DISCOVER ASIA |
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OUR SERVICES
While we are always happy to provide information useful for your planning, regardless of whether or not you elect use the services of Asia Desk, we would like to briefly outline how we work and the cost associated with travel in our region. Although we are very different from the traditional "travel agent", we are a full service travel agency, based in the United States, with ARC/IATA accreditation and full industry standard insurance.
Our reputation has been built over the years based on the strength of our personal network of great people, some of them quite colorful, at the destination who will be looking after you. Our services feature a local host at each stop or area along the itinerary. These people are personally selected by us for their English-language skills, local knowledge, but most importantly for their people skills. Some have worked with us for over 20 years and all are officially licensed professional tour guides. They will meet you at each point, coordinate your local transportation and touring, and generally deal with all the aspects of your activities while you are with them.
In addition, they coordinate any extra arrangements, like restaurant reservations or private gallery visits, you may request during your stay. We always allow for spontaneity and all of our host know and understand that this is your trip, not ours. They are totally flexible in changing, rearranging, or adding to anything as you see fit as you go through the experience. Each host has total autonomy to make your time with them what you want it to be. They never have to call or ask for an approval to do anything you want, they just do it and we back them 100%. Many times the relationships founded on our trips between travelers and our people continue for years and we encourage this. We are very sure that having one of our local host by your side when traveling in our region will enhance your experience in many dimensions.
Our services are provided as a complete "package" of arrangements, separating out only the cost of international and regional air transportation from the "package cost". Most of this cost, up to 70% in some cases, is in your accommodations, so the selection of hotels and room-types in those hotels is very important. Never do we use sub-standard rooms, even in luxury hotels. And, we will always specify not just the hotel, but the room-type in that hotel included in your arrangements.
Generally, our package includes daily accommodations with breakfast, services of a professional local host, the best local vehicles and transport along the route, admissions and fees at sites you see, and, in remote areas, most meals. This is presented as a full package price on a per person (or party) basis and is inclusive of all these services, our administrative fees, and all local taxes and fees with no hidden charges or "extras". We do not provide an itemized cost breakdown, only a package price. We do not make only hotel reservations or arrange local sightseeing outside of our full service package.
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