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.
Puerto Vallarta 2022 – Perched on the dreamy Pacific, Puerto Vallarta perfects the idea of a resort getaway within a romantic setting. It curves around a sandy bay, faces every sunset and stands before a backdrop of lush rainforest and epic mountains. Just north of the city, Riviera Nayarit covers the coast with fishing towns turned luxurious resort hubs, blending the best of both worlds between forested peaks, wild jungle and the immensity of the ocean. The best of destination weddings and honeymoons can be discovered here.
Preliminary Itinerary
May 29 – The included flight takes off from Calgary and Vancouver to beautiful Puerto Vallarta. Group transfer and check-in to the incredible Dreams/Secrets Vallarta Bay Resort and Spa. Have the afternoon and evening as free time to check-out the resort’s restaurants or head into town for an authentic Mexican meal.
May 30 – The included flight takes off from Toronto to Puerto Vallarta to join the rest of the group, who are enjoying the day at leisure. The group will connect together at 5 PM for a site-inspection of the resort and meet the wedding team. This will be followed by 6 PM cocktails and welcome dinner.
May 31 – Today we commence our training. Breakfast is at leisure then meet up at 9 AM for intensive training on bettering your travel business through sales, marketing, and yielding higher margins for success by top speakers of the industry. Dinner will be smaller dine-around groups with reservations at the various a la carte restaurants to experience their cuisine and connect with like-minded travel entrepreneurs like yourself.
Jun 1 – Training continues again at 9 AM after breakfast at leisure. Today, we dive into more depth of processes, technology, supplier relations, and operations to help you improve your productivity. We will hear from other travel entrepreneurs with advice and recommendations as well as dive deeper into the niche markets of destination weddings, honeymoons and luxury travel. Tonight we’ll have some fun with our 60s themed cocktails and farewell reception dinner with the group and incredible team from Dreams/Secrets Vallarta Bay Resort. Dress in your best 60s outfit for your chance to win some valuable prizes!
Jun 2 – After breakfast and check-out, we spend the morning and early afternoon on a site-inspection tour of the different resorts and wedding venues that cater to romance in the areas of Puerto Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta, and Punta Mita. Check-in at the newer Iberostar Playa Mita resort with site-inspection, meet the wedding team followed by dinner.
Jun 3 – We will check-out and continue our day of site inspections of the area. In the late afternoon, we check-in at the Dreams/Secrets Bahia Mita Surf and Spa Resort with a 4 PM site-inspection and 7 PM dine-around dinner with your new friends and colleagues.
Jun 4 – Today you will have the option of doing your own thing such as lounge by the pool or beach or join us an an optional excursion or volunteer opportunity to give back to the community. At 6 PM we bring out the glam for a semi-formal cocktail and farewell dinner with entertainment.
Jun 5 – We bid a sad adieu to those traveling to Calgary and Vancouver as they check-out and transfer back to the airport for their return home. The day is at leisure for the remaining group.
Jun 6 – The remainder of group departs Puerto Vallarta to Toronto. As they say in Mexico, it’s never “good-bye” but “see you later.”
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.
Any Chavez
Any is a certified wedding planner with the Wedding Institute of Canada. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience planning and coordinating weddings and events as a business owner. She will discuss how to improve your bottom line by offering more services and value adds.
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
Calgary: $899 Toronto: $849
WedFAM 2022 Package includes:
-Roundtrip direct airfare from Canada (May 29 from Calgary, May 30 from Toronto)
-All group transportation
-Themed welcome event
-7-nights all-inclusive accommodations (4.5-5 star resorts)
-Invaluable 2 days travel entrepreneurship training with manual
-2 days post wedding-FAM to visit various venues and resorts
-Themed farewell cocktail and dinner event
-All taxes
Optional Extras:
-Roundtrip 1st checked luggage $42
-Worry-Free Cancellation Waiver $50
-Worry-Free Cancellation Waiver+Manulife Travel Insurance $90
-Premium Plus Elite Upgrades $120 roundtrip
For more information on Sunwing’s Worry-Free Insurance, please visit https://www.sunwing.ca/en/test-be-worry-free
For more information on Sunwing’s Premium Packages, please visit https://www.sunwing.ca/en/sunwing-airlines/seat-selection
FAQS
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$350 per person.
What is the flight schedule?
Roundtrip airfare and taxes are INCLUDED in the price of this package with Sunwing Airlines. The current flight details are:
WG527 29MAY22 Calgary Puerto Vallarta 10:25 16:15
WG528 05JUN22 Puerto Vallarta Calgary 17:30 21:15
WG521 30MAY22 Toronto Puerto Vallarta 11:30 15:30
WG522 06JUN22 Puerto Vallarta Toronto 17:00 22:40
All flight times are subject to change.
What are the cancellation penalties if I must cancel?
Regardless of the reason, the event is 100% non-refundable if you cancel after April 13th, 2022 unless you purchase Sunwing’s Worry-Free insurance (only $50). With Sunwing’s Worry-Free, the airfare portion is fully refundable up to 3 hours before departure (must be purchased at the time of booking and some or all of your refund may be paid in Sunwing future travel vouchers, depending on when you cancel). The $350 deposit is non-refundable.
Can I upgrade my seat?
Yes. The cost to upgrade is CAD $120 roundtrip. 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$350 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, 2-day training 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/ for Mexico and Canada’s entry requirements. In essence, you will be required to show proof that you are fully vaccinated from Covid-19 to board the flight in or to Canada. Although the booster is not currently required, if your last vaccination has been over 270 days, it is highly recommended to travel with a booster shot administered at least 2 weeks before departure for your best protection against Covid-19. Face masks are also required onboard the airline and in indoor public settings such as the airports, restaurants, hotel lobbies etc. For further details, please click here. FFP, N or KN facemasks are proven to provide better protection and is thus, highly recommended. Every attendee will also be required to wear a facemask within our group setting when indoors and where physically distancing cannot be maintained such as the shared bus for the airport transfers and during our site-inspections. They will not be required at restaurants while eating or drinking, in our training sessions while physical distancing can be maintained, and while we are outdoors. Romantic Planet Vacations nor our employees, independent consultants and suppliers can be held liable for costs or health implications if you should contract Covid-19.
Should I get travel insurance?
Yes, definitely. Proof of medical travel insurance is required to attend this trip. Sunwing’s Worry-Free plus Comprehensive covers both Cancellation and Medical coverage and is highly recommended. The cost is $90 per person and purchase is required at the time of booking. Please specify if you require this when you submit your booking request. For more information on this plan, please visit https://www.sunwing.ca/en/booking/worryfreepop?language=en
Is checked luggage included?
Checked luggage is not included in this package. If you would like to pre-purchase this, please include this on your booking request form. The cost for one checked-luggage roundtrip with Sunwing is C$42.
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 2-day training event?
The travel industry has been hit hard during the pandemic and many personnel and travel/wedding entrepreneurs are left wounded and lost. Together, we will be reigniting that fire, passion and drive that is in all of us 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 but please do 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 business.
