January 14, 2026
What a Travel Advisor Actually Does
What an independent luxury travel advisor actually does, from Beverly Schulte, CTA, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. First call to homecoming.
Most people meet a travel advisor after a trip has already gone sideways. A missed connection, a resort that photographed better than it lived, a group of twelve trying to book eleven different flights. The work I do happens long before any of that.
Planning starts with a conversation
The first call is not a sales pitch. It is a set of questions about how you actually like to travel, from how early you want to be at the airport to whether you want a schedule or a hammock, and who else is coming and what they need. The planning fee and how it works are explained on that same call, before anything is booked.
Then the quiet part
- Holding space before it sells out
- Reading the fine print on change and cancellation terms
- Matching the room category to the way you sleep
- Building a day-by-day that has room in it
The itinerary is the deliverable. The judgment behind it is the service.
And when you travel
You have my number. Flights move, weather turns, a restaurant closes on a Tuesday. Someone who already knows your trip is watching it, which is a very different thing from a call center that has never heard your name.
Where to begin
If you are weighing a custom trip, a family gathering, or one of the hosted journeys, the intake form is the fastest way in. It takes a few minutes and it goes straight to me.
Questions I get asked
Is a travel advisor the same as a travel agent?
Same license, different job. An agent books what you ask for. An advisor asks the questions first, then builds the trip around the answers.
How does a travel advisor get paid?
Two ways. Suppliers pay commission on what I book, and for custom itineraries I charge a planning fee that I quote up front. I'll tell you which applies before we start.
Will I pay more by using an advisor?
Usually not. Resort and cruise rates are the same or better through me, and I add perks like resort credits and upgrades through my supplier relationships. The planning fee, when it applies, buys you the time and the vetting.
Can I still book my own flights?
You can, but I'd rather you didn't. When I hold the whole trip, I can fix the whole trip when something breaks.
planning · how i work