Experience Planning Deposit

Why a planning deposit?

Away&Co is NOT an average travel company, and we would not like to be compared to one.

We plan every detail of every journey our guests travel on. Trip planning is NOT the same as putting an ‘itinerary’ together. This requires a deep understanding of the destination and access to the best experts locally across the world who spend time working on the details of each individual journey we plan.

This is the opposite of what travel agents do, who put an ‘itinerary’ together, many using online resources available to the whole travel trade. These ‘itineraries’ do not have the depth of unique experiences or access to the exceptional authentic accommodation and experiences that make an Away&Co trip stand apart in the industry.

Like any other knowledge-based professional service which relies on core expertise, and as professionals within the luxury travel industry, you will appreciate professional time is precious. Given the number of highly experiential journeys Away&Co works on each year, our team spends considerable resources to ensure we’re dedicating our time where there is a genuine desire to book an Away&Co experience.

To ensure that we continue to deliver our consistently high level of service and depth of experiential trips, Away&Co charges an experience planning deposit before we start planning any trips. This deposit is FULLY adjusted in the final cost of the trip, it is NOT a fee or in addition to the trip costs.

How it works

We love to hear from you; tell us your dream journey, and let us create the trip of your life. Specialist journey planners and destination experts at Away&Co will fix an appointment to understand what you're looking for and to learn about what you really love to experience. This call also ensures we are a perfect match and allows us to create the best trip plan possible. We aim to exceed your expectations, drawing on our extensive destination knowledge and access to exceptional experiences.

After this initial call, give us a few days, we will provide a brief initial suggestion based on the conversation with an indication of the costs of the trip, for you to review. We will not provide too many details of the experiences or the names of the hotels the trip is based on – only types and categories of hotels will be mentioned. Don’t worry, you we only work with the absolute best, and based on our call, we'll suggest exactly what we're looking for.

If you feel the direction of the conversation and the price aligns with what you're expecting, we will request a planning deposit, the amount of which will be advised based on the destination and complexity of the trip. This planning deposit is FULLY DEDUCTIBLE from the total price of your trip. Your agreeing to pay this deposit confirms that you would like us to proceed with planning the details of the trip and put in the time and resources required to provide you with a more comprehensive proposal and quotation.

From then on, sit back and enjoy the ride. Your dedicated journey planner team will gladly work on any changes you may want to the trip. We can then ensure that our team is able to commit the time required to provide the highest level of personalisation and care to your journey. Once we have received the planning deposit, your dedicated journey planner is available to work with you on the finer details and to provide you with all the attention you need to make your trip truly amazing.

Your dedicated journey planner will then work with you on the next steps, including the booking process and deposits required to hold accommodation and experiences etc. The initial Experience Planning deposit will be adjusted with the final payment made to us, depending on the stage of the booking process.

Other questions?

No, it is a deposit and is fully adjustable with the final price of the journey. Please compare this to an experienced lawyer who charges for an initial consultation before deciding on the legal work required.

Because we plan every detail of every journey our guests travel on. Trip planning is NOT the same as putting an ‘itinerary’ together. This requires a deep understanding of the destination and access to the best local experts across the world who spend time working on each individual journey we plan. Putting the best trips together takes time and resources.

Once you have paid the deposit, you will have access to the Away&Co personalised and customised trip planning expertise, which includes a detailed proposal and the cost of your trip, continued consultation with a dedicated, experienced journey planner to work with you on every trip detail, including any adjustments you may wish to make during the planning process. This is professional time being spent on creating an amazing trip, just for you.

Any trip needs to be confirmed within 60 days of the deposit being received, even if the actual travel dates are a few months away. If a trip is not confirmed within 60 days, any further planning will require another deposit to be paid for us to work on planning the trip. As you can understand, this can’t be held indefinitely. However, we are most flexible in discussing any genuine reason you may have to push this back, speak to us anytime.

There is no minimum spend required. Everything Away&Co does is fully customised to create the perfect trip based on the personal dream you’ve had.

We work across budgets, which vary depending on the destination, time of the year, type of accommodations etc. An Away&Co trip does come at a premium as compared to an average agent, and because all our focus is on the highest quality. Each trip we create offers immersive and authentic experiences.

We are confident that is unlikely to happen because every Away&Co trip is planned to perfection, with every detail. Our partners across the world are considered the best in their respective destinations.

Even before you have paid the deposit, based on the very initial call, we will achieve a complete understanding of what you would like to experience and will be able to deliver suitable options to you with indicative costs. It is only when you have liked what we’ve presented in the very initial proposal we will ask for the planning deposit. Should you choose not to proceed with a booking after that, the planning deposit is non-refundable or not adjustable for future travel.

Of course, we understand if a circumstance is beyond your or our control. We have been in the business of selling experiential travel since 1977. We have been through everything from wars, natural disasters, civil unrest and pandemics. If you are unable to continue with the trip as planned due to any unforeseen situation that completely prevents you from travelling, we will gladly credit the planning deposit for your next journey, whenever that is. This doesn’t apply to any other refunds or costs paid for the actual trip, which will be resolved based on the nature of deposits paid after working with our hotel and experience partners in the destination.