"But how much does it cost to hire you?"
It's the question I get most often as a personal travel planner, and I love answering it with a story about my own family's Christmas trip to Belgium - because it perfectly demonstrates how my services don't cost you money, they save you money. The short answer is $99 per travel day, but that's literal pittance compared to what I'm going to save you.
But first, let me paint you a picture: You're sitting at a "traditional" Belgian restaurant, menu entirely in English (red flag #1), surrounded by loud tourists taking photos of their "authentic" pasta (this ain't Italy), while "Sweet Caroline" blares from the bar next door where they're showing the Packers game. Sound familiar? This is exactly what I help my clients avoid - and what I made sure my family didn't experience on our trip.
Here's what happened: I was planning our family holiday, and out of curiosity, I checked what the luxury tour packages were charging. The price? $5,336 PER PERSON. That's over $21,000 for my family of four to be herded around like camera-wielding sheep. My exact response was "Get the f*ck outta here." That's an industry phrase.
Instead, I used my professional expertise to get us:
Business class flights using strategic mile redemptions
Charming boutique hotels that didn't cost a fortune
Authentic experiences that weren't tourist traps
Total trip cost: Less than $5,000
That's right - I saved my own family over $16,000 while creating a better experience. And no, we didn't stay in hostels or eat gas station waffles. (Though I'd eat the crap out of a Belgian gas station waffle. Try me).
Breaking Down the Real Costs (Or: How to Not Get Robbed While Getting Cultured)
Let me show you exactly how I saved my family money and how I do the same for my clients:
Flights
Package Tour Approach: Business class seats that'll be someone's entire social media personality for the next year
My Approach: Same exact seats using miles from Miami (yeah, you still get your Instagram moment)
Savings: About $12,000. That's a lot of gas station waffles, y'all.
Ground Transportation
Instead of being packed into a bus with 40 other tourists playing travel bingo, we combined public transport with a rental car. This meant we could explore at our own pace and, bonus, be THE Americans in small towns rather than part of the American invasion. Savings: Hundreds of euros and our self-respect.
Accommodations & Experiences
While luxury packages lock you into a rigid itinerary, my industry connections got us:
Charming boutique hotels that don't feel like every other chain
Local experiences that felt authentic but not intimidating
Restaurants where we became experts at the point-and-smile method (and yes, I definitely took a photo of every menu to use Google Translate, only to confidently order "blanket of grandmother's garden." Hey, it turned out delicious!)
The Real Freedom of Independent Travel
Let's talk schedules. With those luxury packages, you're paying $21K to have someone wake you up at 7 AM for a mandatory walking tour the morning after you discover that 11% ABV Belgian beer and unlimited frites place. (Pro tip: Those beers are delicious but dangerous - they go down like juice and hit you like a truck.)
When I plan trips, your schedule is YOUR schedule:
Sleep in after your night of "cultural research" at the local brewery
Spend an extra hour at that amazing café you discovered
Take a coffee and recovery day without missing out on your "included experiences"
Actually enjoy your vacation instead of feeling like you're back in high school following a bell schedule
The Professional Advantage (Or: Why You Need Someone Who Knows What's Up)
Here's what a decade of professional planning means for my clients:
I know which tourist traps to skip and which "touristy" spots are actually worth it
I understand public transportation so you don't end up in Amsterdam when you meant to go to Antwerp
I have relationships with local providers who don't automatically triple their prices when they hear an American accent
I can tell you when to visit places to avoid the tour bus crowds (hint: if you hear "Piano Man," run)
Real Numbers Breakdown
Let's get real about what you're paying for:
Luxury Package Tour ($21,344): Check it out, I'm not kidding.
Cookie-cutter experiences
Restaurants with pictures on the menu
Tour guides reading from scripts
A schedule that makes your work calendar look flexible
The Jess.Travel Approach ($5,000):
Same destinations, way better experience
Business class flights (shout out to the 10x Travel Program)
Authentic experiences with the safety net of modern tech (Google Translate for the win, even if it sometimes tells you you're ordering "happy clouds with morning moon sauce")
Freedom to change plans when you find that amazing local festival
Total Savings: Over $16,000 (that's a lot of chocolate to bring home)
The Bottom Line
Let's go back to that original question: "How much does a travel planner cost?"
The real question should be: How much are you losing by not having one? Because I just showed you how I saved my own family $16,000 on one trip - while giving them a better, more authentic experience than any cookie-cutter tour package could provide.
With me as your travel planner, you don't just get someone booking your trip - you get a decade of expertise focused on saving you money while creating experiences you couldn't find on your own. You get to be the family discovering that incredible local bakery, not the family following the guide's umbrella through crowded streets. And yes, you still get your business class flight photos for Instagram (I know what matters).
Want to learn more about how I can help you avoid tourist traps, save serious money, and find the best gas station waffles in Belgium? (Seriously, they're incredible.) Let's chat about your next adventure.
*Based on my decade of keeping families from overpaying for their vacations and current luxury tour package pricing that made me spit out my coffee.
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