The process / From first note to home
I take care of the connections between the moments. This is how an idea becomes an arrangement.
Discovery
I read your note the day it arrives, and I reply myself within 24 hours, Pacific time. Then I call, at a time that suits you. I ask who is travelling, what the trip is for, what has gone well on past trips and what has gone badly. I ask about the things people forget to mention, such as knees, seasickness and luggage. I ask about investment plainly, so the proposal is built to it. By the end of the call I know enough to start.
Curation
I go quiet for a while, and then I send a priced proposal by the agreed date. Every choice has a reason written next to it: why this month, why this side of the island, why this room category and not the one above it. Prices are in dollars, not ranges. You argue with it. I revise. Nothing is booked until you have said yes to a version, and once you have, I place the bookings through the office with the applicable hotel benefits requested, subject to availability.
Travel
Before you leave, the itinerary is in an app on your phone: every confirmation, every contact, every address, the name of the person meeting you and the number to call if they are late. My number is on the first page. If the weather closes the airport or the boat cannot land, you write to me and I work through the alternatives with the operator. You do not spend the trip on hold.
Return
A short call or a note once you are home, when the trip is still sharp. What was right, what was not, which room to ask for next time, which restaurant to skip. I keep those notes, and I read them before I plan anything for you again. The second trip is better than the first, because by then I know what you actually liked, not what you said you might.
What it costs
I quote in dollars, in writing, before anything is booked. The office is compensated by the hotels and partners it books through, and any planning fee is agreed in writing before work begins. On hotel stays booked through me you receive the office's benefits, subject to availability: preferred rates, an upgrade on arrival, early check-in and late check-out, daily breakfast for two, a property credit, and recognition when you arrive.
Before the first note
I establish the full scope and investment with you before developing the proposal.
As soon as you have the outline of an idea. Tell me if your dates are fixed; otherwise, I can consider the timing alongside the destination. Availability is checked for your specific trip.
A priced plan with the reasons behind each recommendation. I make the inclusions, exclusions and applicable booking terms clear so you can make an informed decision.
Every confirmation and contact is in your itinerary app, and I remain reachable throughout. Your itinerary also holds the on-the-ground contacts for each part of the journey.
