What is the difference between a Travel Advisor and a Travel Agent?

A travel agent is more transactional booking flight and hotel reservations.

A travel advisor develops a relationship with you and collaborates with you to curate vacation itineraries with long lasting stunning memories.  

 

Why should I use a Travel Advisor for my vacation plans?  

Because a Travel Advisor...

...saves you money.   By knowing the “tricks of the trade”, a travel advisor can book your flights  with an air expert or secure a hotel room with breakfast included, $100 resort credit, a room upgrade and early check-in and late check-out through Virtuoso or another wholesale provider.  While the cost may be slightly higher than booking on your own, the amenities are worth much more than the cost increase and saves you money

 

...is available 24/7.  What happens if your flight is cancelled and you need to find a new flight or you’ve lost your passport?  I am available 24/7 to help with ANY and ALL issues that arise.  And in most cases, if there is a flight cancellation, I am already aware of the issue and our team is securing another flight for you.   Working with a travel advisor gives you peace of mind.

 

...is your partner/collaborator.  On our first meeting, I will ask you a series of discovery questions which will help us design the perfect and amazing vacation for you and include your “bucket list”for future travel.   We are partners in this venture and will collaborate together creating an  itinerary that more than satisfies your wants, needs and desires.

 

...values your time!  There is an overload of information out there on the internet.  I will save you time and do all the research  and help you make sense of it all.  

 

...has relationships with other professionals worldwide that can provide knowledge and expertise for every  destination.  These professionals are on the ground locals who know the area and can open doors to experiences hard to get without their connections.  Many of our connections are proprietary suppliers and properties and only available to travel advisors.

 

...is protecting your travel investment by recommending you purchase travel insurance.

 

What does the planning/booking process look like if I were to work with you?

Step one will be a thorough discovery discussion between you and me.  We will discuss everything about the trip you are considering, why you are going - what do you want to accomplish, who’s going with you, when you think you might go, where you are thinking of going and how will you get there.   We’ll talk about your interests and what you have liked or not liked about past trips.  This first meeting should last about 30 minutes to an hour.    After this discussion, I will approximate the fees associated with the booking.   If you and I agree that we are a good fit and  can work together, I collect the nonrefundable planning fee and begin my work.

 

Soon after, I will present an initial proposal as a starting point.  From there you and I will collaborate as often as necessary until the trip is completely planned.  It doesn’t end here.  Of course all of the reservations need to be made with absolute accuracy.  And once you depart, I will be available to help with any issues that arise.   After the trip, we will connect to discuss your trip.  I’ll want to hear what you loved, what you didn’t and what could have been better.  This kind of feedback enables me to improve on my services for your and my other clients’ future trips. 

 

How do you get paid?​

My compensation comes through two sources, commissions and planning fees.  Commissions are typically between 10-15% of the cost of a quoted trip but are not paid until the trip is completed which could be several months.  The time I spend with a client is not commissionable.  Regardless of whether or not a client decides to book their trip with me, I spend considerable time preparing proposals, communicating with suppliers on the client’s behalf and interacting with clients.  For this, I am compensated by means of non-refundable planning fees.  There may be other unique situations, where I would charge a consultation fee that the client and I agree upon prior to the start of any work.  (Refer to my Fee Schedule)

 

You mention Italy is your specialty.  Are there other destinations you are familiar with?

Yes, we have destination training available to us on the Virtuoso members website 24/7 and I am constantly enrolling and completing these trainings as the demand for knowledge of additional destinations is needed.  Also, there are FAM Trips (Familiarization) - available to us at an advisor rate so we are able to visit many destinations, properties and cruises in order to build on our portfolio.  And as mentioned prior, we have a worldwide network of professionals in all seven continents at our fingertips who support us.

 

Can you plan a vacation for all budgets?

Yes, we can tailor an itinerary to your specific spending ability.  And we have a broad range of products to meet any budget.

 

I have a group of 10-12 individuals that want to travel together.  Can you accommodate us?

Yes, in fact we are also focused on private small-group and customized itineraries.