Money Talk: Why some advisors charge a fee and some do not
Money talk in travel can feel awkward, but it really doesn’t have to be. When it comes to why some travel advisors charge fees and some don’t, the answer is less about “good vs. bad” and more about how they work, how they’re paid, and what kind of support you actually want for your trip.
How travel advisors get paid (in real life)
Travel advisors are typically paid in two ways:
Commission from travel partners (like hotels, cruises, and tour companies)
Professional planning fees paid by the client
When you book a hotel, the rate you see almost always already includes a commission — whether you book it yourself online or an advisor books it for you. That commission doesn’t get “added” when a travel advisor is involved; it’s already baked into the price. The difference is simply who receives it: a giant online travel site, or a real person who knows your name, preferences, and story.
That’s why, for hotel-only bookings with my preferred partners, you often don’t see a separate planning fee. The hotel compensates the advisor after your stay, and you get the benefit of:
Help choosing the right property for you, not just the top search result
Someone watching your reservation, flagging details, and making special requests
Potential added amenities through partnerships (like breakfast, credits, or upgrade consideration), when available
From your side, the rate is the same (and sometimes better), but there’s a human attached to it who is invested in your experience.
Where fees come in: the invisible work behind “just a trip”
Fees usually come into the picture when the work goes far beyond a single hotel booking. That’s where planning starts to look less like “clicking reserve” and more like trip design.
Think about a multi-stop itinerary — maybe a European honeymoon with three cities, train connections, private tours, a wine day, transfers, and a few special restaurant reservations. Or a Japan journey that involves rail passes, park days, experiential museums, and carefully timed moves between cities. None of that is plug-and-play.
Behind the scenes, that kind of trip often involves:
Deep conversation about what you actually want (and what you really don’t)
Comparing routes, transit timing, and pacing so your trip flows instead of feeling like a race
Vetting hotels that match your style, not just your budget
Coordinating transfers, activities, and experiences so they connect smoothly
Adjusting and fine-tuning when something doesn’t feel quite right yet
Some of those components either don’t pay commission at all or pay so little that they don’t come close to covering the hours involved. A planning fee simply acknowledges that the thought, time, and expertise poured into your trip have value — just like working with a photographer, designer, or planner in any other part of life.
A real example: the 18-day Japan honeymoon
One of the best illustrations of this is an 18-day Japan honeymoon planned for a couple who wanted their trip to feel seamless, special, and a little bit playful. Their dream list included major cities, quieter moments, theme parks, and must-do experiences that sell out quickly.
On paper, that sounds magical. In practice, it meant carefully mapping out each day so they weren’t crisscrossing the country, choosing the right neighborhoods, lining up rail passes and transfers, and — here’s the unglamorous part — being online at very specific times on very specific days to grab high-demand tickets the minute they were released. Those tickets disappear fast, and there’s no “I’ll get to it later” option.
That kind of work doesn’t show up on an invoice as a line item, but it’s the difference between “We wish we’d gotten in” and “We got everything we hoped for.” A planning fee for a trip like that isn’t just about the hours spent researching and building the itinerary; it’s also about the mental load, the precise timing, and the responsibility of making sure those important pieces don’t slip through the cracks.
Another story: Italy on points, but make it seamless
Another couple came to plan an Italian itinerary and wanted to use points they’d carefully saved with two different hotel brands. They didn’t want to waste their points, but they also didn’t want their trip to feel like it was stitched together around whatever random nights were available.
Behind the scenes, that meant:
Looking at where each brand had properties that actually made sense for the type of Italian experience they wanted
Making sure the hotel choices worked geographically so the trip flowed logically instead of ping-ponging across the country
Piecing together trains, private transfers, and timing so each move between cities felt smooth rather than chaotic
Filling in the gaps around those “points stays” with handpicked experiences, local flavor, and room to breathe
To them, it felt like, “We got to use our points in a smart way and still had a beautiful, cohesive trip.” On my side, it was puzzle-solving, logistics, and creative thinking. A planning fee in a case like that honors the value of taking a points-based idea and turning it into a fully formed, easy-to-enjoy itinerary.
Making it personal: how this works with me
Here’s the most important part: with me, a fee is never the starting point of the conversation. It’s the result of us talking through what you actually need.
When you reach out, we start with:
A real conversation about who you are as travelers
What kind of support you want
What the trip looks like in your head (and what’s still fuzzy)
From there, one of a few things usually happens:
If you mostly need a great hotel match and it’s a property that works with my partners, you may not see a separate fee at all. The hotel-based commission makes that possible, and you still get guidance, perks when available, and someone in your corner.
If you’re dreaming of something more complex or custom — multiple stops, lots of logistics, or a high-touch itinerary — that’s when a planning fee may come into play. Before anything is charged, we talk openly about what that fee would be, what it covers, and whether it feels right for you.
This isn’t a surprise line item hidden at the end. It’s a transparent, “here’s what I’ll do for you, and here’s how that’s structured” conversation. You always get to say yes or no with all the information in front of you.
Please don’t let the word “fee” scare you off
The word “fee” can sound intimidating, but in reality, it’s often the thing that allows your trip to get the time and care it deserves. It means:
You’re working with someone who treats your trip like a professional project, not a side favor
You’re not competing with a hundred other inquiries for attention
You have someone to call or message when things change, because the relationship didn’t end at the deposit
And if, after talking through your plans, it turns out all you really need is help choosing the right hotel and getting it booked? Great. We keep it simple.
At the heart of all this is respect — for your time, your budget, and your experience. A fee isn’t about squeezing more out of you; it’s about making sure the work that goes into your trip is sustainable, thoughtful, and truly focused on you.
So if you’re curious about planning, reach out. We’ll talk like humans first. Then, if a fee makes sense based on what you’re asking for, you’ll hear exactly what it is and what you get in return — no pressure, no surprises, just clarity and care.
