Why do you charge a fee?

Because we do not work on commission, we are not limited in what vendors (e.g., accommodations, activities, restaurants, tours, etc.) that we recommend. Charging a planning fee allows us to work only for YOU!

When do we pay the trip planning fee?

If you are purchasing the Detailed Itinerary service, we will first have a complimentary 30-minute introductory call to explain our process, answer questions, share a sample itinerary, and get to know you and your travel group a bit. Based on your travel plans and needs, we will provide a custom quote for the service. This fee will be due before individual interviews and planning begin.

What kind of client fits well with your services?

Journey Unburdened clients love the freedom of independent travel. They want to see the world in a way that works best for their travel group. That could be a road trip up the East Coast with stops in different cities, or maybe a trip to Peru covering everything from the jungle to Machu Picchu. They aren’t interested in packaged tours that have a set itinerary for everyone. Instead, they want a more tailored approach, and they want to go at their own pace. They may also be interested in unique experiences and off-the-beaten path destinations or activities.

Why do you want to talk to everyone in the travel party?

This is what sets Journey Unburdened apart from many travel planners. We believe it is important to empower all travelers to have a voice. This helps to understand everyone’s expectations, what they are really looking forward to, what stresses them out or scares them, and where conflict arises. This can help us to customize the itinerary with accommodations, activities, restaurants, and timing that can help to decrease those stress points. It’s your vacation after all, everyone wants it to go as smoothly as possible!

We also believe this ultimately decreases the mental load and emotional labor of the person who tends to be the planner of the trip. We can decrease the burden for that person by gathering all the expectations and helping to manage them. When everyone has a voice, they can take ownership of their experience.

What if someone in the travel group does not want to be interviewed?

While we do highly recommend all travelers be involved in the process, we understand that busy schedules or other reasons may make it difficult for everyone to participate. Our fee does take into account the number of travelers as this is a factor in identifying appropriate accommodations and activities. Group size also contributes to the work we do to coordinate with everyone, particularly for groups of friends or multi-generational groups. This is work we are trying to decrease for group members who tend to be the planner and coordinator. While group members are free to decline the interview at the start of the process, our fee will still reflect the total group size.

Can you help if I’ve already started planning?

Yes. We can work with you if you’ve gotten the ball rolling on your own. Maybe you have flights booked and an idea of some things you would like to see. No problem! We can customize our Detailed Itinerary service to your needs or suggest a few hours of Consulting if you are farther down the planning road.

Couldn’t I just use AI to plan my trip?

Putting aside ethical concerns about AI, there are some real challenges with successfully using it to plan a trip. If you ask a platform like ChatGPT to plan your trip, it may be able to give you a pretty good outline of a plan. Where AI falls short is understanding the needs and preferences of your specific travel party. Prompt engineering to get the most out of AI can be very difficult. On top of that, these models can sometimes provide incorrect information or even hallucinate details that don’t exist. If you are planning a trip on your own, AI might be a place to start, but you will need to do A LOT of extra work to check those details, make sure they match your needs, and book the reservations.

What types of reservations can you make for me?

When you purchase the Detailed Itinerary service, we will help you with reservations for accommodations, activities, restaurants, rental cars, trains, etc. We do not book flight reservations due to the complexities of scheduling and pricing for flights. Also, clients will need to book any accommodations that are only available through Airbnb due to Airbnb policy. Some vacation rental companies, such as VRBO, do all non-travelers to book reservations.

What if I don’t know where I want to go?

No problem! We can help you decide on a location. When we talk, we’ll ask you about what you want to get out of your trip, what kinds of trips you have enjoyed in the past, and other probing questions. Then we will make recommendations for you to select from.

Do you plan travel to anywhere?

We have been to many countries and can make a lot of recommendations based on those travels. However, we are open to helping you plan for a trip to almost anywhere, even if we haven’t been there. Exclusions would include places that have a Travel Advisory of Level 3 or higher from the US State Department. You can find Travel Advisory levels at Travel Advisories | Travel.State.gov.

Do you plan road trips?

Yes! We love a good road trip. They involve a lot of research and logistics, and that’s just the kind of thing our service is great for.

Do you book cruises and all-inclusive resorts?

No. We are not experts in cruises or all-inclusive resorts. We tend to be independent travelers who don’t have a lot of experience with these types of travel. We can help you find an expert that can help you, though!