Love Is Always in the Air for Wedding & Honeymoon Travel Advisor

What began with a nice gesture has turned into a career Holly Fett, an independent consultant at Key to the World Travel (a member of the Travel Leaders Network), never believed existed.

“We were at a Michigan football game, sitting next to this cute little family,” Fett, a former flight attendant, told TMR. Somehow Disney came up in conversation and I said, “I know Disney like the back of my hand, just call me and I’ll help you guys navigate your trip.”

A couple of years down the road, the family did exactly that… and, they wanted to pay her for the help.

“It was through that, that I realized travel agents were still a thing.”

That was about five years ago and what she thought might be a hobby planning Disney vacations turned into something else.

“My full second year, my business just blew up and it was all honeymooners and people wanting to do to all-inclusives and adult-only trips. I wasn’t expecting that at all.”

Today, romance-related vacations represent the vast majority of what she does.

A Planner at Heart
Part of what makes Fett successful as a destination wedding and honeymoon planner is that she loves the “planning” part of it.

“I get really excited about the planning portion… I love being organized. I love color coordinating calendars,” she said.

It’s not the first time Fett has embraced her love of planning.  After giving up the nomadic flight attendant life, Fett spent some time doing event planning at Chick-Fil-A corporate and with the Atlanta Braves.

She puts those skills to use now, keeping track of all the details that her clients don’t have the time, energy or desire to manage themselves.

“They’re coming to me because they’re stressed and they have so much going on that they just don’t have time to focus. I’m very honored and humbled by the fact that people trust those memories with me. It’s not something I take lightly.”

Fett admitted it can be overwhelming at times.

“There are times where it gets super busy. I do everything on my own. I’m with a large agency but I don’t have an assistant. Being a one-woman show, I do hold a lot of hats.”

With some of her larger or more complicated destination weddings, she’ll sometimes stop taking on any new clients until the wedding is over.

“I think it’s really important that they know that they’re your priority… it’s their special day and they came to you for a reason,” she said.

A Rewarding Niche
As much as she loves the nitty-gritty work of planning a couple’s destination wedding or honeymoon, Fett also gets excited about knowing she’s helped her clients make happy memories.

“I think of myself as a memory maker. I literally get to help these people create lifelong memories.”

Among the notable memories she’s helped create was a honeymoon in Thailand, her first so-called “exotic” honeymoon.

“It was fabulous. They got to do some really amazing things like go to the elephant sanctuary and take care of the elephants. And a waterfall tour and snorkeling and they did two or three cooking classes.”

Other popular “exotic” locales for honeymooners typically include Bora Bora, Fiji and Tahiti. She added that she gets a lot of requests for the Maldives, but people don’t realize how far away that actually is.

Closer to home, she said she gets lots of requests for Italy and Greece. Her go-to suppliers for these are Europe Express, Avanti and Kensington.

Not surprisingly, the vast majority – some 75% or so – is to Mexico and the Caribbean.

She enjoys both equally but told TMR she gets more out of planning the more intricate honeymoons.

“The Caribbean and Mexico to me are super easy. I can do it in my sleep. But I get really excited about making it work and the planning process of other destinations. And there’s only so much you can do in those beach destinations. You can lay out, go snorkeling, go on a catamaran cruise and that’s about it. Everywhere else you get to do some really cool experiences.”

Communication Essential to Working with Brides
Enjoying the planning piece of destination weddings and honeymoons is only one of the key skillsets a travel advisor needs to have to be successful in this niche.

Fett told TMR, good communication skills – and empathy – is a must.

“You can’t hide behind a computer screen. You have to build those relationships with the bride and understand all that goes into it and the stress that she’s under. And be prepared to handle a Bridezilla.”

Despite the fear of bridezillas some advisors might have, Fett said she’s only had “one or two” since she started five years ago. If anything, she said, it’s the mother-in-laws that have given her problems.

Finding Business
The vast majority of Fett’s business comes from social media, particularly Facebook and Instagram, and word of mouth.

As for what she posts about, it varies quite a bit.

“If  am traveling, I almost exclusively post about my trip from start to finish – what I am packing, about the property/destination, things to do in the destination, room tours, highlighting the food, drinks, exceptional service, etc.”

When she’s not traveling, Fett said she likes to post about destinations, supplier sales, “just booked” style posts about where her clients are off to (with permission), client feedback or links to clients’ travel posts, and other similar content.

She tries to mix it up using photos, videos, live streams, and time lapses.

Fett added she’s also a member of several wedding-themed Facebook groups in which she’s the go-to destination wedding advisor.