I practice what is called a collaborative travel planning process. This is a different experience than working with traditional travel agents that merely process transactions. My process allows me to get to know my clients so I can really tailor their trip based on what is most important to them.
1. Getting to Know You
I want to know:
- Why do you travel?
- What is on your travel wish list?
- What has been your best trip? Why?
- What has been your worst trip? Why?
2. Designing Your Travel
Once I learn a bit more about you and your travel style then we can jump into the details of your upcoming travels. Where would you like to go? With whom will you be traveling? When are you looking to travel? Why are you traveling, i.e. are you celebrating a special occasion? How much have you budgeted for this trip? What would make this a ‘wow’ trip for you?
After discussing the above questions and getting to know each other during the free consultation, we can then decide if we are a good fit for each other and whether we would like to proceed.
I am compensated in a few different ways:
1) Professional Travel Planning and Research Fee – As a professional travel advisor I do charge a non-refundable planning fee to cover my time in putting together a customized itinerary for you. The fee starts at $100 but can vary based on complexity of the travel request. By charging a fee I am not driven to push my clients toward certain products just based on commissions. This means I work for YOU and allows me to offer more personalized service for my clients.
2) My host agency does charge a standard $100 ticketing fee for all international airline tickets we issue and $30 for all domestic airline tickets. My clients are welcome to book their own tickets or use award miles/points. I work with a number of sources to find my clients the best flight deals I can.
3) I am compensated via commission from many of my travel partners around the world. This is standard practice in the travel industry and does not increase the cost to you.
4) Referrals. When my clients refer me to their friends and family that is the best compensation I can receive.
I have heard the question “why should I pay you for something that only takes ___ minutes”? You are paying for my expertise and experience. I have spent years getting to know the best in the business to best serve my clients which is how I can quickly take care of requests because I have been doing this for many years now.
Once the non-refundable planning fee has been paid via credit card, check, or cash we will move forward with the nitty-gritty of your trip. During this travel planning process I will work collaboratively with you and my local travel partners to develop a custom itinerary that we refine to perfection.
Once you are traveling, my service travels with you. You will have a list of emergency contact numbers both local and international to help you with any issues that might arise during your travels. I always reconfirm hotel requests right before to make sure my clients are able to receive Virtuoso amenities and other special travel requests.
And then upon your return I like to do a trip debrief with my clients so I can hear all about your travels, see photos if you like to share, and listen to what worked and didn’t work so I can better serve you and other clients in the future.
If you would like to get started on your adventure today, give me a call 954-683-5548 or send me an email to kristina@wanderlusttraveladventures.com