FAQs
It starts with a conversation — I want to understand how you travel, what excites you, and what you want this particular trip to feel like. From there, I handle all the research, design, and logistics. You'll receive a custom itinerary built from scratch, and once we've refined it together, I manage the bookings, deposits, and coordination so you can simply show up and travel.
How does this all work?
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How far in advance should I start planning my trip?
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For complex international itineraries, I recommend starting 6 to 12 months before your travel dates. Some destinations — safaris, peak-season Europe, high-demand lodges — require even more lead time to secure the best availability. The earlier we begin, the more options we have.
How long does the planning process take?
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That depends on the complexity of the trip, but most itineraries go through up to four rounds of revisions before we finalize. A straightforward two-week trip might come together in a few weeks; a multi-country journey with several moving parts can take longer. I'll set expectations at the start so there are no surprises.
How do we communicate?
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Email is my primary channel for all trip-related communication. Anything that needs to be acted on — dates, preferences, changes, approvals — must come through in writing via email. This keeps everything documented and ensures nothing falls through the cracks.
What about calls & texts?
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Calls and texts are great for general conversation, but they're not how I track trip details. If something comes up in a call or text that you'd like me to act on, please follow up with an email. I need a written record to ensure accuracy and accountability.
What does the design fee cover?
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The $500-$1000 Design Fee covers all of my conceptual research, itinerary development, and planning work. It's due at the start of our engagement and represents the time and expertise that goes into building your trip from the ground up. This fee begins the moment we agree to work together.
Is the design fee refundable?
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No. The Design Fee is non-refundable. It compensates for the research and creative work I invest from day one, regardless of whether you ultimately book the trip.
Why do you need a budget upfront?
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Knowing your budget allows me to design the best possible trip within your parameters. It ensures I'm recommending the right properties, experiences, and level of service from the start — rather than presenting options that don't align with what you want to spend. It's a matter of respect for your time and mine.
What is the minimum budget required?
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The minimum budget is about $10,000 per week for two travelers. Some regions during peak season will be more (e.g. Italy in August) and others slightly less. This reflects the level of service, accommodations, and experiences I curate. It's the threshold at which I can deliver something genuinely exceptional and seamless.
Can you just book a hotel or part of my trip?
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Can you just provide me with recommendations or advice?
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Why do you have to be such hard-asses about all of this stuff?
What is the commitment fee for?
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The commitment fee is designed for those unfortunate incidents where you have to cancel your trip for any reason, or you decide you want to try to book things yourself after we’ve gone through the design phase. This ensures that the time spent beyond the design phase— the booking and confirmation phase is compensated. This takes the place of any commissions that would otherwise be paid out to Archipelagos Travel after your trip.
Unfortunately, we are no longer able to take on à la carte, single-item bookings. Our work involves designing complete travel experiences — that's where our expertise adds the most value. If you're looking for a standalone hotel reservation or just one tour, a booking platform or your hotel's concierge will serve you well. However, if you’re interested in a personalized hotel research service (for an event, special occasion or group booking) we offer a research-only service option. Reach out to us if that’s you.
We get this a lot. And we REALLY REALLY want you to have a great holiday, whether or not you book with us. However, most recommendations/advice we have comes from our in-person, on-the-ground experience. We are investing time, energy and money in gaining this intellectual property. But the suppliers we work with are ALSO investing in Archipelagos. There is a common misperception that our travel is free (it is not), but we often get preferential rates to experience a place first-hand to know how and to who it would be a fit for. This is an investment from Archipelagos as well as the suppliers we work with. Our suppliers need to understand that there is an ROI on their investment and that comes with working through us.
We are actually really flexible over here at Archipelagos. We like to be playful and whimsical and we try to infuse that in everything we do— travel, after all, should be both fun AND transformational! However, we’ve had to institute these processes and rules (boo…) over the last few years to protect our time, our compensation, and our suppliers’ time and investments. We will try everything we can to make things right and to be fair… always. But, we also have a business to run :-)