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In almost every case, no. Advisors are compensated by the suppliers — cruise lines, resorts, hotels and tour operators — so you pay the same rate you’d pay booking direct. On complex custom itineraries I may quote a planning fee, and you’ll always know that up front before any work starts.

It varies more than people expect. Cruises are frequently cheapest 12 to 18 months out, not at the last minute. All-inclusive resorts have genuine flash sales worth waiting for. Safari camps, overwater villas and peak-season Japan need booking a year ahead or you simply won’t get the room. Ask early — there’s no cost to finding out.

For international air travel, yes. Closed-loop cruises departing and returning to the same U.S. port can sometimes be taken with a birth certificate and government photo ID — but I’d strongly recommend a passport anyway. If you have to leave the ship unexpectedly in a foreign port, it stops being optional very quickly.

Check the expiry date now, not later: many countries require at least six months of validity beyond your return date, and renewals take time.

For anything expensive, far away, or medically consequential — yes. The part people underestimate isn’t trip cancellation, it’s medical coverage and emergency evacuation abroad, which your domestic health plan very likely does not cover. I’ll quote it alongside the trip so you can make an informed decision rather than a rushed one at checkout.

Usually. Most cruises and resort packages take a modest deposit — sometimes as little as $25 per person on promotion — with the balance due 30 to 90 days before travel. In between, you can make payments whenever suits you. I’ll set out the schedule in writing and send reminders before anything is due.

Once a booking exists it generally can’t be transferred, though a few cruise lines allow it within a short window after deposit. Ask before you book — and if you’ve already booked, I can still help plan excursions, transfers and the rest of the trip around it.

Yes, generally as part of a wider package or tour where it can be protected alongside the rest of the booking. For standalone domestic flights you’re often better off booking direct with the airline — and I’ll say so rather than pretending otherwise.

Exactly what it sounds like: you set the budget, the dates and any absolute deal-breakers, and I plan a trip you don’t find out about until shortly before you go. Surprisingly popular, and genuinely fun to put together.