We’re in the early stages of planning a splurge honeymoon to Kenya and/or Tanzania and the Seychelles. We love luxury, but we also are pretty conscious of our spending and try to make sure we only splurge where it’s worth it and get the best bang for buck. Typically, we don’t use travel agents. We’re points maximizers who love to book through credit card portals (or strategically transfer points) and genuinely enjoy the research piece. However, I’ve heard the advice to get one for a safari, at the very least, and also any big spendy trip (which the entire trip will be, at least compared to our usual spend). I completely understand why: the complications of logistics, figuring out which lodges to go to, getting special perks, and even getting access to some TA-only lodges.
We’re also frankly overwhelmed with wedding planning and want someone to tell us the exact best itinerary given our needs (e.g, dietary restrictions, interests, etc). This is particularly true for the safari portion, though more insight to narrow down our options in the Seychelles would be a nice plus. Moreover, I want someone who can figure out the best order of the trip, how to combine lodges and camps and hotels etc.
That being said, we do want to book at least some portions (likely Seychelles resort(s) and airfare) on our CC portals to use points or at least get ~8% back in points. I know this isn’t even possible for most safari experiences. But for where it is possible, I’m finding it hard to justify not doing that. Are there travel agents who will help design our entire trip but don’t have to book everything? I’m happy to pay an extra fee for this - though ultimately it may be financially better to just let them book it all. Is it a faux pas to ask about this? I’m just trying to understand the options here and what other folks have done. I know I may just want to bit the bullet and hand it all off to a TA.