Questions, answered plainly.

You can. What you’re trading is forty-plus hours of research, access to perks that aren’t for sale to individual travelers, and judgment about which choices are actually good rather than merely available. Kate books at the same rate you’d pay direct, adds upgrades, breakfast, and property credits through Brownell and Virtuoso, and is the person who answers when a flight cancels at 2am. Booking it yourself saves the planning fee and costs you everything else.

No, and not because Kate is hiding anything. Hotels are booked at their published rates, the same you’d see booking direct. Guides, drivers and destination-partner packages are quoted as a total because those partners’ rates are contractually confidential. Either way, the total is agreed before the proposal is written.

No advisor has been everywhere, and you should be skeptical of one who says otherwise. Labo Travel Co works with vetted destination specialists on the ground in every region we plan: people who live there, who know which guide is worth the money and which road you shouldn’t drive. Where Kate has been herself, you get her firsthand take. Where she hasn’t, you get someone who was there last week.

Sometimes. If the trip is mostly booked and you want the gaps filled, it usually isn’t a fit, because the parts that make an itinerary work are the parts that are already locked. If you have flights and a rough shape and want the rest designed properly, start with the inquiry form and say so. Kate will tell you honestly on the call.

Yes, in premium economy and above, through the Brownell Air Desk. There is an additional fee for it. The upside is that when a flight cancels you are not the one in a three-hour hold queue; the Air Desk is.

Strongly recommended. At the budgets these trips involve, the cost of a cancelled departure or a medical evacuation dwarfs the premium. Kate can provide quotes, or you can bring your own policy.

Kate is paid a commission by the hotels and partners she books. That commission is already built into the hotel’s pricing whether an advisor is involved or not: book direct and the hotel keeps it; book with Kate and you pay the same rate, plus the perks.

Yes. Hotel and resort booking is complimentary. You get the same rate you’d pay booking direct, plus the Virtuoso and Brownell preferred-partner perks: upgrades subject to availability, daily breakfast, property credits, early check-in and late checkout. If you’d like Kate’s recommendation on which property to choose, that’s available from $200. Start with the inquiry form.

Custom planning starts at $400, paid upfront before any work begins. It scales with the length of your trip and the number of travelers, and it’s non-refundable. It isn’t how Labo Travel Co makes its money; it’s how Kate knows you’re serious before she puts forty hours into your proposal.

Three months is the practical minimum for a fully custom trip, and six to twelve months is better for peak-season Europe, safari, or anything involving properties with a handful of rooms. If you’re leaving in under 30 days, Kate will say so on the call rather than take the fee.

There’s no hard minimum. Most clients spend $10,000 or more on their trip, excluding airfare. If you’re planning something smaller, you’re still welcome to reach out, and Kate will tell you honestly whether custom planning is a good fit. Hotel-only bookings, with the same perks, are complimentary at any budget.