Question 1

How does pricing work?

Accepted Answer

Emerald Atlas offers two ways to plan your trip. If you'd like a custom itinerary that you can book yourself, planning is available for a flat fee. If you'd prefer help handling the bookings — including hotels, flights, rental cars, tours, and activities — full booking support uses a percentage-based fee. We'll discuss which option fits your trip and confirm the fee before moving forward.

Question 2

Do you charge planning fees?

Accepted Answer

Yes — planning fees depend entirely on the type of service you choose. A custom itinerary delivered to you for self-booking is a flat fee. If we handle every booking component for you, the fee is a percentage of the trip. Either way, you'll see the fee and agree to it in writing before any work begins, and you will never receive an unexpected invoice from us.

Question 3

Do you offer payment plans?

Accepted Answer

Many of our supplier partners structure payments as a deposit followed by installments rather than one payment up front, and cruise lines almost always do. We walk you through the exact deposit amount, payment dates, and final payment deadline for your specific trip during planning so nothing arrives as a surprise.

Question 4

How does the planning process work?

Accepted Answer

It starts with a complimentary consultation about how you like to travel. We then present two or three directions with real properties and honest pricing, you choose one, and we build and book the full itinerary. You receive a single day-by-day document with every confirmation, and you have direct contact with your advisor while you travel.

Question 5

How far in advance should I start planning?

Accepted Answer

Three to six months for domestic travel and Caribbean resorts, six to twelve months for peak-season Europe, villas, safari, and cruises, and nine to twelve months for holiday weeks, spring break, or any trip needing connecting rooms. Earlier is almost always cheaper and always gives you more choice.

Question 6

What if I already know exactly where I want to go?

Accepted Answer

That is a fine place to start. Knowing the destination just means we spend the conversation on the decisions that shape the trip instead — which town, which property, which room, which week, and what to skip. Most of our value sits in those choices rather than in destination selection.

Question 7

Can you help with international travel?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it is where a travel advisor matters most. We design journeys across Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico, Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific, and we confirm entry requirements, passport validity, and any visa steps against your specific nationality and routing rather than a general checklist.

Question 8

Do you book Disney and cruises?

Accepted Answer

We do. Disney destinations — Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and Aulani — are a regular part of our work, and we book every major cruise line. For both, we help you compare resorts, ships, cabin categories, and dining plans so the trip actually fits your group rather than the promotion of the week.

Question 9

Can you book flights?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We handle flights as part of a full itinerary, choosing routings around arrival times, layover length, and connection risk rather than fare alone. For award tickets and points redemptions we will advise on strategy, though those bookings are usually best made directly through your own loyalty account.

Question 10

Can you help with passports?

Accepted Answer

We guide you through the process — renewal timing, the six-month validity rule that catches travelers out, expedited options, and what children need. We do not process passport or visa paperwork ourselves, but we make sure you know exactly what you need and when, well before it becomes urgent.

Question 11

Should I purchase travel insurance?

Accepted Answer

For international travel, cruises, and any higher-investment trip, we strongly recommend it. We explain what the policies actually cover — trip cancellation, medical evacuation, missed connections, and pre-existing condition waivers with their time limits — in plain language, so you can decide with real information and without pressure.

Question 12

What happens if my trip changes?

Accepted Answer

You call us, not a hold queue. We advocate directly with airlines, hotels, and suppliers, explain your options against the actual fare rules and any insurance you purchased, and rebook what can be rebooked. This is the part of the service travelers appreciate most, and it is the part they cannot get from a booking site.

Question 13

Is it really free to use you for Disney?

Accepted Answer

No additional cost to you. Disney pays the advisor commission and the price matches booking direct. Custom international itineraries are different — those carry a flat planning fee, quoted before we start.

Question 14

Can I still call Disney or make my own dining reservations?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Everything stays in your name and in the My Disney Experience app. Holly tracks the windows and books on your behalf if you'd rather not set an alarm for 6 a.m.

Question 15

Will you push a more expensive resort?

Accepted Answer

Recommendations follow your budget and your travelers. Sometimes the answer is the Moderate.

Question 16

How fast will you reply?

Accepted Answer

Within 24–48 business hours, usually sooner.

Question 17

What if I've already started booking on my own?

Accepted Answer

Bring it. Existing reservations can often be transferred or wrapped into the plan.

Question 18

Do you only do Disney?

Accepted Answer

No — the same advisor plans the Italy anniversary trip and the Alaska cruise.

