Services/Fees

 

Having started in the travel industry over 30 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

Attention to the individual traveler is the most important thing at Tom Smith Travel. You will find details of the services we provide here on this page.  If you have a question or need something that you do not find here, please do not hesitate to contact us by telephone or email.


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. Travel Guard is the very best insurance and I sell this with total confidence.  You should purchase travel insurance every time you travel!
  • 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:
    • Japan National Tourist Office
    • Italy and Alitalia Airlines
    • Marriott Hotels and Resorts
    • Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
    • Cruise West Cruises
    • Scandinavian National Tourist Offices
    • Hong Kong Tourist Association
    • Austrian National Tourist Office
    • The Switzerland Network
    • Virtuoso Air

Our Service Fees & Charges: (updated Jan. 15, 2012)

Please note current service fees and charges for our services.  Service Fees are subject to change with notice posted here on this website.  Service fees will be added to your invoice and are non-refundable:

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

  • For the issue of any airline tickets, $40 per ticket/per person. Beginning Sept. 1, 2008 the service fee for  new airline tickets will be $40.00 per person/per ticket.   For all international tickets the service fee is $50 per ticket.  Fees for changes to an already existing ticket are $50 plus  airline penalties and whatever new fare is applicable.
  • Internet Air reservations/or  ticket $40. (Southwest, Allegiant 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:  $40.00 per ticket.
  • Cancellation of a complete ticket:  $50.00 plus the penalty of the airline.
  • Issue fee for paper ticket $20* plus the airline service fee.
  • Cancellation of a consolidator ticket.  $50 per ticket plus any penalties imposed by the consolidator.  The $50 fee is charged up front to be gin 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 $40 per ticket plus Airline fee.
  • Reissue,  refund, exchange of air ticket $75* per ticket.
  • Frequent Flyer Awards and Upgrades.  After a One and a half year trial period  Tom Smith Travel has made a decision to not make reservations or handle ticketing for  Frequent Flyer Award tickets or Frequent Flyer Upgrade tickets using miles.  We will still of course record your Frequent Flyer membership numbers to all airline, car and hotel reservations so that you are sure to accrue miles for your flights.  We can refer you to what Conde Nast Travel has called the “world’s expert” at booking award travel:  Book Your Award.com  Please contact gary@bookyouraward.com for all of your frequent flyer award travel.
  • Car or hotel reservations:  No charge or service fee for an Apollo booked hotel or car reservation. All other hotel reservations and searches 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 service fee.  Cancellation fees are imposed by the hotels for certain changes and cancellations and will be charged to your credit card.
  • Rail (Amtrak,  Eurail, Japan Rail Pass,  ViaRail, Aussie Rail, China Rail,  NZ Rail) $40* per person/per ticket/pass.
  • Allegiant Air and Southwest Airlines. Yes!  We can take care of your reservations & ticketing  for both Allegiant and Southwest Airlines.  Fee is $40.00 per ticket.  And don’t forget to ask us about incredible savings with Air/Hotel packages with both of these airlines!
  • Telephone and Fax charges. Telephone charges are billed at whatever the rate is when the call is made.  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 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.
  • Cruises and Tour Cancellation, Changes, cancellations &  refunds: $35* 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.   Tom Smith Travel does charge you a service fee for changes/cancels:   $35.00 per person for a  change or cancel in addition to any penalty imposed by the cruise line or tour operator.   This service fee is charged out at the beginning of the change/cancel request to your credit card. Travel insurance,  with trip cancellation protection,  is strongly recommended and always offered when you are making your initial reservation and deposit.

  • 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 35+ years.  FIT (Foreign Independent Travel) arrangements are the most expensive way (as opposed to group travel) to travel but offer you the greatest freedom.  With Virtuoso On-Sites  and a selected collection of the finest tour operators and ground personnel in the world, I am able to arrange most anything for you anywhere in the world.  Hotels, private transfers, rail tickets, boat/ferry tickets, private tours and excursions, safaris, charter air,   private car and guide, entrances to the world’s great museums and sites, dinner reservations and theatre tickets to just mention a few.  We can set up an initial teleconference meeting and discuss your options.  Once the planning begins,  fees will be charged and they are outlined below.  These fees are for my services and are not part of any of the services or components  that I arrange for you.  You are paying for the expertise and security of having your travel expertly reserved,  confirmed and ticketed with the most reliable and experienced suppliers that can be found at any destination.
  • Customized itinerary planning for FIT(Foreign Independent Travel)  from $150 per itinerary ($75.00 per person) to start things going. Plus expenses (telephone, fax, etc.).  This fee is non-refundable even if you cancel and is charged out to your credit card as a service fee at the initial stages of work.
  • FEDEX delivery.  All travel documents (cruise, tour, etc) charge for the delivery of your documents and it is based on the lowest rate possible.  Your credit card or your FedEx Account will be billed for the Fed Ex charges.  Please advise us if you have someone to sign for the documents when they arrive.
  • * = plus any fees imposed by the carrier/supplier.

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