Your trip should fit the way you want to travel.
That may mean a smaller hotel, a slower pace, private experiences, more time in each destination, or a cruise that feels right for you.
Empty Nester Getaways helps couples plan cruises, European journeys, resort vacations, guided tours, and bucket-list trips without having to sort through every option themselves.
Some travelers already know exactly what they want. Others need help comparing choices or creating a complete custom itinerary.
Your planning fee depends on the amount of professional work your trip requires.
Why Empty Nester Getaways Charges A Planning Fee
Thoughtful travel planning takes time.
Your fee pays for the professional work required to research, design, organize, and manage the services included in your planning scope.
Depending on the service you select, this may include:
- Destination, cruise, resort, or tour research
- Personalized recommendations
- Hotel and cabin comparisons
- Custom itinerary design
- Airfare planning
- Transfer and transportation planning
- Tour and activity recommendations
- Supplier coordination
- Reservation management
- Proposal preparation
- Revisions
- Final travel documents
- Pre-travel support
The planning fee is separate from the cost of your trip.
It is also separate from supplier deposits, airfare, travel insurance, taxes, cancellation penalties, and other travel expenses.
Your Planning Fee
Planning services begin at $150.
Your exact fee will be based on what you are asking Empty Nester Getaways to research, design, coordinate, and book.
Factors that may affect your fee include:
- The type of trip
- The number of destinations
- The number of travelers and households
- The length of the trip
- The amount of customization required
- The number of hotels or travel components
- Airfare needs
- Dining and activity requests
- Transportation complexity
- Special arrangements
- Accessibility research
- The amount of time available before departure
Your exact fee and planning scope will be explained before any professional planning work begins.
Planning Service Levels
Reservation & Booking Service
Starting at $150 per household
This service is best when you already know the specific cruise, resort, guided tour, hotel, or vacation package you want.
It may include:
- One planning consultation
- Availability and price verification
- Up to two room, cabin, or package choices
- Booking of the selected travel arrangement
- Payment administration
- A travel insurance offer
- Confirmation review
- Final travel documents
- Routine pre-travel support
- One minor revision before booking
This service does not include broad destination research, comparison of several travel products, custom itinerary design, detailed airfare research, restaurant planning, or independent activity planning.
Vacation Research & Comparison
Starting at $300 per household
This service is best when you need help comparing established vacation options.
Examples may include:
- Comparing all-inclusive resorts
- Choosing between cruise lines or ships
- Selecting a river cruise
- Comparing guided tours
- Reviewing similar vacation packages
It may include:
- One planning consultation
- Research of up to three suitable options
- One proposal with up to three recommendations
- Comparison of pricing, location, accommodations, inclusions, and overall fit
- Up to two revision rounds
- Booking of the selected option
- Basic transfer guidance
- Basic airfare guidance
- A travel insurance offer
- Confirmation review
- Final travel documents
- Routine pre-travel support
This service does not include a detailed custom land itinerary, multiple countries, several independent hotels, extensive private touring, restaurant reservations, or detailed free-time planning.
Custom Journey Planning
Starting at $600 per household
This service is best for a customized trip involving several connected travel arrangements.
Examples may include:
- A custom single-country European trip
- A journey involving two or three cities
- A scenic rail vacation
- A milestone anniversary trip
- A river cruise with a custom pre-cruise or post-cruise stay
- A vacation involving hotels, transfers, tours, activities, and airfare
It may include:
- One detailed planning consultation
- Custom itinerary design
- Research of up to three primary recommendations where choices are needed
- Hotels in up to three primary destinations
- Ground transportation planning
- Rail planning
- Transfer recommendations and booking
- Tour and experience recommendations
- Booking of approved travel arrangements
- Restaurant recommendations
- General free-time recommendations
- Up to three revision rounds
- Supplier coordination
- Payment and confirmation management
- A final organized itinerary
- Pre-travel support
- Reasonable emergency assistance during travel when normal supplier help is unavailable
- Airfare planning and booking are included only when listed in your individual planning scope.
Complex Or Multi-Country Journey
Starting at $900 per household
This service is best for trips involving several countries, more than three destinations, complicated transportation, private services, or detailed daily planning.
Examples may include:
- A multi-country European journey
- A cruise combined with a substantial custom land itinerary
- A trip involving several trains, ferries, transfers, or internal flights
- A longer journey with many independent travel arrangements
- A luxury trip involving several private suppliers
It may include:
- One detailed planning consultation
- Custom itinerary design
- Research of primary options where choices are required
- Hotel planning for the destinations listed in your scope
- Transportation coordination
- Rail, ferry, transfer, or internal flight planning
- Tour and experience recommendations
- Booking of approved travel arrangements
- Restaurant recommendations
- General free-time recommendations
- Up to three revision rounds
- Supplier coordination
- Payment and confirmation management
- A final organized itinerary
- Pre-travel support
- Reasonable emergency assistance during travel when normal supplier help is unavailable
- Airfare planning and booking are included only when listed in your individual planning scope.
Group & Specialty Planning
Quoted individually
Group trips require a different level of setup, communication, reservation management, and payment administration.
