Let’s face it, fees make people nervous. The word itself doesn’t exactly have the best reputation. But I have a totally different attitude about it, and I’m on a mission to reframe the conversation. Confession: I LOVE talking about fees. I built a fee-based travel agency because I believe this model serves my clients best. It facilitates trust, encourages mutual creativity, and allows freedom of choice. Plus, working within a fee-based model provides greater transparency and defines expectations. So let’s take a look!
Hourly Rate
I do NOT charge an hourly rate to build itineraries or for trip management and support service. Tracking for hourly billing purposes is not practical. Hourly billing is vague, creates a lack of trust, and discourages the type of collaborative relationship that I like to build with my clients. I don’t ever want my clients to feel as though they’re on the clock. We’re planning vacations here, guys. You should never be on the clock when you’re on vacation.
Engagement Fee
Like an event planner, my engagement fee is the non-refundable cost clients pay to engage me to design their itinerary. The engagement fee is based on trip length, number of travelers, number of destinations, and the level of specialized components. It covers all of my preliminary research and planning work, plus guarantees you a set amount of revisions before finalizing.
Management Fee
Same as the management fee you might pay your investment advisor. In this analogy, I’m the advisor and your trip is the asset I’m managing. Part of what makes being a fee-based agency so unique is that I provide my clients with wholesale pricing. This NET pricing reflects negotiated, wholesale rates for hotels, guides, transfer companies, etc. that don’t include any hidden mark-ups or commissions to RH Travel Design. I pass the wholesale cost on to you and charge a fixed percentage of the total trip cost as my fee. The result? Advantageous and transparent trip pricing with a world-class experience and ongoing trip support included!
Research & Recommendation Fee
You want to go somewhere but aren’t quite sure where. Rather than spending days researching the internet and deciphering reviews, you instead call me. I will charge a one-time flat fee per destination. We’ll have an in-depth conversation so I can get a feel for your style, then I’ll provide options for you to choose from that I think would suit you best. I’ll also handle making the reservation for you.
What About Commissions?
I don’t charge commissions, but I do earn them when NET pricing is not available. This typically happens when I am booking a hotel only. Hotels charge the exact same retail price for a room whether you book it yourself, or I do it for you. You never pay more.
And there you have it! Fees really are far less intimidating than what they’re made out to be. Of course, this is a general overview, so please don’t hesitate to drop me a line if you have specific questions!
