July 1, 2025 • 11 mins
Kayla Brackett, an expert in romance travel including honeymoons and destination weddings! I'm your new travel bestie here to help make your travel dreams come true, and I NEVER charge you a fee to help! I'll find you the best deals while also equipping you with all my knowledge before your travel, so you can get the most out of your next adventure! https://www.bracketttravel.com/
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
And welcome in. This is the Go Go Travel Show.
I'm your host, Johnny Hert. Well, my guest today is
Cayla Brackett, who is a very unique travel advisor Greeting'skala,
how are we today?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
I'm good?
Speaker 1 (00:20):
How are you doing well? So tell me everything you
want the listeners to know about your business.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Yeah. So my name is Kayla Brackett and I am
the owner and operator of Bracket Travel. I am a
romance expert destination wedding travel agent. That's really the niche
that I work in. And I started this because I
was a nine to five corporate girly for a very
long time and hated it and was wanting to kind
(00:47):
of build something of my own. And what I did
love about it was customer service, connecting with people, talking
with people, and I wanted to kind of marry that
with my passion for travel. So luckily, I have a
wonderful husband who helped me kind of step away from
that nine to five and commit to being a travel agent.
(01:07):
Shortly thereafter, a destination wedding fell into my lap, and
I really it was kind of one of those life
moments where you're like, oh, this is what I was
meant to do. It was just seeing how happy she
was being a part of such a special moment for her.
It just really fueled fire for me and something I'm
super passionate about and I love doing.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
So a romantic expert travel agent. That seems like a
dream job.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
It is, it is. I mean, I'm very very lucky.
I think that a lot of people don't know that
you can use a travel agent anymore. A lot of
people think it's a thing of the past. But it's
really like, it's awesome. I mean, how you and I
met too. We got to just be there and experience it.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Like you know, so destination weddings, all inclusives, cruises, different
locations around the world. This is what you get to
deal in on a day to day basis. That is amazing,
It's wonderful.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
I feel very lucky, very very lucky.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
All right, So why choose a travel agent like yourself
as opposed to maybe doing the homework themselves. What's the
advantage of going through you?
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah, I think that's a really great question, and it's
a question I get a lot. Technically, yes, you can
do it all yourself, but when you use a travel
agent to help you with this process, you're getting somebody
who actually knows and has been there, has experienced the resorts.
I go to Mexico, Dominican, Jamaica on annual basis to
(02:35):
view different resorts, taste the food, meat with the wedding teams,
get you specific content of the venues that you want
to get married at. And on top of that, it's
totally free to use me. So travel agents earn money
through the commissions in the room prices, and I don't
charge my brides any fees. On top of that, that's
just a personal choice of mine. So we're compensated through
(02:56):
the rooms which the commission is going to be there
whether you use us or not. As well use us.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
So you go to all these resorts, it sounds like
a torturous job.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
I know you were ribving me the whole time about it, right.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
So what's the first step When I.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
First start with a bribe? What I typically do is
send an inquiry form and that kind of lets me know,
you know, the basics, the dates, the budget, that kind
of thing. But it also tells me is she looking
for adventure? Is she looking for something that's fun? Is
she looking to relax? From there, we can kind of
narrow down into Yes, we'll help you with your you know,
welcome party. I've done catamaran cruises, we can help you
(03:35):
set up private photo shoots, tons of excursions, but what
I typically work towards is helping you find the perfect
resort and then from there I handle all of the
guests travel, so you don't get a million questions like,
you know, how do I book this again? And do
we get direct flights from there? My answer is always
(03:55):
go to Kayla. Tell them to go to Kayla. She
handles all of that for me, and I take all
of that stress off of you.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
All Right, if somebody comes to you, what is the
process that you have the bride go through? What's the
step from start to finish? What do they have to do?
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah, so you can go to my website Www. Brackettravel
dot com and there's an inquiry form on there. So
from there I get the inquiry form. It tells me
all of those details and it helps to kind of
figure out exactly what it is that you're looking for.
