Tom Smith Travel

Having started in the travel industry over 40 years ago Tom Smith has developed an outstanding reputation for excellent customer service.   Experience on six continents and knowledge of the complicated travel industry assures you of an outstanding vacation or business trip.

“It’s amazing to me sometimes how many hours people spend on the internet with their travel to do something that takes me 2 seconds…….let me help you and then you can spend your time exploring the world.”

-Tom Smith

Our Worldwide Professional Services:

• Tom Smith Travel is an affiliate of The Travel Society, which includes membership in Virtuoso.
• Airline reservations and ticketing worldwide. I will book your reservations, send you an itinerary by email or fax and ask for your approval.  Once approved you are subject to the cancellation and change penalties.(see below). You are responsible for knowing your correct name as it is printed in your passport.  Name changes on tickets are not allowed by the airlines.
• We are happy to record your frequent flyer membership number in your air, car or hotel reservation.  We do not search flights, book reservations or ticket frequent flyer award tickets or upgrades using miles.  But, we can refer you to Gary at www.bookyouraward.com who does an excellent job of booking mileage award tickets.  He was singled out by Conde Nast Travel as the world’s expert at booking award travel.  Contact him at gary@bookyouraward.com
  
• Negotiated international air, including discounted Business and First Class.
• Hotel and Resort reservations worldwide.  Specializing in luxury accommodations.
• Negotiated Virtuoso hotel rates that mean savings and amenities for my clients!
  
• Car Rentals worldwide.
• Train reservations and ticketing worldwide
• Custom Foreign Independent Travel (FIT) planning.
• Meetings and small conventions.
• Cruises, specializing in small luxury ships worldwide.
• Villas and vacation home rentals worldwide.
• Private yacht charters worldwide.
• Adventure travel (from the easy to the extreme)
• Tours and unique vacation packages.
• Rail ticketing:  Amtrak,  Eurail including all rail passes and point-to-point tickets, British Rail including London Underground,  Japan Rail Pass, Australian Rail, NZ Rail, VIA Rail Canada.
• Transfers and transport at your arrival/departure.
• Family vacations and travel.
• When a visa is required for your foreign travel we can assist you
• Travel insurance.  Trip Cancellation, Medical, Emergency Evacuation, trip delay, baggage,  & accident. Remember that Medicare does not cover you outside the USA.  You should purchase travel insurance every time you travel!  Remember that you need to purchase travel insurance within 2 weeks of making the initial payment for your trip in order to receive the “Pre-existing Medical Condition Waiver”.  You need to ask me to send you a quote for travel insurance.
• Itinerary planning.
• Small group travel
• Tom Smith Travel is bonded and insured by the Berkly Insurance Agency.
• Tom is a member of SKAL.
• Tom is a certified specialist with the following organizations and companies:
• Spanish National Tourist Office-Certified Spain Specialist
• Catalonia Tourism-Certified Catalunya Specialist

• • Japan National Tourist Office
  • Italy and Alitalia Airlines
  • Marriott Hotels and Resorts & ACCOLADES program
  • Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
  • Cruise West Cruises
  • Scandinavian National Tourist Offices
  • Hong Kong Tourist Association
  • Austrian National Tourist Office
  • The Switzerland Network
  • Disney Travel Expert
  • Virtuoso Air

Our Service Fees & Cancel Fees:

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Here are our service fees for the many products that we reserve, book and sell. It is your responsibility to read and understand all terms and conditions posted here on this website.  We will refer you to this chart of service fees when working with you. By payment and your giving us your credit card information it is understood that you agree to the following: 

Please note these are the current service fees and charges for our services.  Service Fees are subject to change and are posted here on this website.  Service fees  are non-refundable:

The following is a chart of service charges for the most common travel services:

Please note that the terms and conditions of reserving, booking & ticketing with Tom Smith Travel is that,  it is the responsibility of the traveler to be aware of the following terms. 

• For the issue of any airline tickets, $45 per ticket/per person for a domestic USA ticket.   For all international tickets the service fee is $65 per ticket. For intra-European tickets $45, for intra-Asia the fee is $65 per ticket.  Fees for changes, exchanges and re-issue to an already existing International or domestic ticket are $75 plus  airline penalties and whatever new fare is applicable.
• Internet Air reservations/or  ticket $45. (Southwest, Flybe, RyanAir, EasyJet, Virgin or Jet Blue)
• Voiding a ticket.  Sometimes the airline allows us to void a ticket within 24 hours of the ticket being issued.  If it is allowed, (and sometimes it is not allowed by the airline)  and you need the ticket voided we are happy to provide this service to you.  This only applies to tickets issued by us with Galileo/Apollo.  Fee for this void:  $45.00 per ticket.
• Cancellation of a complete ticket issued by The Travel Society:  $75.00 plus the penalty of the airline and any commission earned.

• Cancellation of a consolidator ticket.  $100 per ticket plus any penalties imposed by the consolidator.  The $100 fee is charged up front to begin the  cancellation/refund process and is a regular service fee charge. Travel insurance is strongly recommended.
• Name changes (spelling, correct ID name change) If allowed by the carrier are $50 per ticket plus Airline fee and reissue service fee.
• Reissue,  refund, exchange of air ticket:    $75* per ticket.
• Frequent Flyer Awards and Upgrades.  Tom Smith Travel does not reserve, book or issue frequent flyer award tickets or upgrades.  You will need to contact the airline directly for these tickets.
• Car or hotel reservations:  There is not charge for making hotel reservations if the hotel is within my reservations systems that I am contracted with:  Apollo/Galileo, Petrabax, Travel Bound, Expedia TAAP Program.  These are secured reservation systems which I am under contract with and your reservations are secured and guaranteed.  For net hotel reservations(outside of my systems) there is a $50 service fee.   Cancellation of hotel reservations  are $35 per reservation, plus any telephone/fax charges.  Fax charges are usually $10.00.   Changes to an existing hotel reservations (non-Apollo) are subject to a $25.00 to $35.00 service fee.  Cancellation fees are imposed by the hotels for certain changes and cancellations and will be charged to your credit card.

