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FAQs
Welcome to our FAQ page, your go-to resource for answers to common questions about our services, policies, and more. Dive in to find solutions, tips, and insights for your travel experience. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or planning your first adventure, we’re here to provide clarity and guidance. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, feel free to reach out to our dedicated support team for personalized assistance.
Why Should I Use a Travel Advisor?
Travel advisors possess extensive knowledge about destinations, accommodations, activities, and travel logistics. Travel advisors can provide tailored recommendations based on your preferences, budget, and interests, ensuring a personalized travel itinerary that meets your needs.
Planning a trip can be time-consuming and overwhelming, especially when researching various options and making bookings. A travel advisor handles all the details, from researching destinations to arranging accommodations and transportation; saving you valuable time and hassle.
Travel advisors often have access to special offers, discounts, and exclusive amenities that are not available to the general public. These perks can include complimentary room upgrades, resort credits, and VIP treatment.
Travel advisors have firsthand experience and insider knowledge about destinations, resorts, cruise lines, and more. They have the opportunity to tour locations and attend excursions for firsthand experience in all things travel. This experience helps travel advisors provide personalized recommendations tailored to your interests, preferences, and travel style.
Travel advisors provide peace of mind by handling all the details of your trip and offering support before, during, and after your journey. Whether you encounter unexpected challenges or have questions during your travels, a travel advisor is there to provide assistance and ensure a seamless experience.
Why Choose Travel Girl?
Travel Girl is a full-service travel agency. We offer everything from a car rental to a fully customized travel itinerary. We work with hundreds of suppliers for hotels and resorts, cruises, transportation, excursions, and more. We offer personalized consultations, destination expertise, customized itinerary planning, booking and trip coordination, travel documentation assistance, concierge services, on-going support, and post-trip follow up.
At Travel Girl we pride ourselves on not charging our clients planning fees. This approach allows travelers to benefit from personalized advice, itinerary customization, and booking assistance without worrying about extra charges.
The only extra fee that may be charged is an airline ticketing fee. These fees are placed on air-only vacation packages. In order to book airfare through our airline consolidator, we are required to charge $15 per person on domestic airfare and $25 per per person on international airfare.
We have access to hundreds of suppliers and sites that are only available to travel advisors; guaranteeing that you are receiving the best possible price. Our industry relationships allow us to find prices below published rates.
We are a single point of contact for all of your travel needs. If any issues arise while you are on travel, you can call us directly and we will work to find a solution so you can enjoy your trip stress-free.
Our advisors complete countless hours of training and education to ensure we are up to date on all travel details, requirements, and protocols. We have completed training and certifications for all of the suppliers we work with. To further our education, most of our advisors are also Certified Travel Associates (CTA), Certified Travel Counselors (CTC), or Certified Travel Industry Executives (CTIE).
Most people are surprised to learn that all travel bookings have a commission attached to them; even when you book your own trip online. Instead of the third-party website receiving the commission from your booking, it goes to our agency. This allows us to help you with travel planning without charging extra fees.
Travel Planning
For general inquiries about a trip or our company, please fill our our Contact Form. An advisor will reply via email within 24 business hours.
If you know your trip dates, destination, activities, etc., you can fill out our Request a Quote Form. An advisor will put together a travel proposal for you and send it via email within 1-3 business days depending on the complexity of the trip.
You can also schedule a meeting with one of our advisors in person, via phone, or via Zoom here.
Once we have discussed your wants and needs for your trip, your travel preferences, and your budget, our advisors will start putting your travel proposal together. Depending on the complexity of the trip and the time of year, it can take anywhere from 1-3 business days to receive a proposal from us. Typically trips that include all-inclusive resort packages or cruise packages will be sent out sooner while fully-customized itineraries will take a few days.
The peak season for travel advisors is typically January to early March. During these months, it may take longer to receive a travel proposal. Due to this, we recommend starting the travel planning process at least 60 days prior to travel, but we can start planning as early as a year in advance.
Absolutely! Proposals are just the start to your trip planning process. Our advisors put together proposals based on your wants, needs, and preferences. Once you receive a proposal, you can speak with your advisor about any changes you want made before booking your trip.
Travel Girl strongly recommends the purchase of travel insurance. Our preferred insurance providers offer protection for trip cancellations, trip interruption, medical emergencies, default of an airline, cruise line, or tour operator, and much more. Although many operators have their own versions of trip protection, most are not as comprehensive are our preferred providers, and may not cover operator default. Travel insurance is an investment in your trip and yourself. Travel insurance is a non-refundable cost.
Due to the policies by Airbnb and VRBO, advisors are not able to book vacation rentals for our clients through those sites. However if you are looking for a vacation rental, we work with sites built specifically for travel advisors for home and condo rentals.
