Learn More about TripScaper
Why TripScaper?
We craft memorable, offbeat programs for our intrepid clients. To travel with TripScaper is to relish adventure, seek mindful immersion and appreciate luxury. We were founded in 2008 and, since then, spend up to 6 months on the road each year researching new destinations and reacquainting ourselves with our old favorites. We have deep knowledge of the destinations we sell and ultimately know what's worth it and what's not so worth it. We break through the filters of Instagram and glossy magazines to point you in the most "wow" directions that offer the best value. Most of our clients have been with us for 5-10 years and trust us to plan their journey from A to Z. We achieved our reputation because of our expertise and thus we only sell the ~70 countries that we know/love and where we have personal relationships with terrific partners.
Our Affiliation
We are part of Traveller Made. This is a French-based invite-only consortium of luxury travel designers, hotels, villas, yachts and private jets. Our affiliation with Traveller Made allows us to offer complimentary amenities (like room upgrades, breakfast, airport transfers and spa credits) at some of our favorite properties and opens doors to exclusive experiences.
Our Fees:
We offer two tiers of consultancy fees:
Hourly
For the traveler that embarks on 1 to 4 journeys per year, typically ranging from long weekends to 14 days. Our hourly fee is $190 USD and is tracked on the Toggl application with an explanation of each task. Fees are collected during the planning process and during the trip. Examples of on-trip charges could include:
- Client requests to add/remove elements of the trip
- Flight changes/cancellations necessitate the redesign of the trip
Annual
For the frequent traveler that requires dedicated leisure travel assistance. This jetsetter embarks on more than 4 trips per year or spends extended periods of time traveling. Our annual fee starts at $7500 USD and covers any trip that you/your partner are physically a part of with a maximum of six other guests. All trip planning must commence within 11 months of the contract start date and travel may take place in any year.
How else do we get paid?
Aside from the hourly/annual fees, which covers the time and expertise to plan and execute your program, we are also:
- Compensated by hotels. Nearly every hotel on the market has a commission built in to their public price for travel experts. This is our fee for visiting, marketing and promoting their property to our clients.
- Compensated by service providers, either on a commission or "added margin" basis. For service providers that do not have a built-in commission (for example, guides), we mark-up their services an industry average of 10% to 20% to cover taxes, wire processing fees, credit card fees and the cost of vetting these services in-person.
Initial Steps:
We will continue the conversation by phone and email to review your travel profile and how it relates to this particular trip. Our job is to manage your initial expectations, then issue a formal proposal. This will be web-based with vivid imagery and clear inclusions/exclusions, as well as photos of each property we are recommending. Usually, our clients say "yes" right away, but if the proposal is not perfect, we can continue editing it. This means we can tear up the program and start over or we can make small modifications - whatever it takes to get it just right. Our proposal will outline the deposit and final payment costs, as well as the dates for each.
Payment Policies
Our general payment policy can be found here: tripscaper.com/terms
Typical payment and cancellation policies:
Deposit is 25% to lock in the space
Final payment is 75% and due 8 weeks prior to the commencement of your trip
For some destinations, properties or programs, this payment policy will be revised and all revisions will be explained in the proposal.
Final Product
Approximately three weeks prior to your trip start date, you will receive your detailed e-documentation. This documentation will include: a recommended packing list, daily timings, meeting points, recommended restaurants, recommended gratuities, contact numbers, information on currency and other details required for a successful adventure. After you have approved the e-documentation, we will send you a hard-copy in an easy-to-carry, travel-sized booklet along with any vouchers or flight tickets required. While on the road, you will have access to us and/or our local partners 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We will stay on top of any changing weather patterns, flight delays or other factors that could impact the flow of your trip. We work tirelessly behind-the-scenes to ensure your trip goes as smoothly as possible and once you return home, we will chat about your experience so that we can continue to build upon it for your next trip.
Passports
It is your responsibility to ensure that your passport is valid for a minimum of 7 months upon arrival in each foreign country. It is also your responsibility to make sure you have 1 completely empty page in your passport for each country you are visiting. Between now and your date of travel, if you receive a new passport, please send us the updated details/copy before traveling.
International Flights
We can assist with the booking of international flights. We do not have discounted Economy Class air, but often have discounts for Business and First Class air. Discounts could be as little as 1% or as great as 25%. We are happy to check!
Travel Insurance:
Over the past year, this has become the most important component of a trip. We require all of our clients to have comprehensive travel insurance, which includes:
- medical coverage while traveling, minimum $25,000 USD per traveler
- emergency evacuation, at least to the "nearest adequate facility"
- clauses that allow for trip cancellation due to medical reasons prior to the commencement of the trip
- clauses that allow for trip interruption benefits due to medical reasons while traveling
Most insurance companies dictate that you must purchase the policy within 14-21 days of your initial trip purchase to have maximum coverage, especially when it comes to pre-existing conditions. Our consult fee is not considered an "initial purchase" because this does not go towards the cost of your trip. However, if you purchased your international flights (even if you used points and only paid cash for the taxes) before contacting us, this would be considered your FIRST purchase and this is when the clock starts ticking to purchase the insurance. Please tell us in advance if you have already made any pre-trip purchases so that we can better advise you.
With all of our programs, we do offer you two competing travel insurance quotes. It is your responsibility to read both policies in their entirety and decide which plan makes the most sense for you. It is especially important to note that there is no coverage for cancelling "due to the fear of contracting COVID". Further, if a country is to close its borders to foreigners and/or if airlines cancel flights to/from the destination which prevents you from starting or continuing your trip because of a pandemic/epidemic or otherwise, these are also not covered conditions. This is standard practice across all travel insurance companies.
Please budget an extra ~3-5% of your total trip cost to go towards the purchase of travel insurance.
If you would like to purchase your own travel insurance, do NOT assume that your credit card offers coverage; many credit card companies are silently phasing out their coverage or limiting it only to lost baggage and self-drive car rental insurance. Likewise, if you are relying on your credit card insurance, you must research whether or not the entire trip cost be put on your credit card and what the maximum value of your trip can be.
If you decide not to purchase travel insurance or if your travel insurance does not meet our minimum requirements, then you must sign an additional waiver form.