People travel for many different reasons. To connect with loved ones, to spark their creativity, to push themselves out of their comfort zones, to learn something new, to meet new friends, or perhaps most daring of all: to rest. But for a lot of our clients, the process of planning their travel takes away from the joy and anticipation of their trip. Whether it's because research can be time-consuming or because they're seeking hidden-gem recommendations, access to behind-closed-doors experiences, or dedicated in-destination support, hiring a professional travel advisor makes the experience of planning and taking a trip much more enjoyable.
Tretter Travel’s clients are sophisticated, discerning, and enjoy the finer things in life - without any of the pretentiousness. Our clients turn to us as their personal travel curators, often sharing a vision of their trip and trusting us to bring it to life in ways they couldn’t have even imagined. Many of them also happen to be overworked, overwhelmed, and more than happy to outsource travel planning to the experts… especially when we have this much fun working together.
We are a boutique travel agency, which means we intentionally keep a small client list to allow us to cultivate deep, long-term relationships with every single client. Because, honestly, most experienced travel advisors will be able to design a wonderfully luxurious vacation for you with some fancy perks for your hotel stays. Tretter Travel can do that for you, too, obviously. But our goal is to take careof you every step of the way. We want to know everything from what’s on your bucket list to where you’ve already been, annual travel schedule, hobbies, and design aesthetic. Tell us what your favorite tea is so after a long day we can have your hotel's team leave a hot cuppa on your bedside. Talk to us about what your kids are learning in school. We spend a lot of time getting to know each client so that we can design travel built around your goals, anticipate your needs, and leave you feeling taken care of from start to finish.
Our top-booked destinations are Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico, and the US. That said, we are constantly on the road conducting site inspections of the most sought-after hotels, scouting destinations, attending industry conferences, and building relationships with travel partners all around the world so that wherever we send our clients, they're getting the VIP treatment. Because it would be impossible to know everything about every hotel in every destination, our "product" expertise in the travel landscape is focused primarily on 5* luxury and ultra-luxury hotels, wellness retreats, tour operators, cruises, and the like. Combining that focus with long-term client relationships allows us to personally matchmake our clients to the most perfect-for-them travel experiences no matter where in the world they've set their sights.
Not at all! We'd love to support you in planning everything from a one-night staycation to a long weekend getaway to a multi-week adventure. In fact, if you're booking "basic" hotel stays and not using a travel advisor, we can guarantee you're leaving value on the table. We offer a range of services based on the type of trip [and amount of time and expertise that goes into planning it], with Itinerary Planning being our most white glove, hands-on service.
4 and 5* hotels treat travel advisors like a marketing channel, so they pay us a small percentage of the hotel cost as commission. Essentially we do get paid for this service, just not by you. In order to cover the time it takes for us to brief the hotel's team and personalize your stay, the starting overall budget for hotels we can book for you on a complimentary basis is $1,500.
Most of the time, the rates we have access to through our booking portal are the exact same (if not cheaper) than what you’d find on a hotel’s website. If it's ever more expensive, it’s usually not by much, and the value of the perks outweighs the extra cost.
Credit cards that reward travel are fabulous! Some cards, like Amex, will also get you special perks when you book a hotel. But essentially it's a fancy Expedia - your reservation is just another number to the hotel. When you book with Tretter Travel, your reservation is prioritized at the top of the list for perks like room upgrades. We communicate directly with the hotel staff before your arrival so they know exactly who you are, ensuring you get the VIP treatment you deserve.
The obvious things we'll structure your trip around are travel dates, budget, and interests. But there's a lot more that goes into the Tretter Travel approach to custom itinerary planning. What equipment do you need in your hotel gym so you can feel great while you're away from your routine at home? Which influencer's trip to Italy did you just drool over on Instagram? What stresses you out about traveling in general?
We'll also take your travel companions into account when selecting experiences, tour guides, and other travel partners. Talk to us about your baby's nap schedule so we can schedule your day accordingly. What are your older kids learning in school? Any picky eaters or allergies we'll need to accommodate? Trust us, you can still enjoy beautiful, enriching vacations when traveling with children, grandparents, or anyone else with specific travel needs. Tretter Travel will design an itinerary and prep you with travel insights so that you’re set up for success no matter what kind of vacation you're taking.
It depends on where you want to go and when. Ideally, Itinerary Planning would begin 6-12 months prior to your departure date. We can certainly accommodate planning inquiries with less lead time, but you may have fewer options (or things will be more expensive) based on availability. Inquiries for trips departing in less than 30 days are subject to a rush planning fee.
Fora Travel is a network of travel advisors. Tretter Travel LLC is an independent affiliate of Fora, which means we have access to Fora's industry partnerships and affiliations (like the invite-only Virtuoso hotel consortium and brand-specific programs like Rosewood Elite), a community of other travel-obsessed advisors who are constantly sharing their feedback on destinations across the world, and hundreds of hours of training resources.