Flight and hotel points are registered under individuals. Due to this, we are unable to purchase flights and hotels using your points. We can still provide guidance on flight schedules, and our preferred hotels, as well as walking you through the process of using your points through your account.
Booking & Reservations
Once you have approved your travel proposal and you are ready to book your trip, we will send you a reservation form to complete. This form will go over our agency’s terms and conditions, ask for your contact information, mailing address, and traveler information. It is important to put traveler names EXACTLY as they appear on your government issued ID as well as dates of birth on the reservation form.
Most trips only require a deposit up front with final payment being 60-90 days prior to departure. However, deposit amounts and final payment dates vary widely by supplier. Unless booked with a package, flights will always be due in full at the time of booking.
Yes, depending on the mode of transportation (e.g., airlines, trains, etc.), you can often reserve seats in advance. Please let us know your preferences and we’ll assist you in securing the desired seating arrangements.
Yes! If you have rewards numbers with airlines, hotels, resorts, rental car companies, etc., we can add them to your reservation. We will also keep these numbers on file for the next time you travel.
We accept MasterCard, Discover, Visa, AMEX, cash, and check. If you plan to pay with check, the check must clear our bank before making payments to suppliers. Due to this, prices are subject to change if you are using a check to make your deposit. If you are using a check to make your final payment, we ask that we have the check to deposit at least a week prior to your final payment date to ensure the check clears our bank prior to the final payment date.
To modify or cancel your reservation, please contact your travel advisor as soon as possible. They will assist you in making the necessary changes or cancellations, taking into account any applicable fees or penalties.
Cancellation policies vary by supplier and rate codes. It is important to notify your travel advisor if you want to book refundable airfare and hotel rates prior to booking. If you are concerned about a trip cancellation, we highly recommend purchasing travel insurance to protect your trip investment.
Travel Documents & Requirements
Once you have made a booking with Travel Girl, we will email you a copy of your trip’s itinerary with important confirmation numbers. We will then mail your physical travel documents two weeks to a month prior to your departure date.
Yes, we are happy to sit down with you and complete your passport and visa applications! If you need to make an appointment to approve your application, we will provide guidance on how and where to make that appointment.
We also take free passport, visa, and international drivers license pictures in our office. Schedule an appointment with us here or walk-in for your free photo.
If a cruise departs and returns from a port in the United States, you are not required to travel with a passport (unless your cruise line requires passports for travel). If you do not have a passport, you can travel with an original copy of your state-issued birth certificate and a physical government-issued photo ID.
If you miss your ship in an international destination or have a medical emergency in an international destination, you will not be able to fly home without a passport book. Due to this, we always recommend having a passport book for cruising even if it is not required. *You cannot fly internationally with a passport card.*
If your cruise departs or returns to an international cruise port, you are required to have a passport with you.
First and foremost, you must have documentation showing proof of relationship with your child. Documents you use can include adoption documents, marriage certificate, court order, certificates of name change, or the child’s birth certificate. It is also recommended that you travel with the child’s government-issued ID.
Your child will need a Child Travel Consent Form. This from proves to the transportation providers and Custom Officers that both parents or legal guardians give the child authorization by providing their signatures. This form must contain the child’s basic information (e.g., name, gender, date of birth, place of birth), both parents’ contact information, the traveling arrangement, and the destination. It is always recommended to get this form notarized.
Flights
Boarding passes are ready 24 hours prior to your flight’s departure. You can use the airline’s website or mobile app to check-in to your flight 24 hours prior to departure. Once the check-in process is complete, your boarding pass will be available. You can also speak with an attendant at the airline’s flight desk in your departure airport to check-in for your flight and receive your boarding pass.
Check-in for flights is not available until 24 hours prior to departure. When check-in is available, check to make sure you are checking-in with the correct airline and with the correct confirmation number.
If you are checking-in with the correct airline and confirmation number, you may have required information outstanding. This information may include passport numbers and expiration dates, contact tracing, visa information, and more.
If you have completed all necessary information and you still cannot check-in online, an in-person document check may be required. In this case, you will be able to check-in at your departure airport at the airline’s desk.
The last reason may be due to system error. Try checking-in at a different time or a different device.
Most airlines put guests’ First Name and Middle Name together with no spaces on the airline website and boarding passes. Please not that this is correct for the airline systems and there is no need to worry if you see your first name and middle name together on flight information.
If your name is misspelled or you are missing a middle name, please reach out to us immediately and we will get your information updated.
Most airlines allow you to take one personal item (purse, backpack, laptop.) and one carry-on item (carry-on bags should be no larger than 22 inches long, 14 inches wide, and 9 inches high) per person free of charge.
The number of checked bags included in your ticket and any associated fees for additional bags vary widely among airlines. Additionally, weight and size restrictions apply to checked bags, and exceeding these limits may result in additional fees.