Your fee may depend on:
- The number of households
- The type of group
- The number of rooms or cabins
- Whether a group contract is required
- Separate payment arrangements
- Different departure airports
- Individual traveler requests
- Custom pre-trip or post-trip extensions
- Group members requesting arrangements outside the standard group package may receive a separate planning quote.
What Your Individual Quote Will Explain
Before you pay your planning fee, you will receive a TravelJoy invoice that identifies:
- The trip being planned
- The travelers and households covered
- The planning service selected
- The exact professional fee
- The services included
- The services not included
- The number of options included
- The number of revision rounds included
- Whether airfare is included
- Whether dining assistance is included
- Whether activity and attraction booking is included
- Additional fees that may apply if the scope changes
You will know what you are paying for before professional planning begins.
Options And Revisions
Your service may include one recommended itinerary with several choices for selected hotels, cabins, tours, or other components.
It does not automatically include several complete trip designs.
A revision changes part of the agreed trip direction.
Examples may include replacing one hotel, changing a room category, adjusting a transfer, or replacing one tour.
A redesign changes the main direction of the trip.
Examples may include:
- Changing the destination
- Changing from a cruise to a land trip
- Changing the travel dates or season
- Changing the length of the trip
- Making a major budget change
- Adding several destinations
- Replacing most of the itinerary
A redesign is not treated as a normal revision. An additional planning fee may apply before new work begins.
Services That May Require An Additional Fee
Your individual quote will list any known additional fees.
Additional fees may apply for services such as:
- Airfare planning and booking
- Additional destinations
- Additional households
- Custom pre-trip or post-trip extensions
- Restaurant reservations
- Timed attraction tickets
- Detailed day-by-day free-time planning
- Complex private transfers
- Complex rental car arrangements
- Complex rail or ferry planning
- Special occasion coordination
- Extensive accessibility research
- Additional itinerary options
- Additional revision rounds
- Major trip redesigns
- Rush planning
Only services that apply to your trip will be included in your quote.
Airfare
Airfare is not automatically included in every planning fee.
Your invoice will clearly state whether:
- Airfare planning and booking are included
- Basic airfare guidance is included
- You plan to book airfare independently
- Airfare can be added later for an additional fee
- Airfare service does not guarantee seat assignments, upgrades, refunds, or protection from airline schedule changes.
- Points and miles booking assistance is not currently offered.
Dining Activities, And Free Time
Restaurant recommendations may be included in custom planning services.
Making and managing restaurant reservations is a separate service unless your invoice states that it is included.
General activity recommendations may also be included.
Timed attraction tickets, extensive activity reservations, and detailed daily free-time planning may require an additional fee.
Your invoice will explain exactly what is included.
Emergency Assistance During Travel
Empty Nester Getaways provides reasonable help when an urgent travel problem cannot be resolved through the responsible supplier.
Travelers should normally contact the airline, hotel, cruise line, tour operator, transfer company, or travel insurance assistance provider first.
Empty Nester Getaways is not a 24-hour emergency response service and cannot guarantee immediate availability.
Medical, safety, law enforcement, and life-threatening emergencies must be handled through local emergency services and the traveler’s insurance provider.
Non-emergency requests will be handled during normal business hours.
The Planning Process
- COMPLETE THE START PLANNING FORM
Tell us about your travel goals, preferred destinations, interests, travel style, budget, and priorities.
The information you provide helps us understand the likely scope of your trip before the consultation.
- SCHEDULE YOUR ZOOM CONSULTATION
We will discuss your trip, clarify what you need, and identify the services required.
This conversation also gives both of us the opportunity to decide whether we are a good fit to work together.
- RECEIVE YOUR EXACT PLANNING FEE
After the consultation, you will receive a TravelJoy planning fee invoice.
The invoice will list your exact fee, included services, exclusions, options, revision limits, and possible additional charges.
- PAY THE PLANNING FEE
Professional planning begins after the invoice is paid.
Payment confirms your acceptance of the services, exclusions, revision limits, scope-change rules, and Terms and Conditions presented during checkout.
- RECEIVE YOUR RECOMMENDATION OR PROPOSAL
The type of proposal you receive will depend on the planning service listed in your invoice.
It may include a specific booking recommendation, a comparison of several packaged options, or a complete custom itinerary.
- REVIEW AND REVISE
You will have the opportunity to review the recommendations and request changes within the revision allowance included in your service.
- APPROVE AND BOOK
Once you approve the proposal, required supplier deposits and payments will be collected.
Supplier pricing and availability remain subject to change until reservations are confirmed.
- PREPARE FOR YOUR TRIP
Empty Nester Getaways will manage the services included in your planning scope and provide your final documents before departure.
Planning Fee Payment Policy
Planning fees compensate Empty Nester Getaways for professional services.
Planning begins after payment is received.
The planning fee is separate from the cost of travel and is not automatically credited toward your trip.
Payment does not guarantee a specific price, supplier, reservation, upgrade, saving, or travel outcome.
Planning fee refund terms are explained in the Empty Nester Getaways Terms and Conditions presented during checkout.
Ready To Start Planning?
Complete the Start Planning Form to tell us about the trip you are considering.
After reviewing your information, we will schedule a Zoom consultation and determine the planning service that fits your trip.