What should a complete trip proposal include?

Start with the decisions you want to delegate

You may enjoy choosing restaurants but want someone else to connect the hotels, transfers and guided days. Or you may want help choosing the destination itself. Say which parts you want to keep and which you would like arranged for you. That gives a planner a useful starting point and makes it easier to judge whether a proposal solves the right problem.

Agree the scope before detailed planning begins. Ask whether the service includes destination advice, an itinerary, reservations and help with changes. Clarify any planning fee and what it covers. If you are booking flights or extra hotel nights yourself, identify who checks that they fit the rest of the trip.

Compare the actual stays and journeys

Accommodation: Compare the number of nights, location, room or cabin category, bed arrangement and meal plan. Ask whether the named property is confirmed, proposed subject to availability or an example of the standard offered. If substitutions are possible, find out how they are selected and when you will know.

Transport: Follow the route from arrival to departure. Identify each airport transfer, station connection, internal flight, rail journey and drive between stays. Ask for the endpoints, whether transport is private or shared, and who handles luggage and any necessary connections. A transfer to a meeting point can leave another journey for you to arrange.

Published inclusions vary. G Adventures explains in its general FAQs that international airfare is excluded and most of its tours do not include airport transfers. Check the exact departure or written proposal for your trip, including any extra nights before or after it.

Make meals, guiding and activities explicit

For each day, identify included meals and experiences, optional additions and time left free. For a guided visit, ask about duration, admission tickets and whether the guide is with your party alone. For a group activity, ask about group size. Confirm any particular dietary, accessibility or activity requirements before choosing the arrangement.

An inclusive format can reduce daily decisions, but read its actual boundaries. For example, European Waterways lists meals, drinks, guided sightseeing and local barge transfers among its inclusions, with a meeting point specified for the transfer. Those details describe that operator's offering; the applicable vessel and departure information still matter.

Mark each item in the proposal as included, optional, excluded or still to confirm. A free afternoon may be exactly what you want. An essential transfer left unarranged deserves a follow-up question.

Work from the quoted price to your total budget

Check whether the amount is for the whole party or per person, the currency, the assumed occupancy and which dates it covers. Add the things you intend to buy separately: flights, extra nights, meals, activities, transport, gratuities and insurance. Ask about taxes or local charges payable during travel and any booking or payment fees.

Compare alternatives using the same dates, party size and priorities. A lower quote may leave more for you to organize; a higher one may include services you do not value. Ask for changes around your main priorities, such as fewer hotel moves or more time with a guide, so the comparison stays useful.

Know who handles the booking and changes

Before paying, identify the company taking payment, the company providing the travel contract and the contact for questions before departure. Ask who handles a delayed arrival or a change during the trip, which arrangements they can assist with and how to reach them. Keep those details with your travel documents.

Read the deposit, balance and cancellation conditions for the proposed services. Ask when the quote expires, what is being held and what remains subject to availability. Make sure requests that matter to you are reflected in writing. A proposal, a temporary hold and a confirmed booking are different stages.

Give your planner a brief they can use

You can begin with a few clear sentences. Include everyone traveling, dates or season, possible destinations, a comfortable total budget and whether flights sit within it. Add the experiences that matter most, your preferred pace and the arrangements you would like help with. You can leave the destination open if choosing it is part of the help you want.

A starting brief: “We are planning a trip for [party] around [dates or season], with approximately [number] nights available. We are considering [places or experiences], and our total budget is [amount and currency], [including/excluding] flights. We would like help with [arrangements], would prefer [pace], and want to keep [decisions] ourselves.”

Use the reply to check understanding before comparing detailed itineraries. A good next step should help you narrow a choice, understand a cost or settle who will arrange something.