• Rail Tickets & Passes:

  I have been selling rail tickets and passes for 41 years!  (Amtrak,  Eurail,  Britrail, French Rail,  TGV,  Japan Rail Pass,  ViaRail, RENFE,  Aussie Rail, China Rail,  NZ Rail) $35* per person/per ticket or itinerary/pass.  Rail Europe charges an $8.00 fee for all itineraries & passes and this is added to the total of your ticket. Tom Smith Travel has a $35.00 per person or per ticket charge for  Point-to-Point rail tickets in Europe and all rail passes.  Yes, I do all the research for you….the times & schedules, detailed explanation of the classes of service on board the trains, the type of train it is,  the seat assignments, services on board, baggage restrictions,  station information plus my own personal experience from having been on all these trains!  So,  please don’t ask me to do all of this work and then buy your ticket on line.  Remember you are working with me for my experience, expertise and professional know-how.   Hey for $35.00 it’s “such a deal” for you!

• Cancel Fees for FIT(Foreign Independent Travel),  Tour packages or custom itineraries.  Cancel fee is $150 per person. This fee is charged out separately and then the refend process begins with the tour companies as they have their own cancel fees.
• Day Tours & Excursions cancel charges:  Many day tours and excursions are non-refundable.  For those that allow a cancellation there will be a charge of approx. 10% for each tour cancelled.  This charge will be made before the cancellation process begins, your credit card will be charged this 10% fee seperately.
• Telephone and Fax charges. Telephone charges are billed at whatever the rate is when the call is made on your behalf.  Fax charges are $10.00 per fax which includes of preparation of fax cover and any extra pages.
• Documents & Shipping. In these days of electronic tickets it is not always necessary to have actual paper documents, however there are a few cases where you must carry hard copy documents/tickets with you on your trip.  For security and safety we will ship your documents to you FedEx.  This  Fed Ex charge, while it will be the least expensive rate,  will be automatically billed to the credit card you have given us to purchase your travel arrangements or you can give us your FedEx account number for billing.   If you lose your documents or they are destroyed there is a fee of $50 to replace them plus any fee imposed by the supplier and any shipping charges involved.
• Cruise Cancellation, Changes, cancellations &  refunds: After a deposit is paid a cancellation is $50 per person in addition to any penalty by the cruise or tour company for changes to an existing reservation.  A cancellation is not considered a change.  Once you have made your deposit there are charges to make any change according to the terms from the cruise line.   Tom Smith Travel does charge you a service fee for cancels:  After final payment is made the charge is usually 10% of the total price of the cruise in addition to any penalty imposed by the cruise line or tour operator.  The cancel penalty will be charged out to your credit card.   Travel insurance protection,  is strongly recommended and always offered when you are making your initial reservation and deposit.
• Travel Insurance.  Remember that you must purchase travel insurance within 2 weeks of making the initial payment for your trip in order to receive the “Pre-existing Medical Condition Waiver”.  You need to ask me to send you a quote for travel insurance and I will be happy to do so.  I use Travelex and AIG Travel Guard, which are considered the leaders for travel insurance.  Also remember that Medicare does not cover you outside the USA.

• The Foreign Independent Traveler…..You!

• For most of you a trip to a foreign country means being independent and traveling when and where you want…at your own pace.  This is something that I have been doing for my clients for 40+ years.  Please take a look at my Foreign Independent Travel section of this website.

The fee for my FIT services is $150.00 per couple for your itinerary.  This fee is collected after we are agreed upon an initial itinerary which means I will prepare a draft/rough itinerary (#1)  After the draft/rough itinerary is sent to you, and you like and agree to continue,  then the fee is charged. The fee  is not part of the cost of your reservations.  It is a professional fee and is non refundable. This fee is in addition to any deposits/payments required from suppliers and is non-refundable.   We will then proceed to craft your customized and personal itinerary.  You will receive hotel ideas, my personal reviews of hotels and professional reviews and recommendations based upon your itinerary. Also you will receive my “Tom’s Travel Tips” and the inside scoop on the best guides and tours.   We usually go thru several revisions and get it perfect.  There are fees for changes & cancellations once deposits are paid to suppliers. A final professional document packet is prepared for you which includes your custom itinerary,  “Tom’s Travel Tips”, all vouchers, reading lists, packing suggestions, maps,  tickets and documents that you will need for your trip. 

• FED EX delivery of travel documents.  Your travel documents are important and critical for a successful trip.  This is why we take care to ship to you via Fed Ex on your behalf.  Yes, this is your expense and you will be automatically charged for this service as it is not included in the price of your travel.   All travel documents (cruise, tour, etc) will be expertly packaged and shipped to you via Fed Ex and this will be charged to  your credit card or your FedEx Account (if you have one).  Please advise us if you have someone to sign for the documents when they arrive.  Otherwise we will ship with no signature required.  And, if you want your documents sent to you overnight (the most expensive way) you will need to tell us this, otherwise we will ship to you the least expensive way possible.

• * = plus any fees imposed by the carrier/supplier.

Why should you use a Virtuoso travel advisor?

With global connections and unparalleled expertise, we save you valuable time, and transform do-it-yourself trips into extraordinary customized travel experiences.  From everything from weekend getaways to trips of a lifetime, count on your Virtuoso travel agent.