From there, I create a custom proposal for each bride
with three to four resort options that I think are
(04:28):
going to be perfect for her. We'll go through kind
of the pros and cons to each, narrow it down
to two of them, and then I'll start reaching out
to the resource to see what their availability is. Once
we get the resort booked and the date held for her,
that's when I'll set up like room contracts or a
group code for her guests. And then from there, the
guests start booking, and I keep in constant contact with her,
(04:51):
kind of keeping her updated how many guests have booked,
and with the guest I also help them get ready
for the trip itself, everything they need to know.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
You have like a variety of budget options.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Yeah, I have brides that come to me that say,
you know, five to eight thousand, that's all I can do.
And so there's great resorts that have packages for just that.
For twenty guests, I can get you a five thousand
dollars wedding. It's not going to have all the bells
and whistles of like a twenty thousand dollars wedding, but
it's you know, you're in paradise, is what I say.
(05:22):
You don't need a million peonies and florals and stuff
like that. You've got this beautiful backdrop. I think I've
got brides mostly what I work in is a moderate range,
which is about ten to fifteen thousand, and that's normally
about seventy five guests.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Can you give me an example of a bride you
worked with.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Yeah, So I recently had one of my beautiful brides, Carly,
reached out to me. She and her fiance are looking
for same sex wedding. They had fifty guests and a
budget of around ten thousand, so we kind of she
wanted an adults only vibe. I gave her a few options,
but what she ultimately ended up with with Secrets PLIMEU Harris,
(06:02):
which is a great option for if you're looking for
adults only and really romantic. So what I did was
helped her get set up with the resort. We narrowed
down which one she wanted to go with, We locked
in that date for her. From there, I set her
up with a contact at the resort to do all
of the actual planning of the wedding, and then I
took over all of the travel details. I set up
(06:24):
a contract for her rooms, got a great price on
the rooms, and locked those in for her guests. And
now we're currently in the process of getting her guests booked.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Are people surprised that it doesn't cost anything to work
with you? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Yes, they definitely. Actually got an email yesterday from a
bride that was like, I'm so surprised that there are
no additional fees, and then you know, saying she felt
like she was already getting like what she wasn't even
paying for, which is great and it's a personal choice.
There are agents out there that do charge planning fees.
I just feel like I'm well compensated, and I feel like,
where you could pay me five hundred dollars, I would
(06:59):
rather use that and get that extra large bridal bouquet
you want it or something like that, you know, because
I feel like I'm making up in the room commission.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
So how far in advance should couple start planning their
destination wedding? And what is the timeline?
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Like, I love when you give me eighteen months, I
know that seems really far out. There are some resorts
that book out twelve to eighteen months in advance, though
the wedding dates get locked in that early. Another plus
of doing it so far in advance is you really
give your guests time to save and to budget and
to make plans for childcare and work. So if you
(07:34):
give me twelve to eighteen months in advance, we can
find something phenomenal and really make it magical.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
So what's one underrated destination you think more couples should
consider for their wedding.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
You're going to be surprised by me saying this, but Mexico.
I think a lot of people assume, like, oh, we've
all been to Mexico, We're not going to do Mexico
for our wedding. But the reason that you should consider
it is because there are so many all inclusives there.
Inclusive resort, you're going to get the best package inclusions,
You're going to get the best budget for your guests,
(08:07):
and yeah, Mexico just has has the best options. And also,
you know, when you're a destination bride, you have to
accept that not everybody is going to be able to
make it. But that being said, you want as many
people to be able to afford it and to get
there as possible. So yeah, you're going to get the
best prices, the best flight times. Mexico is a hidden
gym in so many ways, and there's so many different
(08:29):
places in Mexico. It's not just Cancud. I mean you've
got port of Arita and Caba and Cabo and there's
there's just a lot to offer with Mexico.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
All Right, if somebody just before they contact you, what
is some of the information that you need to craft
the perfect wedding?
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Yeah, I need to know and they'll get all of
this in that inquiry form that I'm talking about. I
need to know how many guests you're looking to have.
