How We Work/Our Fees
On the Map Travel Fee Policy
Our trip planning fee is $250. This amount includes the following:
- We will discuss with you (via phone or email) your expectations/requirements at length to determine what properties and services would best suit you. You will then receive:
- A list of suggested hotels picked specifically for you - hotels I believe would be appealing and would meet your needs/tastes/budget. Prices and websites are included in this list.
- A proposed program for your entire trip, including a preliminary daily itinerary subject to your approval
- Once we have agreed on all the services for your program, we will give you a final price and, on approval, make all arrangements. You will be given the information regarding necessary deposits, final payments and cancellation policies.
- About 3-4 weeks prior to your departure, you will receive a complete set of pre-departure documents (about 15-20 pages) which include important and interesting information about your destinations, a complete day-by-day itinerary, contact numbers for local service providers, hotel confirmations. If we have booked a rental car, you will receive a voucher. You will also receive reading and packing lists, restaurant and shopping lists and a few other fun things we throw in according to where you are staying.We are also happy make restaurant, bike rental, and spa reservations and any other special requests you have.
Each trip we do is completely custom and takes many hours of work and thought; the planning fee covers a small part of our time and effort. For this reason, we ask that, if you find something online that we have not discussed, please bring it to my attention and do not contact the hotel/service provider directly. Most hotel rates are the same if booked through us (and sometimes lower) - the same is true for services. If a client starts to make contact directly, things get very confused and can lead to double booking or cancellation of reservations. Should this happen, any charges incurred will be assessed to the client.
We are happy to make changes to your itinerary. We provide two sets of revisions at no additional cost. Additional changes to your itinerary will be charged at our standard hourly fee of $50.
We look forward to hearing back and to helping you plan your trip!
Cancellation Fees
On a single price itinerary, cancellation fees are sent out with the Important Information sheets. Though they may vary slightly from destination to destination, they are generally as follows:
- Up to 61 days prior to departure: $400
- 31-60 days prior to departure: 50% of price
- Within 30 days of departure: 100% of price
Cancellations must be received in writing and are subject to the following fees per person:
Passport perfect names and information are required to finalize arrangements. Changes in names - including spelling corrections -may require cancellation and rebooking and will incur cancellation fees. Final payment will be required to recreate any booking.
We strongly suggest all travelers purchase a Travel Insurance Plan to protect against cancellation fees.
For travelers using our services (other than a single price itinerary) the cancellation fees are 10% of the total cost of all services booked.
