So, you’ve been invited to a destination wedding, hopefully planned by DWD. How exciting! A celebration of love and a built-in vacation? Yes, please. Now that you’re reviewing the details, selecting your room, and choosing your travel dates, you may be wondering: where’s the airfare? Unlike your room, meals, and airport transfers (which are all included in your booking), airfare is not—and that’s intentional. In this post, I’m sharing why flights are handled separately, plus practical destination wedding guest travel tips to help you book airfare, save money, and make the most of your upcoming trip.

Why Your Destination Wedding Stay Doesn’t Include Airfare

Different Schedules

99% of the time, guests have varying trip schedules and/or live in different areas. With everyone coming from different locations on different dates, this isn’t conducive to have group air schedules. To book group airfare, everyone must travel from the same airport, on the same day, on the same fight, at the same time. Clearly, this would pose more trouble for everyone.

Minimal Price Breaks

While airlines do offer group air discounts, they are incredibly minimal. In my experience, travelers only end up with about a $25 price break per ticket. For such a small amount, this isn’t worth the hassle of forcing everyone to book the same dates from the departure airport.

Freedom

By not having group airfare, you’re free to book the length of stay that works for you! Looking to get in and out? A 3-night stay would be for you. Want to really make a vacation out of it and take real advantage of those group resort rates? Make it a whole week! Without a group air schedule, you have the freedom to choose!

Makes sense why destination weddings don’t include airfare in the packages, right? Now that you know, you’ll need some help planning your airfare! Keep reading for more.

5 Airfare Booking Tips for Vacationers & Destination Wedding Guests

I have a few tips to help you in booking your airfare.

• Schedules | Most airline schedules are available for purchase 331 days or 11 months in advance. Southwest Airlines typically releases their schedule 6 months in advance. 
• Tracking Costs | I recommend tracking your flights via Google Flights so you can monitor the cost. You can set notifications to alert you when pricing changes.
• When to book? | For summer travel, I typically recommend waiting until after the New Year if you find yourself planning around the winter holidays. Historically, pricing is lower before and after the holiday season.
• Don’t book basic economy. | You will end up paying more for seats, carry on bags, checked baggage, etc.
• Book Direct | Since your airfare is not packaged with the resort, I advise booking with airlines directly. Third party sites have hidden fees and stricter terms.

As a guest, attending a destination wedding is such a special experience—but figuring out airfare can be one of the trickier parts. While your group reservation includes your resort stay and airport transfers, flights are typically separate. The good news? With a few smart these destination wedding guest travel tips—like flying midweek, using miles, or booking early—you can make the process a whole lot easier. And when you’re traveling with a group booked through DWD, you’ll have guidance along the way so you can stress less about logistics and focus more on the celebration ahead.