You know that feeling when you finally close all 47 browser tabs after three hours of comparing hotels, only to realize you still don't know which neighborhood is actually best? Or when you've read so many conflicting reviews that you're less confident than when you started?

There's a better way.

Aurum Travel charges planning fees because transforming scattered ideas into a cohesive, confident travel plan requires real expertise, dedicated time, and a process that puts your goals at the center. This isn't about making bookings you could make yourself. It's about designing trips you couldn't create alone—not because you're incapable, but because you don't have years of destination knowledge, industry relationships, and the time to do it properly.

What Does a Planning Fee Actually Mean?

It's simple: you're paying for professional service, not just transactions.

When you work with Aurum Travel Consulting, you're not using a booking platform with a chat function. You're hiring a travel consultant who researches your destination thoroughly, designs an itinerary that flows logically, vets every hotel for quality and location, books restaurants that match your taste, coordinates ground transportation, and remains available when you need adjustments.

The planning fee compensates us for that work before any bookings happen. It allows us to spend hours researching, strategizing, and refining your itinerary without rushing to "just book something" to earn a commission.

Why Fee-Based Planning Benefits You

When advisors work purely on commission, they face pressure—subtle or direct—to recommend higher-commission properties and experiences regardless of whether they're the best fit for your trip. Hotels pay different commission rates. Tours have varying margins. That creates conflicts.

A planning fee eliminates that pressure entirely. We recommend what's right for your trip based on your preferences, budget, and travel style. Period. If a smaller boutique hotel is perfect for you but pays lower commission, we recommend it anyway. If a DIY activity makes more sense than a guided tour, we tell you. Our loyalty is to your experience, not to maximizing our booking revenue.

What Your Planning Fee Covers

From the moment you pay the planning fee, we begin working on your trip. Here's what that includes:

• Discovery consultation to understand your travel style, preferences, pace, and priorities
• Destination research covering neighborhoods, seasonal considerations, local events, and insider knowledge
• Custom itinerary design that accounts for geographic flow, energy management, and your stated preferences
• Hotel vetting and recommendations based on location, room quality, service standards, and value
• Activity and experience curation tailored to your interests and travel pace
• Transportation coordination including transfers, trains, car services, and routing
• Revision rounds to refine the itinerary until it feels right
• Pre-departure support including final confirmations and travel prep guidance
• On-trip availability if you need adjustments or encounter issues

This is professional service. It takes time, skill, and attention. The planning fee makes that possible.

How Aurum Travel Consulting Determines Planning Fees

We base fees on trip complexity, not arbitrary formulas. A weekend in Charleston requires different effort than three weeks through Japan. Multiple destinations require more coordination than single-city stays. Group travel demands more logistics than solo trips.

Our fee structure reflects that reality:

• Essential planning for straightforward trips (3-5 days, single destination)
• Signature planning for comprehensive itineraries (week-long trips, 1-2 destinations)
• Premier planning for multi-city or extended travel (10+ days, multiple countries)
• Concierge retainers for frequent travelers who want ongoing support

Once we understand your trip during the initial consultation, we'll provide a clear fee quote based on scope. No surprises.

This Is How Professionals Work

Architects charge fees before drawing plans. Attorneys charge for consultations. Financial advisors charge for comprehensive planning. Travel is no different.

You're hiring expertise—someone who knows destinations intimately, maintains industry relationships, understands logistics deeply, and can turn overwhelming options into clear decisions. That expertise has value independent of which hotels or flights you ultimately book.

The planning fee reflects that value and ensures we can dedicate proper time to your trip instead of rushing through plans to reach commissionable bookings.

What You Can Expect When Working With Aurum Travel Consulting

Once your planning fee is paid, you're not left wondering what happens next. Our process is clear, organized, and designed to make trip planning feel effortless on your end:

• Regular communication throughout the planning process
• Transparent timeline so you know when to expect deliverables
• Detailed itineraries with maps, contact information, and insider tips
• Proactive problem-solving if issues arise before or during travel
• Revisions included until the plan feels right
• Post-trip follow-up to learn what worked and what we can improve

You're not managing spreadsheets or chasing confirmations. You're trusting a process that works because we've refined it through years of planning trips for clients with high expectations.

The Value Proposition Is Simple

Your time has value. Your peace of mind has value. Your confidence that the trip will actually work has value.

The average person spends 30-50 hours planning a week-long trip. If your time is worth even $50/hour, that's $1,500-$2,500 in opportunity cost—far more than our planning fees; that doesn't account for the mistakes avoided, the access gained through our relationships, or the confidence of knowing an expert has vetted every detail.