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With the many changes in the travel industry over the last few years we have had to change the way we earn our income. In the last few years, various travel suppliers, particularly the traditional airlines, have cut or eliminated commissions to travel agents for the sales they make on behalf of the supplier. The race to cut their costs has forced us to find ways to replace this income. To do that we have had to put selective fees in place to replace this loss of revenue.
All Reservations
A fee of 5 percent calculated on the base fare of the reservation, with a minimum of $50 per person will be assessed on all air, land, cruise or any other type of reservation made by our offices. If the travel supplier provides any level of commission to us on a particular booking then the fee will be reduced to a maximum of $25 per person.
Changes, Refunds and Exchanges
Our fee for processing a customer requested change of reservation, ticket exchange or refund is $65, in addition to any other fee charged by the travel supplier.
Visa's
When we arrange for Visa's and other travel authorities, the charge is $35 per person in addition to any expenses we may incur in making the arrangements. Please talk to us about the details.
General Service Fee
Situations may arise where it may be appropriate to charge a fee in addition to those outlined above, for services provided. In all such cases the client will be advised prior to the service being provided. These fees will be based on a rate of $45 per hour calculated on quarter hour increments.
We charge a fee for planning and arranging a custom designed vacation in Europe. The fee is $150 per person for a maximum of 4 people.
GST applies to all fees and is in addition to the amounts shown above.
These fees are subject to change without notice.
Effective 5 January 2004.
21 Feb 2008
The following is a highly personal list of small towns and villages in
On your first day go to
Bagni di Lucca. This is a 19th Century spa town that has been gently decaying over the last 100 years. Surrounded by thickly wooded hills, it’s a pretty little place. It sits in a spectacular setting with the hills around it and the River Lima running through it. The grace and elegance of this small town just adds to its romance.
Collodi. This village is known for two things, the gardens of the Villa Garzoni and for being the home of the creator of Pinocchio. Beyond the villa, climb the steep streets of the village to the
Uzzano. This is just a pretty little village and it enjoys breathtaking views of the region.
A couple of kilometers higher are even better views from Monte Amiata and Monte Cimone.
These towns are presented in no particular order but you may want to do them by direction, i.e. all those to the north on one day and those to the east on another day.
You should allow at least one day for
Radda (north of
Castellini in Chianti (north of
Monteriggioni (10 km north of
San Gimignano (west) Check out the guide books on this on this town. A historically significant town it’s worth a 3 hour visit. It is quite popular with tourists and some of the views from the town walls are impressive.
Cortona (east) If you’ve read Frances Mayes book “Under the Tuscan Sun” you’re already familiar with this hill top town. It sits a top a 1700 foot hill that offers dramatic vistas of the Tuscan and Umbian countryside. Again, it’s a place to stop for lunch, wander around and do little shopping. Two or three hours is enough time to get a good flavour of this charming town.
Montalcino (south) This is the home of Brunello di Montalcino wine – one of
Montepulciano (south-east) Sitting atop a ridge Montepulciano is known for its vistas and vino. Market day is Thursdays so this may be a good day to schedule your visit. Head for the Piazza Grande as it’s the place to start in a small town that has a good collection of historic palazzos.
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