Question 19

Which island should we start with?

Accepted Answer

For a first week, Oahu or Maui. Oahu has the easiest flights and the most to do; Maui has the quieter resort coasts. Kauai and the Big Island reward a second visit.

Question 20

How many days do we need?

Accepted Answer

Seven nights on one island is the sweet spot from Ohio. Ten nights or more earns a second island.

Question 21

Are there nonstop flights from Columbus?

Accepted Answer

No. Every routing is one stop — usually through Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, Phoenix or Denver — and twelve to fifteen hours in total. I pick the connection that protects sleep and seats everyone together.

Question 22

What has to be reserved in advance?

Accepted Answer

Haleakala sunrise, Hanauma Bay, the USS Arizona Memorial, Diamond Head and several state parks all use timed reservations that open on set days and sell out in minutes. I keep that calendar.

Question 23

Is Maui open, and should we go?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Stay in legal lodging, respect the areas still recovering, and spend with the businesses that stayed. I'll plan around it.

Question 24

What does working with you cost compared with Costco Travel?

Accepted Answer

The package price is usually close to even. Resort and package bookings through me cost you nothing extra — the resort pays the commission. A custom day-by-day itinerary carries a flat planning fee, quoted before we start; that's the part a package doesn't include.

Question 25

How many days do we need?

Accepted Answer

Ten nights for Rome, Florence and Venice. Nine for Rome and the coast. Don't try four cities in a week.

Question 26

Can you get sold-out Vatican or Uffizi tickets?

Accepted Answer

There's no secret door. I book the day they open and hold guided-tour allocations as the fallback.

Question 27

When should we go?

Accepted Answer

May–June or September–October. August on the coast is hot, crowded and plate-restricted.

Question 28

Do we need a visa or ETIAS?

Accepted Answer

Not as of this writing. When Europe's entry authorization starts it will be a small fee and an online form; I'll flag it for anyone with a trip on the calendar.

Question 29

How do you get paid?

Accepted Answer

A custom itinerary carries a flat planning fee, quoted before we start. Hotels and packages booked through me cost you nothing extra — the hotel pays the commission.

Question 30

Is Positano OK for my parents?

Accepted Answer

Honestly, often not. Sorrento or Maiori gives them the coast without the stairs, and I'll match the base to the group.

Question 31

How many days do we need?

Accepted Answer

Eight to ten nights for Dublin and the west. Twelve if you add the North.

Question 32

Should we drive or hire a driver?

Accepted Answer

A confident couple can self-drive. Three generations, a golf group, or anyone dreading the left side is happier with a driver-guide; it's a real cost and often worth it.

Question 33

Is a castle stay worth it?

Accepted Answer

Once. One night at a castle or manor house is the memory; a week of them is just expensive.

Question 34

Ring of Kerry or Dingle?

Accepted Answer

Dingle for most people — smaller, wilder, less coach traffic. Kerry if you want the classic loop and Killarney as a base.

Question 35

Do we need an ETA for Northern Ireland?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Northern Ireland is the UK, and US visitors need the UK electronic travel authorization even arriving by road. It's a small fee and an app; I'll walk you through it.

Question 36

Can you help with ancestry?

Accepted Answer

I can't find your ancestors, but I can build days around a parish, a heritage centre and time with a local genealogist.

Question 37

How many days for London?

Accepted Answer

Five or six nights, with one day out of the city. A week if you want two.

Question 38

Train or car?

Accepted Answer

Train in England; car in the Highlands and between countryside villages. Never a car in central London.

Question 39

Is Scotland drivable for Americans?

Accepted Answer

Yes, with a small car, an automatic, and realistic distances. Single-track roads are the adjustment, not the left side.

Question 40

What is the UK ETA?

Accepted Answer

An electronic travel authorization US visitors need before flying — or before crossing into Northern Ireland by road. Small fee, valid for a couple of years, done in an app.

Question 41

When is the Edinburgh Fringe?

Accepted Answer

August. Hotel rates double and the city is full; go for it on purpose or avoid it entirely.

Question 42

Can we combine Scotland and Ireland?

Accepted Answer

Yes — Edinburgh and the Highlands, a short flight to Dublin, then the west. Twelve to fourteen nights.

Travel planning questions, answered.

Cost & fees

How we work

Destinations & bookings

Documents & insurance

Disney & theme parks

Hawaii

Italy

Ireland

Britain

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