The short answer
A travel advisor plans and books your trip with you. We find the hotel, cruise or tour that fits how you like to travel, handle the details you’d rather skip, and stay on call until you’re home. In most cases it costs the same as booking on your own, because hotels and travel partners pay us, not you.
That’s the short answer. If you’ve always booked online, your next question is probably “So what’s the catch?” Here’s a plain look at the job, how the money works, and when you may not need us at all.
What does a travel advisor actually do?
An advisor does the research, the booking and the follow-through, and you make the decisions. Think of us as the people who read the fine print, ask the awkward questions and keep track of every confirmation number, so the trip is shaped around your priorities, pace and budget.
Before you go
Most of the work happens here. We start with questions: who’s going, how old the kids are, what you’re celebrating, the trip you still talk about and the one that let you down. Then we narrow the field to a few options we’d stand behind and check the things a booking site won’t tell you:
- Does the kids’ club take a four-year-old, or only kids five and up?
- Is the “ocean view” room actually facing the water, or a sliver of it past the parking lot?
- Does your flight land after the last shuttle of the night?
- Your cruise sails at 4 p.m. and the port is a long drive from the airport. Should you fly in the day before? (Usually, yes.)
We book hotels, cruises, tours, transfers and the pieces in between, like the pre-cruise hotel night or the anniversary dinner. We’ll also point you to the paperwork your destination requires, such as passports and visas.
From our destination guides
Destination know-how is part of the job, too. For a sense of the detail involved, browse the Insider’s Guide to European Christmas Markets, a guide we’d hand anyone planning December in Europe.
While you’re away
You have a team that knows your booking. If a canceled flight means you’ll miss the first night, or the room isn’t what you booked, you message us and we work out the next step together. We can’t control every airline’s or hotel’s policy, but you won’t be figuring it out alone. Rebooking when plans change is one of the duties the Bureau of Labor Statistics lists for the job.
Your plans also live in one place. We send one itinerary with all your confirmations, so the details aren’t buried in your inbox.
After you’re home
We ask what worked and what didn’t, and we keep notes: the high floor you prefer, the teenager who won’t do 7 a.m. tours, the hotel you’d go back to tomorrow. Your next trip starts there instead of from scratch.
How do travel advisors get paid?
Mostly through commission. When we book a hotel, cruise or tour, that company pays us a commission at no extra cost to you, and Fora’s own FAQ notes that its advisors charge travelers nothing for most hotel bookings.
On most bookings, we’re paid only after your trip ends, and that can be 90 days or more after trip completion, so we’re invested in every detail until you’re home.
What about planning fees? Fora says its advisors may add one for complicated trips with several stops, and that it’s always disclosed up front. Our promise is the same: if a trip ever needs a planning fee, we’ll tell you up front, before any work begins.
Flights are the exception. Airlines pay advisors little to no commission these days, so many advisors charge a per-ticket fee for air or leave flights to you. We’ll tell you up front how flights fit into your plan.
Is booking with a travel advisor cheaper than booking online?
Usually it’s the same price, not cheaper. Hotels and cruise lines tend to keep their rates consistent across booking channels (AAA calls these price-parity rules), so the rate we find typically matches the one you’d see booking direct. We’re not in the discount business.
The value sits on top of the rate. When you book an eligible hotel through us, we can request perks through our affiliation with Fora. Depending on the hotel, they may include a room upgrade, daily breakfast or a hotel credit, when available. Upgrades are always subject to availability, and we’ll tell you which perks are confirmed and which are requests. We can also flag a birthday or anniversary so the hotel knows why you’re there.
Spot a lower number somewhere else? Send it to us. Sometimes it’s a nonrefundable rate, or one that leaves out taxes and fees. Sometimes it’s simply a better deal, and we’ll say so.
Can I keep my hotel points and use my credit card’s travel portal?
Usually, yes. You can typically keep your status and keep earning points on eligible rates, and if you’re weighing a card portal, we’ll compare it side by side for you. Give us your loyalty numbers and we’ll add them to the reservation.
