F.A.Q.

What is the difference between a Professional Travel Advisor and a Travel (Sales) Agent?

A travel concierge is a professional travel advisor. A true travel professional will have many years of training and will be affiliated with a host company that works with travel professionals only, not agents. They take the time to get to know you, and provides detailed information to ensure that you have a cruise and vacation package that meets your budget requirements. Most importantly, they look out for your safety so you can enjoy a hassle-free vacation. When you work with a travel concierge you have the comfort of knowing that if something goes wrong, you have someone to contact before, during, and after your vacation.
A travel (sales) agent is a salesperson who sells only certain cruise line, hotels, or vacation packages. They do not give you different companies to choose from. They are usually on a quota system, which means they need to make a required number of sales to keep their job with that company. They will pressure you and try to close the sale within the first telephone call. You will not have any personalized support after this call.

How do I know if I'm working with a Travel Professional or a Sales Agent?

On your first call to a travel concierge, the travel professional will ask you questions, offer to do some research, and provide additional information with the best options found.
On your first call to a travel (sales) agent, the salesperson will do a hard sell and try to get you to buy now; they pride themselves in how quickly they can get someone to give them a credit card number, with little regard to catering your wants/needs.

I'm pretty resourceful, why should I use a travel agency?

Have you ever arranged a group trip for a family or class reunion? Do you know how to find the "good vs. bad" neighborhoods to stay in when traveling overseas? How many times have you booked your flight and hotel, just to realize after you've already taken off that you didn't book any ground airport transportation? Well a travel professional takes all of the headache out of planning a trip and handles virtually all aspects of your travel. The combined experience of the team and the feedback from our various travelers provides an invaluable resource to the traveler planning an important trip.
Alternatively, we offer a DIY Booking Portal for those who like to be in control.

Do I really need travel insurance?

Travel insurance is available and recommended to protect your travel investment. Many trips, such as tours and cruises, involve non-refundable funds paid months in advance. Travel insurance protects you from losing this investment. Perhaps even more important is the ‘during travel’ coverage and assistance that comes with the top-flight insurance companies we carry.
Trip interruption due to illness or unforeseen circumstances can be very expensive, and medical care abroad is often not covered by domestic insurance plans.

Is it true that travel agencies have better rates?

Travel is a fluid industry. Market rates fluctuate daily, sometimes multiples within the day. The bonus of using a professional travel agent, is that we're among the first to know about all kinds of promotions, sales, even grand openings and closures. We can't guarantee the lowest rate all the time, however we can assure you that you'll get the best rate possible without loosing a quality experience. That means we will use all the tricks of the trade to make sure we're offering the most competitive rates for our clients, with the given market climate.

Can I always get a payment plan when I book a trip?

While we always want to make things as less stressful for our clients as possible, no booking is guaranteed a payment plan. Most suppliers require a 45+ day final payment date prior to departure. If your departure date is within that 45 day window, you may be required to pay the balance in full upon booking.
With that being said, the more advance you plan your vacation the more time you may have to pay on it. Booking your reservation 60 days out, only allots you 15 days before departure and you will be required to pay the balance in full.

I'm paid in full, when will I receive my travel documents?

After your balance has been zeroed out with the supplier, they will issue a final travel itinerary. Depending on the circumstances of your reservation this confirmation can some times take a while to confirm. Albeit, you will receive your travel documents no later than 2 weeks prior to your departure date. In the meantime, we will remain in contact with you, being readily available when you need us.
We now have partnered with Travefy to offer customized interactive travel proposals and itineraries with the Trip Plan app! This way, you don't have to go digging through your email to find that confirmation number anymore, it'll all be handy at your fingertips within the app.