Calling all Travel Agents. Do you charge a planning fee? Why or why not?
I had a prospective client, an attorney who wanted me to plan his honeymoon. After batting around a few ideas through email, I gently informed him that there would be a planning fee, which would be deducted from the cost of the trip when he booked with me but is non-refundable otherwise.
The trip he wanted was very expensive and would require a ton of research to make it perfect. I love the research part of my business, but not when they take my hard work to book somewhere else.
The trip he wanted was very expensive and would require a ton of research to make it perfect. I love the research part of my business, but not when they take my hard work to book somewhere else.
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We have not to this point charged such a fee for our services but have debated the issue as we work solely on commission and can spend considerable time researching information for clients only to have them book it themselves or elsewhere with the information we have provided.
NO
Yes, we have a minimum consultation fee for 2 hours of research of $150
I charge a fee for complicated FIT itineraries unless I'm working with a steady client that has booked with me before. If the trip is not time consuming then I will give the person 1 quote free.