How travel-agent fees actually work (and when there isn't one)

The first question almost everyone asks me is some version of: “Wait — what do you charge?”

Fair question. So let me answer it plainly, because I’d rather you hear it straight than guess.

First, the part that surprises people: the commission is already built into the price of your trip whether you use me or not. Resorts and cruise lines bake it in. Book direct and they simply keep my share. So using me doesn’t cost you more than booking it yourself — you get the same rate, plus the upgrades, the resort credits, and someone to call if anything goes sideways.

When there’s no planning fee

If you already know what you want, there’s no fee. You tell me “Galveston cruise, May 2027, this line,” or “this resort in Cancún, these dates,” and I price it and book it. Quick and clean. That’s a price-and-book, and I’m glad to do it.

When there is a fee

The fee shows up when the work is real research. “I don’t know if I want Alaska, Galveston, or Florida — can you send me options across a few lines?” “We’re thinking Jamaica or Mexico or Curaçao, can you compare?” That’s hours of digging, pricing, and laying out choices, and it’s most of what I actually do. So when a trip needs that kind of build, there’s a planning fee, and I tell you the number before I start. No surprises on the invoice.

The other place a fee comes in is the custom, day-by-day itinerary. Transfers, trains, flights, hotels, tours — built from the ground up, nothing cookie-cutter, every piece specific to you. Before you go, we sit down for a 60-minute Zoom call and walk the whole thing together: each day, every meeting location, what’s included and what isn’t, and every question answered. The goal is that all you have to do is show up and enjoy your vacation. You’ll know exactly where to be and what to expect before you ever board the plane — everything handled for you.

Honestly, the fee does one more thing: it keeps my time on travelers who are going, not folks price-shopping ten agents for sport. If that sounds fair to you, we’ll get along great.

The money you don’t see me save

The bigger savings are the ones that never show up as a line item:

• The resort that looked perfect online but has a construction crane next to the pool this season. I know. You won’t book it.
• The cabin category that costs $400 more and is genuinely worth it — and the one that costs $400 more and isn’t.
• The “deal” fare with a connection so tight you’d miss it, sold next to a real fare for forty dollars more.

That’s the part you’re really paying for, even when you’re not paying. Years of trips, a phone full of suppliers, and a strong opinion about which “bargain” is going to cost you a vacation day.

Ready to see what your trip actually looks like? Start a trip request and we’ll talk.