Frequently Asked Questions

A travel advisor takes all of the headache out of planning a trip and handles virtually all aspects of your travel, at absolutely no cost to you. The combined experience of the team and the feedback from our thousands of travelers provides an invaluable resource to the traveler planning an important trip.  In recent years, the top travel vendors have empowered and trained the agency community to be even more effective and efficient go-betweens.

We are paid by the resorts; we do not charge a service fee.  Many resorts have price parity, the cost is same whether you book through us, direct with the resort, or with an online 3rd party booking engine.  The difference between using a travel agent is that we help you plan a stress-free vacation without the hassle of going it alone. 

Yes, Your Travel Connoisseur does charge a nominal research fee for our vacation planning services. Initially, this qualifies the intent of the client and ensures we provide a first-class experience from take-off to touch down and even post trip. The travel vendors involved recognize our value and compensate us from the gross amount paid (what you would have paid even without our assistance). For those complicated international itineraries that require custom crafting and significant involvement of our international on-location partners, we do request an intent-to-travel deposit to begin the process. This deposit is applied to the reservations that are made on your behalf.

Yes, we work within any and all realistic* budgets, and an honest sharing of ideas and goals helps us immensely when making recommendations and suggested edits to travel plans.

No! The deposit requirements are set by the vendors, resorts and the tour operators we book through. Deposit rates vary based on the resort or package you select, and the time you are traveling.  The deposit is made via Your Travel Connoisseur directly with the resort or tour operator. At no time does Your Travel Connoisseur ever charge your credit card. This way, you are assured that your deposit is applied directly to your vacation at the time of booking.  Most vacation packages require that you pay the balance 45 days prior to your arrival. Again, that payment is made directly to the supplier.

Travel insurance is available and recommended to protect your travel investment. Many trip components such as tours and cruises involve non-refundable funds paid months in advance. Travel insurance protects you from losing this investment. Perhaps even more important is the ‘during travel’ coverage and assistance that comes with the top-flight insurance companies we carry.  Trip interruption due to illness or unforeseen circumstances can be very expensive, and medical care abroad is often not covered by domestic insurance plans. Also, an increasing number of countries require proof of medical insurance for travelers entering their country.

Once reservations have been made, cancellations will only be accepted in writing. Email your cancellation request to info@yourtravelconnoisseur.com with your booking number, full name, and travel date. Once your email has been received, you must complete the cancellation request form sent to you via email to complete the cancellation process. If you do not receive an acknowledgment within 48 hours, please call (888) 267-7902 to ensure your information was received. 

If you're still making payments on your booking, cancellations must be submitted by calling (888) 267-7902. If it’s after normal business hours, please contact the next involved travel supplier (airline, hotel, tour operator, cruise line) to cancel any reservations you will not be able to use. If you purchased travel insurance, please contact the insurance company’s 24-hour line to start the cancellation process to ensure your maximum refund (if any).

Technically, yes, you could do that, but why would you want to?  It is not costing you anything extra when you book with Your Travel Connoisseur, plus you get our help should you have any issues while you are traveling.  And, like you, we have bills to pay too.  The only way we get paid is for trips booked; not our research time! 

Because you don't pay Your Travel Connoisseur for your vacation, there is no risk of losing your vacation through us.  When making your reservations, you provide us with your credit card information for booking, in turn, we provide that information to the vacation vendors (resorts, airlines, etc.). They charge your card.  This way, you are assured that every payment you make towards your vacation is applied directly to your reservation.

Your Travel Connoisseur is extremely cautious when it comes to choosing our business partners and vendors. This vetting of travel suppliers and support of the ‘good ones’ over the past 50+ years has given us preferred access to the world’s top trusted suppliers. In turn, they trust us to represent and care for the reputations they have earned over the years and to deliver the same high standard of care to our mutual clients.  As the trusted travel management provider for nearly 300 corporate accounts and thousands of business travelers, we are dedicated to delivering top level service every time. We choose to work only with known, reliable providers in order to maintain a high standard of quality service.