to make the travel arrangements. I’ve honestly never had a bad experience traveling with a Groupon tour. You just have to know exactly what you’re getting and what to expect during the time of year you book your trip.
Fortuna, Costa Rica
Lastly, my favorite airline…Southwest and Southwest Vacations! While they don’t fly into Gainesville (yet!), they do have tons of other airports that both my couples and I utilize for their big day. I love how easy they make it with no assigned seats or a million extra charges. In the days of nickel and diming passengers and continually decreasing carry-on bag sizes, I strongly prefer flying Southwest when I’m traveling as they make it less of a hassle than most of the other large airlines. Like Groupon, their vacation deals are great the perfect way to bundle travel arrangements and get my couples to their destination while staying within their budget.
Vik, Iceland
Bottom line: there’s no right or wrong way to make your travel plans for your elopement, but when you hire an experienced photographer, we’re here to help even with the non-photography parts! I provide my couples with a custom itinerary, backup itinerary, packing list, travel suggestions, and more! Something I love most about planning adventure elopements is the level of customization and help I get to provide. If you’ve used one of these travel planning websites to book your own adventures, I’d love to hear about it!
Vik, Iceland