Glad you asked! One of the biggest misconception about booking with a travel agent is that it will cost more. So the short answer to that question is…no, not necessarily.  The advent of consumer access to online booking has had a dramatic effect on the travel industry which makes booking travel supposedly easier but in the long run can cost you much more.  
 
As a general rule, Small Town Wanderer Travel does not charge service fees, provided that the requested booking meets a minimum income threshold, as our commissions come from the travel suppliers such as the cruiselines, hotels, tour companies, and various suppliers. Our parent company of Travel Leaders and our Host Agency of Nexion have negotiated with these vendors to get preferred rates and extra bonuses. 

We are so confident in our ability to provide you with exceptional service and driven by the desire to retain you as a client for life, we NEVER want you to feel that you are being nickeled and dimed and will not charge you any extra commissions! 

That said, we have a couple exceptions to this rule and we will be very clear about them before we start: 

-If you need us to book you a flight ON ITS OWN (i.e. not part of a cruise or other vacation package), there will be a $100 flat nonrefundable fee per ticket. This includes helping you use your points or airline credit to book. 

-If you need us to book a single night of a hotel, there will be a $50 flat nonrefundable fee. 

-If you ask us to plan a fully customized vacation itinerary that includes travel elements from multiple suppliers (air, hotel, train, tickets, dinner reservations, etc.), and contains moving to multiple locations that are not part of a tour or cruise package there will be a service fee.  After you fill out the inquiry form, we will let you know if there is a fee before we begin.  These will be nonrefundable and start at $300 and will vary depending on the cost and complexity of the trip. 

-Once we receive your inquiry form, we will charge a $200 deposit after the first look of that trip is given to you.  If you book the trip within 21 days we will apply that amount to the trip balance, but if you don't book the trip, we will receive that as a research fee and will be non-refundable.  If you start a new trip or significantly change your first inquiry (move locations, switch from a cruise to resort, change the time of year, etc.) a new $200 fee will be charged. If we are unable to meet your inquiry expectations, nothing will be charged, and we will let you know that your trip expectations could not be met. Small changes and modifications are totally expected and will be done without it being considered a new trip. 

Please understand that we are providing a valuable service of being with you along the way with our travel expertise, assistance and preferred suppliers to back up your trip. We have no desire to get more fees from people, but also do not want to work for free. Our service is valuable, and we want to be available for those that are serious about their upcoming trip.