bride with bouquet & groom by trees & water

Photo by Rayyu Maldives on Unsplash

This entry is from our Expert Guest series where wedding and honeymoon professionals share their best tips on creating memories that last a lifetime.

Whether you were planning a gorgeous destination wedding, or simply an amazing group vacation to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico or the Caribbean, chances are you may have to cancel or reschedule your vacation due to COVID-19. Unfortunately, the entire travel industry has been affected by the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have an amazing vacation after travel bans are lifted. We interviewed our top sales agents on tips and advice for large groups to reschedule your group vacation due to coronavirus.

chairs for destination wedding by the ocen

Photo from Hilton La Romana, from Playa Media Site

Talk To Your Group

The first step is to get in touch with your group. Everyone needs to be on the same page. If you’re hosting a destination wedding you can use your wedding concierge to reschedule your ceremony date, and then offer a new invite to guests. If you’re a general group, now is the time to anoint a group leader if you don’t have one already, and pick a new date to begin rescheduling immediately. Resorts may experience unexpected occupancy sell-outs in what would typically be the off-season as 2020 progresses. Or resorts may also operate under new lower capacities to meet safety guidelines.

bride with bouquet & groom by trees & water

Photo by Rayyu Maldives on Unsplash

Utilize An Expert

You don’t have to use a travel agent in order to reschedule your vacation smoothly, but using a travel expert’s advice helps. First, check with your chosen resort and their response to the pandemic. They may have already set reschedule policies and a new reopening date in line with the government’s decrees. Your best bet is to utilize a group or sales concierge at your resort. Not only may they help you move dates but they may be able to personally assist in rescheduling everyone in your group as well. Having one reliable contact source will make the process much easier.

airplane flying over greanterrain

Photo by Nysa Zainal on Unsplash

Research Your Flight Options

The airline industry is currently undergoing its own hurdles for travel-related issues, experiencing an unprecedented amount of cancellations and reschedules. Each airline comes with its own set of policies, provided to suppliers like Expedia. If you purchased direct, you may experience grueling hold times, which is another reason a travel agent may be helpful for group vacation considerations. Luckily, flights are also offering added flexibility for future travel, and would rather reschedule your flight then lose your money. Check with your airline for refunds, or cancellation penalties.

Man swiming in pool overlooking lakeCheck For Deals and Off-Season

The COVID-19 pandemic is leading to a greater showing of flexible rates, discounts, and deals, and now may be the time to act to book a stunning group vacation for the near future. If you have the flexibility, move your group to later in the year instead of canceling, which will also save you from losing any money. Resorts are offering move-the-date deals for destination weddings and offering party packages and more for group vacations who don’t outright cancel. New groups can score truly amazing deals as well, as both resorts and airlines alike are offering historically low rates to entice travelers and to recoup losses.

Act swiftly in order to reschedule your group vacation due to coronavirus, and you just may have the opportunity to have the trip of a lifetime once travel bans are lifted.

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Bio: Destify – Destination Weddings. Destify is a premier destination wedding company specializing in group travel and weddings to all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean. You can learn more at their top-rated destination wedding blog at www.destify.com/blog.

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