Comparison with Travel Agents
What makes us different from a typical travel agency? What are the benefits to working with us over them?
How we are different from a travel agent:
Travel agents get paid through commissions. We do not receive commissions. This makes it possible for us to customize your trip to your specific needs. We are not persuaded to recommend a hotel, tour, site, or restaurant by anything other than what will make the best trip for you. Our prices are totally transparent and there are no mark-ups and no middle-men. Packaged trips that are commonly sold by travel agents do not have flexibility. You need to be on their schedule and participate in the activities they plan with specific start and end dates. These trips are also usually with large groups (30-50 people). Our client want the flexibility, expertise, and the customization we provide.
But are you more expensive? Let's Compare.
We found a typical 4 night & 3 day Paris packaged tour that would commonly be sold by travel agents. We then broke down all the services they were providing and what it would cost if we were planning the same trip so we could compare prices. We used the same dates and hotel to make sure the comparison was fair. The following prices are for 2 people.
Here is the itinerary and price for the packaged tour:
Day 1 - Arrival to Paris, private transfer to your city-centered hotel in Paris.
Day 2 - After your breakfast, enjoy the adventure of sightseeing in Paris. The morning is reserved for an audio-guided visit of the Louvre with skip-the-line tickets. In the afternoon we will drive through the center of Paris with a bus (a panoramic bus tour with English commentary). We'll visit many iconic places around the city. After the bus tour, we'll embark on a one-hour cruise along the Seine river with narration in English. The icing on the cake will be the visit to the Eiffel Tower, where we will skip the queues and walk straight in to take an elevator to its second level observation deck at 150 meters.
Day 3 - After breakfast, depart from the center of Paris to the Palace of Versailles on a coach. Follow your guide straight to the front of the line to see the palace's most beautiful rooms. Return to Paris at 12:30 pm. Afternoon is free time at leisure.
Day 4 - After breakfast, enjoy a free day to explore Paris.
Day 5 - Have breakfast and depart Paris.
Price $3,346.00 for 2 people.
Here is our breakdown:
Accommodations including breakfast - $880.00
Private car from the airport to hotel - $80.00
Skip-the-line Louvre tickets and audio guide - $80.00
Afternoon private tour - $250.00
1 hour Seine river cruise - $50.00
Skip-the-line Eiffel Tower tour with guide (to the summit) - $150.00
Coach ride from Paris to Versailles and skip-the-line with guided tour - $194.00
+ Our Fees - $225/day x 4 days = $900.00 (this is our most expensive level)
Total trip cost - $2,584.00 for 2 people
You save $762.00 for 2 people or $381.00 per person!
..And you get a trip that is made just for you. Think the first day is too overbooked? We can fix that. Having a whole day on your own makes you nervous? We will help. Need a couple hours in the middle of the afternoon for your baby to nap? We will schedule it in. Don't want to do the river cruise but would rather do a photography lesson? We've got you.