Why We Charge Professional Fees

Our Commitment to You

As your dedicated travel curator, our primary allegiance is to you, not to suppliers or vendors. This independence ensures every recommendation we make serves your best interests, whether that’s the intimate vineyard experience that doesn’t pay commission or the exclusive hotel partnership that does.

A Transparent Approach

We operate on a hybrid model combining selective commissions with professional service fees. (This is true of most ASTA-member professional travel advisors.) Here’s why this matters for you:

Commission only covers bringing you to the booking (and the supplier)—it doesn’t pay for the real magic. That means no compensation for planning those crucial details that transform a good trip into an extraordinary one, creating your detailed itineraries, or making sure every “t” is crossed and “i” is dotted before you depart.

In addition, commissions are usually only paid after the client has returned from their travel – which means that in most cases any work before or outside of that booking (including cancelled bookings) would be unpaid to the travel professional.

This structure allows us to:

• Maintain complete objectivity in our recommendations
• Provide comprehensive pre-travel planning and ongoing support
• Ensure continuity of service regardless of booking changes or cancellations
• Invest in exclusive relationships and insider access that elevate your experience
  
  

The Investment in Excellence

Our fees reflect the true value we provide: weeks of research and planning, years of professional development and experience, coordination of complex itineraries, access to our vetted network of partners worldwide, and the peace of mind that comes with having experienced professionals managing every detail of your journey.

Unlike commission-only models that prioritize supplier relationships, our approach prioritizes your satisfaction and creates experiences that are uniquely yours.

Your Time is Precious

We understand that your time is invaluable. By partnering with us, you’re not the one spending hours on hold with suppliers, doing endless research (which is often unvetted from the internet), juggling final payments and packing lists, or fielding detailed questions from family members about that group trip you’re organizing (just send them our way!).

Instead, you get to focus on what matters most—anticipating and enjoying your extraordinary journey while we handle all the complexities behind the scenes.