You Are Invited
Do you specialize in destination weddings or want to? Do you have a passion to serve wedding clients in planning their upcoming weddings in unique and beautiful destinations?
Romantic Planet Vacations has been specializing in destination weddings since 2004. We hold a wedding FAM each year for dedicated travel agents and wedding planners.
Varadero and Havana Cuba 2023 – Some call Varadero Beach one of the best beaches in the world! It has long been the pride of Cuba with its 21-kilometre strip of fine white sand – making it the perfect backdrop for destination weddings and honeymooners alike. This trip also includes a visit and stay in the historic and exotic grand city of Havana, with Old Havana being declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Imagine this unique and romantic destination for your romance travel clients?
Preliminary Itinerary
FAM ITINERARY
27MAY23: Depart Toronto (via connectors if required) and arrive into Varadero around 10 AM. Group transfer to Iberostar Selection Resort. Upon arrival, have a site-inspection of this most popular destination wedding beach resort. Free afternoon with welcome cocktails and dinner at 7 PM.
28MAY23: Have breakfast on own then attend this most valuable workshop on growing your travel and destination wedding business from 8 AM – 5 PM. Group buffet lunch at 12 PM and cocktails and dinner at 7 PM.
29MAY23: 9 AM Transfer from Iberostar Selection to Valentine El Patriarca with site inspection of Paradisus Varadero and Princesa Del Mar.
30MAY23: 9 AM Havana tour, 1 night hotel stay and dinner at Iberostar Grand Packard.
31MAY23: 9 AM Transfer to Royalton Hicacos with site inspection of Barcelo Solymar, Starfish Cuatro and Mystique Casa Perla by Royalton
01JUN23: 10 AM Transfer to Melia Varadero with site inspection of Belive Turquesa, pm/evening free time
02JUN23: Agents have options: 1) Free day at Melia Varadero 2) am volunteer activity 3) pm fun excursion, Farewell dinner at Melia Varadero
03JUN23: 8 AM Transfer to airport for return flight to Toronto.
***This itinerary is subject to change***
Laurie Keith
Laurie is the founder of Romantic Planet Vacations, a travel agency that has been specializing in destination weddings and honeymoons since 2004. She will take you through how to grow your travel business through effective marketing.
Cindy Watts
A veteran travel advisor in the industry, Cindy has accomplished many sales achievements and awards for her top performance. Learn powerful tips on how to improve your closing ratio and gain more profitable bookings.
Jo Lynch
Jo has been in the travel industry since 1999 and has an extensive background on selling high-yielding cruise commission sales products. She brings a wealth of knowledge on improving your bottom-line and growing your travel business.
It was worth the investment of going – gives you a better understanding of the location and the offerings that it has. It’s always a great opportunity to meet the team and share with them.
I think it was well organized. Being an outside agent, I liked how the smaller group dinners were organized – to dine with different groups of agents. This enabled me to get to know more agents better. It reduces the stress of having to find new people you just met to dine with 🙂
Was a good time and I learned all kinds of useful information plus first hand experience at these marvelous resorts. My highlights were volunteering at the school and I really enjoyed getting tips, great ideas and practices from other agents.
It was an amazing collaboration of ideas and networking with a great group of dedicated agents.
This was an amazing learning experience. I love seeing the countryside. The coaches were comfortable and the guides were terrific. Hotels were lovely. Our morning at the school was the main highlight for me. I’ve never participated in anything like that.
WedFAM Total Experience
Toronto: $790
plus connectors from other cities
WedFAM 2023 Package includes:
-Roundtrip direct airfare from Toronto
-All group transportation
-Themed welcome event
-7-nights all-inclusive accommodations (4-5 star resorts)
-Invaluable entrepreneurship training workshop with manual
-Various resort site-inspections tour
-Excursion to Havana with over-night accommodations
-Themed farewell cocktail and dinner event
-All taxes
Not included:
-Travel insurance
-Connector flights to Toronto
-Baggage fees
-Seat selection and upgrades
-Personal shopping
FAQS
Is this trip for anyone?
No. You must be a certified travel agent to attend. If you are not yet certified, we can assist you to study for and pass the online TICO exam to become a certified travel agent before the departure date. You will have to ready and study 6 chapters, purchase (for $35 + tax) and pass the TICO exam to qualify. Contact us for more details or attend one of our upcoming live webinar that details this further here – www.te-academy.net/virtual.
What are the FAM trip rules and regulations?
Please click here for the details (pdf).
Can I go for a shorter stay?
Yes, but airfare and airport transfers will be your own responsibility. Land-only (without airfare and airport transfers) cost is C$300 per person.
What are the cancellation penalties if I must cancel?
27 days or less before departure: 100% non-refundable, non-transferrable.
28 or more before departure: $500 cancellation penalty.
Can I upgrade my seat?
Yes. The cost to upgrade is approximately CAD $120 roundtrip per person. Once we have received your application form, we will send you a booking link where you can advise if you would like to upgrade or not.
Can I book my own airfare?
Yes. Airport transfers will then be your own responsibility if you are not arriving and departing with the group. The land-only cost (without airfare and airport transfers) is C$300 per person.
Do I have to attend all events?
The purpose of this trip is to help you grow your travel business and network with other like-minded travel entrepreneurs and host travel suppliers. The group dinners, workshops and site-inspections are mandatory, however all other time is at leisure or is optional. Failure to attend the core functions will have repercussions. We try our best to balance work-time with valuable leisure time so to experience the destination and resort and to mix and mingle with colleagues on the trip.
What are the entry and health and safety protocols?
Please visit https://boutiquetravelservices.com/resources/ and https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/cuba for Cuba’s entry requirements. In essence, with a regular Canadian passport, it must be valid for one month before arrival. A tourist visa is required which should be provided by the airline. You will be required to show proof of medical insurance upon arrival into Cuba as well as information online within 48 hours before departing for Cuba. Once you provide it, you will receive a QR code by email. You must show an electronic or printed version of the QR code to authorities upon arrival.
D’Viajeros traveller information portal – Government of Cuba
Face masks are no longer required onboard most airlines and at most resorts but it is still highly recommended when social distancing is not possible. Romantic Planet Vacations nor our employees, independent consultants and suppliers can be held liable for costs or health implications for any illness contracted during your trip.
Should I get travel insurance?
Yes, definitely. Proof of medical travel insurance is required to attend this trip.
Is checked luggage included?
Checked luggage is not included in this package but can be purchased upon check-in.
Can I bring my spouse?
Unfortunately this particular trip is only for certified travel agents and wedding planners. This is out of respect to our hosted suppliers who are investing in us to learn and understanding the product in which we will sell. There is also limited availability on this trip.
Can I extend my stay?
Yes. Costs and booking the extension will be your responsibility.
What will we be learning in the work-shop?
The travel industry recovery from the pandemic has been overwhelmingly busy for some as the demand for travel returns. This has left many travel personnel and travel/wedding entrepreneurs struggling to keep up with the demand. Together, we will learn better time management skills and capturing that high-commission yielding clientele. For new and veteran travel advisors alike, we will go through best practices for success. Our professional speakers are from the industry and will teach new and creative ways to market yourselves in a post-pandemic world and rethink on how to operate more efficiently and profitably.
Can I expense this cost?
Yes definitely! Please consult with your accountant or book-keeper. You will be provided with an invoice detailing the cost. Whether you are a sole-proprietor or own a corporation, you should be able to apply the cost of this learning trip as expenses for your travel and/or wedding business.