I need to know what your budget is. Be truly
honest with me and what your budget is. I need
to know kind of where you're thinking about, what kind
of excursions, what kind of food you like. These are
all little details that help me craft the perfect proposal
(09:06):
for you.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
When it comes to resorts, do they give you a
number of food options?
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Yeah, so there's typically menus pre set within each package.
So you know, when I ask about what kind of
food you like, I'm kind of saying, you know, do
you guys like traditional American food or are you more?
Do you like to explore more? Do you love hibachi?
Because I'll set you up at the hard rock. You know,
there's so many great things that it's like if you
(09:32):
give me these little details that it helps me really
find the perfect place for you.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
All Right, Let's say I have a destination wedding. I
have all my guests at one resort, but after the
wedding is over, can I go to a different resort
or a different location so I can have maybe a
private honeymoon.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Yes, I love that you asked this question. What we
call in the business is a split stay. I have
brides that want to get in early with their girlfriends
and have a bachelorette party, so I'll set them up
at Breathless, which is a fun party resort, and then
they want to have you know, friends and family and
children for their wedding, so we'll move them over to
(10:11):
a Dreams, which is a family friendly resort which is
beautiful quality. And then after that, the next day, because
you're totally zapped on your social meter, you're ready to
just get out of there, be with your love and
just honeymoon. So I'll move you over to Secrets. From there,
I'll get a private transfer to pick you and your
spouse up and move you over to a Secrets to
(10:32):
have a beautiful honeymoon.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Is there anything that we haven't covered that you want
people to know about your business?
Speaker 2 (10:39):
That it is one of those things where we are
going to be good friends by the end of this,
because it is a stressful project and my goal is
always to take as much stress off of you as possible.
And then in that we kind of I tell my brides,
we end up being like best friends by the end
of this. We'll follow each other on social media. I'm
(11:00):
really lucky because I get to be a part of
one of the most important moments of your life. But
also I get to celebrate you when you buy your
first house and have your first kid, and when you're
ready to plan your anniversary trips. I'm here for you.
And you know, I think that it's kind of like
a lifelong friendship that we end up making.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
CAYLEB Brackett that certified travel advisor specializing in honeymoons and
destination weddings. This has been fun. Thank you so much
for your Yeah
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Thank you so much for having me.
And welcome in. This is the Go Go Travel Show.
I'm your host, Johnny Hert. Well, my guest today is
Cayla Brackett, who is a very unique travel advisor Greeting'skala,
how are we today?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
I'm good?
Speaker 1 (00:20):
How are you doing well? So tell me everything you
want the listeners to know about your business.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Yeah. So my name is Kayla Brackett and I am
the owner and operator of Bracket Travel. I am a
romance expert destination wedding travel agent. That's really the niche
that I work in. And I started this because I
was a nine to five corporate girly for a very
long time and hated it and was wanting to kind
(00:47):
of build something of my own. And what I did
love about it was customer service, connecting with people, talking
with people, and I wanted to kind of marry that
with my passion for travel. So luckily, I have a
wonderful husband who helped me kind of step away from
that nine to five and commit to being a travel agent.
(01:07):
Shortly thereafter, a destination wedding fell into my lap, and
I really it was kind of one of those life
moments where you're like, oh, this is what I was
meant to do. It was just seeing how happy she
was being a part of such a special moment for her.
It just really fueled fire for me and something I'm
super passionate about and I love doing.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
So a romantic expert travel agent. That seems like a
dream job.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
It is, it is. I mean, I'm very very lucky.
I think that a lot of people don't know that
you can use a travel agent anymore. A lot of
people think it's a thing of the past. But it's
really like, it's awesome. I mean, how you and I
met too. We got to just be there and experience it.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Like you know, so destination weddings, all inclusives, cruises, different
locations around the world. This is what you get to
deal in on a day to day basis. That is amazing,
It's wonderful.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
I feel very lucky, very very lucky.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
All right, So why choose a travel agent like yourself
as opposed to maybe doing the homework themselves. What's the
advantage of going through you?