Card travel portals are great for points, and some now pass along hotel points and elite benefits at participating hotels. Read the eligibility notes, though: Chase’s own guide says not every property within a participating brand qualifies. We’ll help you compare the full picture: the rate, the benefits on offer, how flexible the booking is and who helps you if plans change.
Advisor’s note
Paying with points is a different story. Advisors don’t earn commission on award bookings, so the ones who handle them typically charge a fee. A simple split works well: you book the award flight or free night, and we plan the rest of the trip around it.
When is a travel advisor worth it, and when isn’t it?
An advisor is worth it when a trip has a lot of moving parts, a lot riding on it, or both. If it’s a quick, simple trip you’ve taken before, you may not need one.
We help most with:
- Cruises, where the pre-cruise hotel, transfers and shore plans all have to line up
- A first family ski trip, with lessons, rentals and lift tickets to coordinate
- Honeymoons, anniversaries and milestone birthdays, when the small touches matter most
- Multigenerational trips, where Grandpa needs an elevator and the kids need a pool
- A first trip somewhere new, especially abroad
- A trip given as a gift, planned in secret
AAA’s travel planning guide names international trips, cruises and multigenerational vacations as good reasons to bring in an expert, too.
You may not need us for a weekend drive to a town you know well, a true shoestring trip or an award stay you’re booking with points. And if you love the hunt, you may enjoy doing it yourself. Even then, there’s no minimum: one hotel night counts, and it’s worth asking whether the hotel you’ve picked comes with perks when booked through us.
Have a trip in mind? Tell us about it here and we’ll take it from there.
What happens after you reach out to us?
Working with us comes down to four steps, and nothing is booked until you say so. (The full version lives on our How it works page.)
01
Tell us about your trip
Share the basics on our trip planning form: where (or “no idea yet”), roughly when, who’s going, the occasion and a budget you’re comfortable with. Not sure where to go? That’s a great time to talk to us, or browse our journal for ideas first. We’ll get back to you within 24 hours.
02
We talk it through
A short call or a few emails, whichever you prefer. We’ll ask about your top three priorities for the trip, what a perfect day looks like, your deal-breakers, hotels you’ve loved, everyone’s ages, dietary needs, accessibility and loyalty numbers.
03
We send options
Usually two or three, each with why it fits, the trade-offs, the rate, the cancellation terms and any perks we can request. For a spring break with young kids, that might be a beach resort with a kids’ club, a quieter villa with a kitchen and one wild card you hadn’t considered. Ask every question you have; changing course is part of the process.
04
We book and stay in touch
We confirm everything, send your itinerary, request available perks and note any celebrations. Before you leave, we check that the details still line up, and we’re a message away while you’re gone.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a minimum trip size?
No. One hotel night counts. We plan everything from easy resort getaways to milestone trips abroad, and a small booking gets the same attention as a big one.
I already booked. Can you still help?
Sometimes. Depending on the supplier, the booking terms and timing, we may be able to take over an eligible reservation and request available perks. It all depends on the hotel’s or cruise line’s policies, so send us the confirmation and we’ll check before anything changes.
Have you been to every place you recommend?
No advisor has been everywhere, and we’ll always tell you when we haven’t. Where we haven’t been ourselves, we lean on the first-hand insight that comes with being powered by Fora Travel, plus recent feedback from travelers, and we’ll be clear about which is which.
What’s the difference between a travel agent and a travel advisor?
Mostly the name. The trade group ASTA, founded in 1931, spent more than 70 years as the American Society of Travel Agents before becoming the American Society of Travel Advisors in 2018, a nod to a role it compared to a financial advisor’s. You’ll see both titles used for the same job.
What is Fora Travel?
Fora Travel is the full-service travel agency and technology company that powers Allegheny Worldwide. Being powered by Fora Travel gives our team modern booking tools, trusted contacts at hotels, cruise lines and tour companies, first-hand insight on where to stay and sail, and an affiliation that lets us pass on extras at select hotels, when available. You work directly with us, and Fora is the agency behind the bookings.
Planning something for next year? Tell us about your trip.
Cover photo courtesy of Zemi Beach House, Anguilla.
