The planning fee calculator for travel advisors
Work out a planning fee you can say out loud without second guessing
Run a real proposal through it before you start planning, or a few typical trips to set the fees for your whole business. It gives you a fee range and what you'll actually keep after your host's cut, plus a script in there for saying the number to your client.
Before you quote
Pricing a trip you haven't planned yet is the hard part
A client sends an inquiry on a Sunday night: two couples, ten days in Italy, 'something really special,' and they'd like to know the planning fee before they say yes. You haven't looked at a single hotel yet, so you're pricing hours you haven't worked, and you've typed $150 and deleted it, then typed $300 and deleted that too, with 'happy to chat about it' while internally dreading actually talking about.
Many Travel Advisors settle on a fee by feel, or by checking what another advisor on Instagram charges, which is how everyone ends up undercharging at the same time.
The Fee Calculator works the number out from the trip style and the hours it'll really take, then checks it against what the market charges for that kind of trip and your goal income. Use it on a real proposal before you start planning, or run a few typical trips through it to set the fees for your whole business. It shows its work, so if & when a client pushes back, you know why the number is the number.
what’s inside
What you get when you grab the calculator
a fee range you can defend
Two methods run side by side. One is anchored to 2025-26 industry pricing for your trip type, the other is built from your hourly rate and your hours. It blends them into a range and a mid-point, and if the two disagree, it tells you why.
a number you actually keep
Your host's cut is built in, so you see what you take home from the planning fee and from the commission, plus the total. Better to find that out before you quote than at payout.
words for communication
A draft script that sounds like an advisor talking to a client, not a calculator. Edit it until it sounds like you, copy it, and use it. Saying the number out loud is the part most people dread, so practice it until you believe it.
a capacity check, if you want one
Tell it what you need to earn each month and how many hours you want to work, and it flags the trips that pay you less than your own rate or leave no room in your week. It's optional, and you still get a fee without it.
78%
of Travel Advisors now charge planning fees, up from 58% in 2019. Advisors who charge them earn 42% more on average.
Charging fees isn't optional anymore, so the number is the only part left to sort out.
Sources: DMCQuote; HAR 2024 Travel Advisor Report.
how it works
3 answers & a trip style is all you need for a base number
01.
Pick a real proposal, or a typical trip if you're setting fees ahead of time. Trip type, travellers and how much is going on, plus the trip total.
02.
Make it yours for a comprehensive overview. Add your hours, your host split and commission, and any add-ons. These change what you keep and where your minimum fee lands, not what you quote.
03.
Read the range and the breakdown behind it, and copy the script if you want it.
04
Setting fees ahead of time? Run a few more typical trips through it, and you've got the start of a fee schedule.
Who this is for
Maybe you relate?
the fee shy expert
Most supplier reps could learn something from you about river cruising, and you're still waiving your planning fee because asking for it feels awkward as hell.
the copycat
You looked up what a few other advisors charge and picked the one in the middle, which felt safe and had nothing to do with the trip or your business.
the someday’er
Writing your fees down for the whole business has been on the list since January, and every inquiry still gets priced from scratch - or not at all.
Hey, I’m lara
the DESIGNER behind birch & bud design co.
Charging a fee can be daunting; I get it. You’re worried about what number to charge, what clients will say, and what will happen to your business if they say no.
I spent 15+ years as a Travel Advisor, and most of it pre-2020, when fees just covered airfare. We relied on commission and a salary to pay the bills. But that’s not how things are now; most advisors are IC’s, running their own business with sporadic commissions.
I recently spent the last year and a half in operations and advisor support at a host agency, so I have also seen the hesitations and the success behind adding planning fees to your business. The payoff is real, and positioning fees is a skill worth learning.
COMING SOON: THE FEE CONVERSATION TOOLKIT
The calculator gives you the number, but the toolkit walks through the mindset behind fees, how to position yourself and a swipe file you can use in client conversations! Keep an eye on your inbox if you grab the calculator.
FAQ
You might have a few questions…
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You will receive a PDF with a link to the app. It comes as a website link that you can save to your bookmarks for later. If I update it with new industry rates, the link will be updated!
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They're 2025 to 2026 figures drawn from industry surveys and published advisor pricing.
The sources are listed at the bottom of the calculator, so you can check my homework.
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Yes. Run the trips you sell most through it, one at a time, and write down the ranges.
This will help you determine how your time is being used and where you could add fees to increase revenue into your business. -
The host drawer in Step 2 has your split of the commission and the planning fee, because hosts handle fees differently.
Adjust the percentages to match your agreement, or put in 100 if you're independent.
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No. It runs in your browser and nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere. Close the tab and it's gone, so copy or screenshot whatever you want to keep.
Get the Calculator