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah, I think that's a really great question, and it's
a question I get a lot. Technically, yes, you can
do it all yourself, but when you use a travel
agent to help you with this process, you're getting somebody
who actually knows and has been there, has experienced the resorts.
I go to Mexico, Dominican, Jamaica on annual basis to
(02:35):
view different resorts, taste the food, meat with the wedding teams,
get you specific content of the venues that you want
to get married at. And on top of that, it's
totally free to use me. So travel agents earn money
through the commissions in the room prices, and I don't
charge my brides any fees. On top of that, that's
just a personal choice of mine. So we're compensated through
(02:56):
the rooms which the commission is going to be there
whether you use us or not. As well use us.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
So you go to all these resorts, it sounds like
a torturous job.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
I know you were ribving me the whole time about it, right.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
So what's the first step When I.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
First start with a bribe? What I typically do is
send an inquiry form and that kind of lets me know,
you know, the basics, the dates, the budget, that kind
of thing. But it also tells me is she looking
for adventure? Is she looking for something that's fun? Is
she looking to relax? From there, we can kind of
narrow down into Yes, we'll help you with your you know,
welcome party. I've done catamaran cruises, we can help you
(03:35):
set up private photo shoots, tons of excursions, but what
I typically work towards is helping you find the perfect
resort and then from there I handle all of the
guests travel, so you don't get a million questions like,
you know, how do I book this again? And do
we get direct flights from there? My answer is always
(03:55):
go to Kayla. Tell them to go to Kayla. She
handles all of that for me, and I take all
of that stress off of you.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
All Right, if somebody comes to you, what is the
process that you have the bride go through? What's the
step from start to finish? What do they have to do?
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah, so you can go to my website Www. Brackettravel
dot com and there's an inquiry form on there. So
from there I get the inquiry form. It tells me
all of those details and it helps to kind of
figure out exactly what it is that you're looking for.
From there, I create a custom proposal for each bride
with three to four resort options that I think are
(04:28):
going to be perfect for her. We'll go through kind
of the pros and cons to each, narrow it down
to two of them, and then I'll start reaching out
to the resource to see what their availability is. Once
we get the resort booked and the date held for her,
that's when I'll set up like room contracts or a
group code for her guests. And then from there, the
guests start booking, and I keep in constant contact with her,
(04:51):
kind of keeping her updated how many guests have booked,
and with the guest I also help them get ready
for the trip itself, everything they need to know.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
You have like a variety of budget options.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Yeah, I have brides that come to me that say,
you know, five to eight thousand, that's all I can do.
And so there's great resorts that have packages for just that.
For twenty guests, I can get you a five thousand
dollars wedding. It's not going to have all the bells
and whistles of like a twenty thousand dollars wedding, but
it's you know, you're in paradise, is what I say.
(05:22):
You don't need a million peonies and florals and stuff
like that. You've got this beautiful backdrop. I think I've
got brides mostly what I work in is a moderate range,
which is about ten to fifteen thousand, and that's normally
about seventy five guests.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Can you give me an example of a bride you
worked with.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Yeah, So I recently had one of my beautiful brides, Carly,
reached out to me. She and her fiance are looking
for same sex wedding. They had fifty guests and a
budget of around ten thousand, so we kind of she
wanted an adults only vibe. I gave her a few options,
but what she ultimately ended up with with Secrets PLIMEU Harris,
(06:02):
which is a great option for if you're looking for
adults only and really romantic. So what I did was
helped her get set up with the resort. We narrowed
down which one she wanted to go with, We locked
in that date for her. From there, I set her
up with a contact at the resort to do all
of the actual planning of the wedding, and then I
took over all of the travel details. I set up
(06:24):
a contract for her rooms, got a great price on
the rooms, and locked those in for her guests. And
now we're currently in the process of getting her guests booked.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Are people surprised that it doesn't cost anything to work
with you? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Yes, they definitely. Actually got an email yesterday from a
bride that was like, I'm so surprised that there are
no additional fees, and then you know, saying she felt
like she was already getting like what she wasn't even
paying for, which is great and it's a personal choice.
There are agents out there that do charge planning fees.
