OUR SERVICES
A Guide to Creating Your Custom Itinerary
When you choose to plan your trip with Not So Shabbi Travels you are provided with a custom vacation tailored to you. By providing a custom service we guarantee that your itinerary will be unique to your traveling desires.
5 REASONS WHY A CUSTOM TRIP IS RIGHT FOR YOU
Taking a Tour Doesn’t Interest You
There are lots of different types of tours available: large & small bus tours, private tours such as Contiki and EF College break, and so forth. With Not So Shabbi Travels, we create a custom vacation for you starting from scratch. Meaning you are in control and can decide what you’d like to do, and what you would rather skip, and we’ll make it possible! You don’t have to be stuck doing an activity that doesn’t interest you.
2. You Have a Specific Bucket List of Things You’d Like to See
Sometimes that’s a high popular city, and other times it’s a secluded itinerary. You may have an idea of where you want to go, but you are not sure on how long to spend in each place, or the best way to travel from destination A to B. Tell us what you would like to see, provide us with budget for your trip if you have one, let us know how many days you are traveling for, and we’ll do the rest.
3. Time is of the Essence
You may be well-traveled and have put together your own trips in the past. The amount of information online on trip planning and what to do can get overwhelming. You have the know-how on researching, planning, and booking, but you just don’t have the time. Let your vacation start before you even go!
4. Your Travel Group Has Unique Interests or Needs
You might be traveling with a toddler and not sure how to make the trip child-friendly. Or someone has severe food allergies. Or each one of your group members have diverse interests that you’re not sure how to incorporate into one trip. One member wants to relax by the beach all day, while someone else wants to hike and not miss out any main sights.
5. You Want the Vacation You’ve Been Dreaming About
Maybe you’ve been dreaming about going on a trip for a long time. You’ve seen photos on Instagram, and you want to have an amazing trip and fall in love with the country. But you aren’t sure where to start, how much time you really need, or even how much it will cost. You don’t want to travel with strangers, and all the tours you read about sound great. Or, maybe you don’t want to be the one responsible for making sure everyone else’s dream trip is perfect.
TELL US ABOUT YOU FIRST!
When you hire us for a full comprehensive trip planning, we follow a 5-step travel planning process in order to create a trip that is the best fit for you and your travel companions.
In order to create your custom vacation, we need to know about you! So before we can even start with Step 1, we start with questions for you:
We want to know how many people will be traveling, ages, interests, and anything you think we should know in order to make the best recommendations.
Tell us how much time you have, and whether you have a budget (we’ll work within your budget).
Describe a perfect day as you envision it on this trip.
Let us know whether you’ve been to where you are traveling before. (If so, when did you go and what did you see.) Also include if this is your first time traveling or going abroad!
We want to know whether you have any must-visit places or experiences that you want to include on this trip. These may be as specific as “visit this museum” or as general as “sit by the beach with a glass of wine, watching the sunset”.
HOW WE CREATE YOUR CUSTOM VACATION: OUR 5-STEP PROCESS
Step 1: The Overall Itinerary
The first step to creating your custom vacation is putting together an overall itinerary. Based on your answers to the questions above, we’ll send you recommendations for destinations and activities we think you’ll enjoy.
This part of the process is the most time-consuming, but it’s important for us to get it right. At this stage, you’ll tell us what you definitely want to do, what you’d like to do if it fits, and what you’ll save for the next trip.
Based on your feedback, we’ll create an itinerary that:
Includes all of your “must-dos” ( this is also time dependent, you may be planning a short trip where you’ve decided to skip the things you don’t need to do)
Is a realistic pace (getting the right amount of rest is important to continue on your trip)
Works geographically, so you’re not zigzagging around the country
Works for you logistically. For example, if you don’t want to take public transportation we’ve taken that into consideration
Step 2: Accommodations
Once you are satisfied with the overall itinerary we move to the next step of creating your custom vacation: booking accommodations! We recommend hotels, apartments, or even Airbnbs depending on your preference. We can even find you themed hotels, for example the Harry Potter Hotel in London!
But, in order for us to do this step we need specific dates and confirmation of your booked flights.
Tell us More About Your Preferences. Tell us whether you like big hotels, small hotels, boutique hotels, Airbnb, or apartments. We’d like to know if you would prefer amenities such as an onsite restaurant or bar or gym or pool. Maybe you’d love views, a balcony, a sitting area, a private infinity pool, or a suite. If you are unsure what you would prefer, we can talk to you about the pros and cons of each choice and help you find the right sleeping arrangement.
Then, we’ll send you specific recommendations for accommodations that:
Meet your preferences
Are within your budget
Are in the locations you would like to be closest to
Have availability for your travel dates
You have the final say, but we do all work! Leave it up to us to book, check all details, and make sure everything gets done!
Step 3: Guides, Tours, and Activities
After accommodations are booked, the next step in creating your custom vacation is activities! During Step 1, we identified what you want to see and gain from this trip. But here’s where we delve into the details.
We want to know whether you want to do any tours or self-explore. Would you like private tours or join small groups? Do you for example want to climb the steps of the Eiffel Tower or take the elevator?
We understand some days are flexible in terms of activities. Maybe one day you want to sit back and relax in your hotel’s infinity pool. Maybe you want to spend an entire day in one museum, or you want to be at the beach. Perhaps there is a concert or festival happening and you want the next day to be a chance for you to recuperate. Would you like to rent a boat for the day and party on the ocean?
For each and every activity, we’ll work with you to recommend (and then book) tours and activities that meet your preferences, budget, and travel pace. The options are limitless.
Step 4: Logistics
Logistics can make or break your trip.
Trains are fantastic but they do they go where you want to go?
Does the place you’re going have public transportation?
Do you have to take taxis and are worried whether they are going to try and swindle you?
Should you get a private driver, is it affordable, do they have ride share programs?
Is the city so small that you can just walk to everything?
Are there multiple cities you want to visit in one country?
We answer all these questions for you and create a plan for you to smoothly to travel from place to place.
Back when we asked you all those questions about your preferences, we discover whether you were okay to rent a car if it makes sense. In some countries like Thailand it is very affordable to rent a private driver for the day. We also ask about trains, boats, and private drivers. We find out how much walking you can do, and whether you’ll be traveling light.
Step 5: Food and restaurants
The last step in creating your custom vacation is food! Some people we work with want to discuss food throughout the entire planning process, because it’s an important part of the trip. You may have diet restrictions that need special accommodations.
Here too, we want to know whether you have preferences. Gluten-free? No problem. Vegetarian or vegan? No problem. Keep Kosher? No problem. We will figure out and find places for you to eat and enjoy the different foods the country has to offer. If you need us to book restaurants, or celebrating a special occasion we would be happy to help you with that as well.
And Finally…
Before departure, we’ll send you our pre-trip checklist. This has advice and information on travel insurance, phrase books, technology, packing, plugging things in, tipping, driving, doing laundry, and more.
You’ll depart as an independent traveler, but with a completely personalized custom vacation. Information about all hotels, activities, logistics, and restaurants will be in your written itinerary, at your fingertips while you’re on the road. All you’ll need to do is relax and enjoy. Contact us and let your vacation start now!