Asked often, answered plainly.
How a trip with Heather comes together, from the first conversation to the one after you get home, and what booking through her adds.
How it works
- 01 What happens on the first call?
- A planning conversation of about 30 minutes, at no charge. Heather gets to know you: where you have been, what prompted this trip, who is coming, how fast you like to move, and roughly what you want to spend. There is no pitch at the end of it, and plenty of these conversations do not become trips.
- 02 How long until I see a proposal?
- Usually three to five days. You get a personalised proposal: a day-by-day itinerary, accommodation options with the reasoning behind each one, suggested experiences, and a transparent breakdown of what it costs. Then you change it. Most proposals go through two or three passes, and that is the process working.
- 03 Who handles the bookings?
- Heather does, once you approve the plan: hotels, guides, transfers, experiences and restaurant reservations. You receive one comprehensive travel document and a direct line for anything that comes up before you go.
- 04 What if something goes wrong while I am travelling?
- Weather turns, a booking falls over, or you simply want to know where to eat tonight. Heather is one message away, and she already knows your itinerary, which is the difference between a problem and an inconvenience.
- 05 What happens after I get back?
- A post-trip conversation about what worked and what did not. It sharpens the next journey, and it is genuinely one of her favourite parts of the job.
Booking and benefits
- 01 Why should I book through a travel advisor instead of booking direct?
- Booking through Skyring Travel gives you access to the Virtuoso consortium — a network of 2,000+ luxury hotels and resorts with exclusive offers, preferred rates, and amenities not available when you book directly or through any OTA. A current example: clients booking Palace Hotel Tokyo — floor-to-ceiling views of the Imperial Palace gardens, and the first hotel in Japan to earn GSTC sustainable tourism certification — receive the third night complimentary, plus a US$100 hotel credit on 3-night stays or US$200 on stays of five nights or more. None of that appears at any direct or OTA rate. Virtuoso benefits like this are available year-round across 2,000+ properties worldwide, at no additional cost to you.
- 02 What does Virtuoso membership mean for my trip?
- Virtuoso is an invitation-only global network of luxury travel advisors and preferred hotels. As a Virtuoso member agency, Skyring Travel clients receive exclusive benefits at 2,000+ hotels worldwide: complimentary room upgrades, early check-in and late check-out (subject to availability), daily breakfast for two, resort or hotel credits, and access to preferred rates. These are negotiated at the property level and are not available through Expedia, Hotels.com, direct booking, or any other channel.
- 03 Is there a planning fee?
- Custom trip planning starts at $500. Cruise bookings are complimentary, with pre- and post-cruise trip planning at $300. Luxury hotel-only bookings are complimentary with preferred partner hotels. For anything else, such as flight-only requests, please get in touch.
- 04 How far in advance should I start planning?
- Ideally four to eight months ahead, particularly for peak seasons, expedition cruises and remote destinations where availability is limited. That said, I've built remarkable last-minute itineraries too. Don't let timing stop you from reaching out.
Tell Heather where you are going.
Or that you do not know yet. The first conversation is about what you want the trip to feel like, not a deposit.