Wondering What It’s Like to Work With a Travel Advisor?

Whether you are new to working with a travel advisor or just to working with Brilliant Escapes, we know you have a lot of questions when it comes to planning your trip with us.

We’ve rounded up a few of our most Frequently Asked Questions (and suggestions for how to work with us) to help you get started.

I’ve never worked with a travel advisor before. How do we work best together?

It’s important that I have a clear understanding of what you are looking for in your trip. Be as specific as possible with what you envision and be honest in your feedback. 

Most importantly, trust me! 

Can I use my points / miles for my trip? 

I am not able to book reservations using your points or rewards in most cases. If you wish to do so, please let me know as soon as possible as it may impact your itinerary. If I cannot book these for you, you will be responsible for making those arrangements on your own, with my guidance. 

How much time do you need to plan my trip? 

At a minimum, we like to start planning three months in advance of your departure. But the more time we have the better. AND it depends on where you are going, timing, and what kind of trip you want to take. In many instances, more than 9-12 months is ideal. Read our post here about the best timing for various kinds of trips. 

We can work with last minute bookings, but we do charge incremental fees for these trips. Planning last minute means we have limited availability to work with and costs may be higher than if you had planned earlier. 

What kinds of hotels do you work with?

We book four and five star hotels for our clients, and these can be a range of boutique accommodations to larger resort properties. Through our host agency, Gifted Travel Network, we have access to preferential rates and amenities with many hotel groups and can offer these to our clients. Ultimately, we will work to find the best hotel for our clients based on their preferences and needs. If there’s a specific hotel you have in mind, please let us know upfront. 

Why should I book my cruise with a travel advisor? 

Much like the preferred hotel partnerships, we have access to special amenities and benefits for many of the cruise lines that we can offer to our clients. Additionally, our host agency is a Virtuoso member agency, offering additional value for our clients such as shipboard credits, Virtuoso Voyages welcome receptions, and more. We treat cruise bookings like any other reservations for our clients and will help manage client requests as needed on their behalf. We can also build pre and post cruise itineraries for our clients, providing additional value to their overall cruise experience. 

Unsure of which cruise line is right for you? We can help match you to the best cruise line for your travel needs and preferences. Just like matching our clients to hotels, we can assess the best fit for you based on each cruise line's amenities, inclusions, personality, level of service, and more.

 
Can you help me with a trip add-on for a business trip? 

Absolutely! We have worked with clients to create itineraries adding on to an existing work trip so that they can maximize their time in a destination. If you are already traveling for work, consider extending your trip for some personal time and we can help you build an ideal itinerary for your time away.  

Still curious about what it’s like to work with us? Learn more about our custom trip planning services here and then contact us to schedule your consultation call.