I just feel like I'm well compensated, and I feel like,
where you could pay me five hundred dollars, I would
(06:59):
rather use that and get that extra large bridal bouquet
you want it or something like that, you know, because
I feel like I'm making up in the room commission.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
So how far in advance should couple start planning their
destination wedding? And what is the timeline?
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Like, I love when you give me eighteen months, I
know that seems really far out. There are some resorts
that book out twelve to eighteen months in advance, though
the wedding dates get locked in that early. Another plus
of doing it so far in advance is you really
give your guests time to save and to budget and
to make plans for childcare and work. So if you
(07:34):
give me twelve to eighteen months in advance, we can
find something phenomenal and really make it magical.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
So what's one underrated destination you think more couples should
consider for their wedding.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
You're going to be surprised by me saying this, but Mexico.
I think a lot of people assume, like, oh, we've
all been to Mexico, We're not going to do Mexico
for our wedding. But the reason that you should consider
it is because there are so many all inclusives there.
Inclusive resort, you're going to get the best package inclusions,
You're going to get the best budget for your guests,
(08:07):
and yeah, Mexico just has has the best options. And also,
you know, when you're a destination bride, you have to
accept that not everybody is going to be able to
make it. But that being said, you want as many
people to be able to afford it and to get
there as possible. So yeah, you're going to get the
best prices, the best flight times. Mexico is a hidden
gym in so many ways, and there's so many different
(08:29):
places in Mexico. It's not just Cancud. I mean you've
got port of Arita and Caba and Cabo and there's
there's just a lot to offer with Mexico.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
All Right, if somebody just before they contact you, what
is some of the information that you need to craft
the perfect wedding?
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Yeah, I need to know and they'll get all of
this in that inquiry form that I'm talking about. I
need to know how many guests you're looking to have.
I need to know what your budget is. Be truly
honest with me and what your budget is. I need
to know kind of where you're thinking about, what kind
of excursions, what kind of food you like. These are
all little details that help me craft the perfect proposal
(09:06):
for you.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
When it comes to resorts, do they give you a
number of food options?
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Yeah, so there's typically menus pre set within each package.
So you know, when I ask about what kind of
food you like, I'm kind of saying, you know, do
you guys like traditional American food or are you more?
Do you like to explore more? Do you love hibachi?
Because I'll set you up at the hard rock. You know,
there's so many great things that it's like if you
(09:32):
give me these little details that it helps me really
find the perfect place for you.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
All Right, Let's say I have a destination wedding. I
have all my guests at one resort, but after the
wedding is over, can I go to a different resort
or a different location so I can have maybe a
private honeymoon.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Yes, I love that you asked this question. What we
call in the business is a split stay. I have
brides that want to get in early with their girlfriends
and have a bachelorette party, so I'll set them up
at Breathless, which is a fun party resort, and then
they want to have you know, friends and family and
children for their wedding, so we'll move them over to
(10:11):
a Dreams, which is a family friendly resort which is
beautiful quality. And then after that, the next day, because
you're totally zapped on your social meter, you're ready to
just get out of there, be with your love and
just honeymoon. So I'll move you over to Secrets. From there,
I'll get a private transfer to pick you and your
spouse up and move you over to a Secrets to
(10:32):
have a beautiful honeymoon.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Is there anything that we haven't covered that you want
people to know about your business?
Speaker 2 (10:39):
That it is one of those things where we are
going to be good friends by the end of this,
because it is a stressful project and my goal is
always to take as much stress off of you as possible.
And then in that we kind of I tell my brides,
we end up being like best friends by the end
of this. We'll follow each other on social media. I'm
(11:00):
really lucky because I get to be a part of
one of the most important moments of your life. But
also I get to celebrate you when you buy your
first house and have your first kid, and when you're
ready to plan your anniversary trips. I'm here for you.
And you know, I think that it's kind of like
a lifelong friendship that we end up making.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
CAYLEB Brackett that certified travel advisor specializing in honeymoons and
destination weddings. This has been fun. Thank you so much
for your Yeah
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Thank you so much for having me.
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