If you've taken theme park vacations or have planned a domestic trip with your travel advisor, you know your agent can take care of as much—or as little—of the planning process as you need. International trips are similar and are just as customizable, but, like any other trip, you should consider a few factors when approaching your advisor.
Location
Though, yes, your advisor can send you practically anywhere on a whim, having a dream destination, or even part of your destination, in mind can help your advisor narrow down your experience. Want to see London and "the rest of England?" Want to know how long you'll need to explore all of France?
Pick a direction, and your advisor can help you land the details.
Budget
Like any trip, how much you're willing to spend will dictate what your trip looks like, where you can go, and how long you can be there. Often, the largest single-moment cost centers around flights.
Time
We typically suggest longer itineraries for international travel, due to the added cost and effort required to get overseas in the first place. The amount of time—and the time of year—you'll need to travel to get the most out of your trip depends on destination.
When should you apply for a passport?
You should apply for a passport at least six months prior to your date of travel. Though there are options to expedite the service and you will often get your passport much sooner, we highly suggest applying for your passport, if this is your first international trip, as soon as you contact your agent to begin planning.
You can begin the application at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply.html
Does your advisor plan the whole trip themselves?
It depends. Each of our advisors possesses expertise in a number of destinations, but they also possess connections and planning resources for those places they have not visited. If you want to take over much of the day-to-day on your own but have an advisor find the best places to stay and help you organize transpiration, they can do that. They can also work with best-in-class tour companies to cover all the details of your trip, leaving you to show up and enjoy.