What it costs
to work with us
No hidden markups, no runaround. Here’s exactly how the money works - and why a travel design fee makes the whole thing better for everyone.
How travel agents actually get paid
When you book flights, hotels, or tours, the airline or supplier pays us a commission - typically between 5% and 15% depending on the product. That commission is already built into the price you see. You don’t pay more because a travel agent is involved.
The catch: not all products pay the same. International flights - often the biggest cost in any trip - pay agents very little. Some pay nothing at all. Which means a lot of time can go into building a complex itinerary for a margin that doesn’t reflect the work.
A travel design fee fixes that. It means we can focus entirely on building you the best trip - not the most profitable one. It also ensures that the time spent on research, calls, and itinerary-building is compensated regardless of how the booking eventually shapes up.
Think of it less like a fee, more like paying for advice from someone who actually knows what they’re doing.
Travel Design Fee
Added to your final invoice once your trip is confirmed.
Travel Design Fee
5%
of total trip cost
One straightforward fee across all bookings - domestic, long-haul, or complex multi-country trips. No upfront payment. It appears on your final invoice alongside the trip costs.
To put it in perspective
Most credit cards charge merchants 1.5% to 3% just to process a payment. Our travel design fee is only a little more than that - and in return you get an expert building your trip from scratch, managing every booking, and being on call if anything goes sideways while you’re away.
On a $10,000 trip that’s $500. On a $5,000 trip it’s $250. Paid at the end, once the hard work is done.
All fees are in NZD. The travel design fee is in addition to supplier costs and is non-refundable once planning has commenced.
The full picture
Destination research & advice
Which resort, which area, which time of year - based on real knowledge, not brochure copy.
Itinerary design
A day-by-day plan built around how you actually like to travel, not a generic package.
Supplier relationships
We work with hotels, tour operators, and airlines we know and trust. That gets you better rooms, upgrades, and service.
All bookings handled
Flights, accommodation, transfers, tours, travel insurance - everything in one place, managed from start to finish.
TAANZ-bonded & IATA-accredited
Your money is protected. We operate under New Zealand's travel agent bonding scheme.
Support while you're away
Flight delayed? Transfer didn't show? Hotel room not right? We're a phone call away - and we already know your itinerary, your booking references, and exactly who to call to fix it.
Fair questions
Can't I just book this myself online?
Absolutely. For a simple hotel or flight, go for it. But if you're planning a two-week trip to Japan, a multi-country tour, or anything with moving parts - the time, the decisions, and the things that can go wrong add up fast. That's where having someone who's done it many times over is worth more than a small travel design fee.
Is the travel design fee on top of the trip cost?
Yes. The 5% travel design fee is added to your final invoice alongside the trip costs. The cost of flights, hotels, tours and so on are priced at market rate - there are no hidden markups on top.
When do I pay the travel design fee?
At the end, not upfront. The fee appears on your final invoice once everything is booked and confirmed. You're not paying for a promise - you're paying for the finished work.
What if I decide not to go ahead?
It's free to chat and get advice - no charge until your trip is confirmed. The travel design fee is only charged once your trip is confirmed and bookings are in place. If you decide not to proceed before that point, there's nothing to pay.
Do you charge per person or per trip?
Per trip. Whether it's a couple, a family of five, or a small group - the travel design fee is a single charge for the booking, not per head.
Is this negotiable?
Not really. The fee is what makes it worth our while to do the job properly. If the economics don't work for you, that's completely fine - there's no hard sell here. But if you want genuine expertise and someone to manage everything, this is what it costs.
It’s free to chat.
Always.
Tell us where you want to go, and we’ll tell you if we can build something worth booking. No obligation, no pressure.
Start the conversation →