travel planning services
Overwhelmed by choices?
Not enough time to plan a trip?
Seeking a more fulfilling way to travel?
We totally understand, which is why we’re here to help.
As independent travelers, we’ve learned there are many ways to see the world. We know the complexities of international travel and active adventures. As you can see on our site, we also have a large range of tour companies that we are familiar with and a strong network of experts for destinations worldwide.
Together, we can create the perfect vacation that fits your needs and budget. Whether that’s a seaside escape, river or expeditionary cruise, hiking trip or rural homestay, we can make it happen.
As an independent travel advisor, we have access to a huge network of high quality tour operators, local destination experts, hotels, transportation and more. And we have the tools and support to make everything easy and extra special for you. We make trip planning fun!
Trips to Walkabout specializes in more than just walking holidays. We can help you plan once-in-a-lifetime adventures, custom cruises or land tours, and relaxing getaways to less-crowded destinations. We are passionate about connecting you with experiences and travel experts that meet the following criteria:
- Understand the needs of hikers, including reliable route notes, supportive lodging, transport assistance, safety concerns, access to food and more.
- Local experts who know their destination on a deeper level and are passionate about promoting regions and experiences away from mass-tourism.
- Practice sustainable tourism, making best efforts to reduce waste and negative impacts on the environment.
- Practice responsible tourism, committed to ensuring that local communities benefit from operating in the destinations. And we mean truly benefit, not just pretty words.
- Tour companies that understand the value that travel has on transforming us physically, mentally and spiritually.
Questions about working with a travel advisor?
We have answers!
TRIP PLANNING SERVICES
Everything begins with a free 30-minute conversation and questionnaire, so you can feel confident and we can get to know each other.
When you become a client, you become a friend for life. We’re here to help you create a lifetime of experiences!
The type of services we provide depends on how much help you want.
Basic
Travelers who want help sorting through all the available options to ensure you have the BEST itinerary that fits YOU. This is a good option if you want something that already exists as a packaged tour.
Nomad
Travelers who want to extend their trip to include more than just a packaged itinerary or who want assistance with booking accommodations, transportation and other aspects of the trip. We design a custom itinerary around a packaged tour, adding days before or after according to your wishes.
Concierge
Travelers who value truly unique experiences and want something that doesn’t exist in a pre-packaged tour. After thorough research and applying what we’ve learned about your needs and wants, we custom design your entire trip and book everything for you. You just say yes, pack your bags, and enjoy the journey!
Services We Can Provide
Select What You Need:
- 45-min Consultation with unlimited travel advice – ask us anything!
- Cruise Bookings — we help you choose the cruise, excursions and take care of pre and post travel days
- Land Tour Bookings — we find the perfect match for your requirements and design your trip around the tour
- Custom Itinerary that has been created uniquely for you and includes detailed notes for each day of your trip. Includes 2 revisions.
- Accommodation Bookings
- Experiences/Activity Bookings
- Restaurant Bookings
- Detailed Advice for using Public Transit
- Transportation Bookings (Car Rental, Transfers & Parking, Trains, Ferries)
- Detailed Instructions for Booking Airfare
- Travel Requirements & Checklist
- 24/7 Support by text, email or phone during the trip
- Concierge services during the trip
- Assistance selecting Travel Insurance (if needed)
A NOTE ABOUT FLIGHT BOOKINGS
We always think it best to book your own flights (for MANY reasons). We make it easy for you to do so on your own by doing all the research for you. We listen to what you value and determine the best airline, route and times, giving you the exact Flight # you will need to book directly with the airline. If after all this you still want us to book flights for you, we are happy to do so but we will charge a fee.
HOW IT WORKS
Step 1: Consultation
- Complete the Getting to Know You form, which helps us determine your needs and how best to assist.
- Once we receive your form, we will email you an option to schedule a FREE 30-minute consultation call. This is a chance for you to pick our brain and ask anything you want! It’s also a way for both of us to clarify expectations and determine the best suitable options.
Step 2: Proposal Process
- Once you decide to work with us, we give you a short list of tasks required for us to begin the planning process. This includes getting contact information and details necessary for booking and payments.
- Once we have what we need, the fun begins! We reach out to our trusted travel partners worldwide and begin arranging options for you.
- You review the options and we tweak as necessary.
- Once you approve the proposal, we send you a secure link for your credit card, have you authorize the deposit payment, complete any waivers necessary, and book your trip!
Step 3: Getting Ready for the Trip
- We provide you with travel tips and destination information specific to your trip.
- We send your travel documents as agreed upon by you and the selected vendors we have booked for your trip.
- We answer questions relating to your trip. Never hesitate to ask, we want you to feel as prepared as possible.
- We confirm all travel related bookings prior to departure, so you can relax and enjoy the journey!
Our Promise
Aligning with our primary mission of connecting you with the best tour operators that fit YOU, and with Clare’s experience as a librarian believing that knowledge should be free to everyone, our trip planning services adhere to these simple goals:
BE TRANSPARENT. We will always tell you who we are booking tours with. It’s imperative that you know the company, who they are, what their values are, etc. We are also transparent about fees and commissions. While we can’t tell you the dollar amount, we can tell you whether or not we will receive a commission from something we book for you. We want you to feel confident knowing that we place your interests above our own.
LISTEN. We spend the time getting to know you, to understand your dreams, your fears, your likes and dislikes. We listen to what is said and unsaid so that we can create a trip that fits you like a glove and meets you where you are in this moment in life.
EMPOWER. Our goal is to help you become a confident, independent world traveler. This means sharing our knowledge with you as we plan your trip. It also means encouraging personal growth, because we understand that travel can be transformative!
A NOTE ABOUT FEES
Fees benefit everyone
With fully custom trips, we may charge a planning fee. Charging fees allows us to choose the best travel options to fit your unique requirements. It means we don’t have to choose only from vendors who provide high commissions. This often saves our clients money because we can book directly with local companies who offer better prices.
Having more choices is good for our clients and vendors because travel is personal — there is no “one trip fits all.” There is a big world out there full of diverse experiences and we want you to have access to all of them! Just like a good game of chess, there’s a strategy to designing top-notch travel and fees are part of that strategy.
Join the Family
Subscribe today to receive a FREE copy of our Walking Holidays Guidebook! This 50-page ebook includes everything you need to know about walking holidays, including how to pick a company, find lodging, find flight deals, where to find trail maps, what to pack and more!
Monthly newsletter includes a recap of our trip suggestions, advice, inspirational quotes, new routes and more. That way you don’t have to stalk us on social media, unless you want to…which would be great!