We recommend checking with your airline’s baggage policy or reaching out to us prior to travel before you pack to avoid surprises or unexpected fees at the airport.
Security & Customs
TSA PreCheck and Global Entry are both Department of Homeland Security Trusted Traveler Programs. TSA PreCheck provides expedited security screening benefits for flights departing from U.S. airports. Global entry provides expedited U.S. customs screening for international air travelers when entering the United States. Global Entry members also receive TSA PreCheck benefits as part of their membership.
TSA PreCheck and Global Entry are good for five years once approved. Children 12 and under may accompany an enrolled parent or guardian without restriction.
For more information on these programs or to apply, click here.
Upon arrival at a port of entry, such as an international airport, seaport, or land boarder crossing, travelers proceed to the designated area for customs and immigration processing.
When you are returning to the U.S. from an international destination, you usually go through customs in the first U.S. city you land in. However, there are 14 airports around the world that U.S. travelers clear customs before taking off. These airports include:
Dublin Airport, Dublin, Ireland
Shannon Airport, County Clare, Ireland
Queen Beatrix Airport, Aruba
L.F. Wade Airport, St. George’s, Bermuda
Abu Dhabi Airport, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Lynden Pindling Airport, Nassau, Bahamas
Calgary Airport, Alberta, Canada
Edmonton Airport, Alberta, Canada
Robert L. Stanfield Airport, Nova Scotia, Canada
Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport, Quebec, Canada
Lester B. Pearson Airport, Ontario, Canada
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier Airport, Ontario, Canada
Vancouver Airport, British Colombia, Canada
Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson Airport, Manitoba, Canada
Upon arrival at a port of entry, travelers proceed to the designated area for customs and immigration processing. Before clearing customs, travelers must first undergo immigration inspection. This involves presenting a valid passport, visa (if required), and any supporting documentation to the Customs and Boarder Protection (CBP) officers. Officers verify the traveler’s identity, purpose of visit, and eligibility for entry.
After completing immigration inspection, travelers proceed to the customs declaration area. Here, they are required to declare any items they are brining into the country, including goods purchased abroad, gifts, and certain food items. Some travelers may also be required to declare large amounts of currency or monetary instruments exceeding $10,000.
Next, travelers proceed to baggage claim and receive any bags they previously checked for their flights. CBP officers may randomly select travelers for baggage inspection. During the inspection, officers may ask travelers about the contents of their luggage, examine items, and use x-ray machines and other technology to detect prohibited or restricted items.
Once customs inspection is complete and travelers have complied with all requirements, they are cleared to enter their destination. If this is the travelers’ final stop, they will proceed to the exit are of the port of entry, If this is not the travelers’ final destination, they will proceed to recheck their bags, go through security, and continue to their connecting flight.
After clearing customs and immigration, travelers proceed to baggage claim and receive any bags they previously checked for their flights. Customs and Boarder Patrol officers may randomly select travelers for baggage inspection. During the inspection, officers may ask travelers about the contents of their luggage, examine items, and use x-ray machines and other technology to detect prohibited or restricted items.
Travelers will then proceed to recheck their bags, go through security, and continue to their connecting flight.
For domestic flights, we recommend arriving to the airport no later than 2 hours prior to your departure time. For international flights, we recommend arriving to the airport no later than 3 hours prior to your departure time.
If you have a connecting flight, we recommend layovers no shorter than 1 hour for domestic flights and 3 hours for international flights.
If you are a new traveler, traveling with the group, or have mobility issues, we recommend giving yourself extra time to get through security and to your gate.
Safety & Health
Our advisors keep up to date on all destination details, natural disasters, civil unrest, strikes, and more. We will notify you if we believe you should reconsider a destination. For more information on specific destinations’ travel advisories and safety, please click here.
Our advisors stay up to date on all destination details, requirements, and protocols. During your trip consultation, an advisor will give you a list of any vaccinations that may be required for travel. You can also click here for vaccination information on more than 200 destinations.
We recommend sticking to bottled or boiled water, avoid ice cubes in drinks, and eat only thoroughly cooked foods. Be cautious with raw fruits and vegetables that may have been washed in contaminated water. If you are in a tropical destination, we recommend having small amounts of coconut based foods and drinks as coconut acts as a natural laxative.
Speak to your advisor about your travel insurance coverage (if purchased) and emergency contact numbers. Locate the nearest medical facilities in your destination. In case of serious illness or injury, contact local emergency services immediately.
Ask your travel advisor on common scams and safety tips for your destination. Keep important documents like your passport and money secure, and be cautious in unfamiliar areas, especially at night. Consider using reputable transportation services and avoid walking alone in dimly lit or deserted areas.
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Other appointments by request.
