Travel Planning Terms and Conditions

The Away Message

Effective Date: January 4, 2027

Last Updated: November 6, 2026

Welcome to The Away Message! We're excited to help you turn your travel ideas into thoughtfully planned adventures.

These Travel Planning Terms & Conditions ("Terms") explain the services provided by The Away Message ("we," "us," or "our") and the responsibilities of individuals purchasing our personalized travel planning services ("you," "your," or "Client").

Please read these Terms carefully before purchasing any travel planning services.

By affirmatively accepting these Terms in connection with an approved travel planning proposal, you agree to the conditions outlined below.

1. About Our Services

The Away Message provides personalized travel research, destination recommendations, travel guides, and itinerary planning services.

Our services are designed to help travelers organize their trips, discover experiences, and make informed travel decisions.

The Away Message is a travel planning service, not a travel booking agency.

We do not purchase, reserve, or book flights, accommodations, transportation, tours, restaurants, or other travel arrangements on behalf of clients.

All reservations, purchases, and payments to third-party travel providers are the sole responsibility of the Client.

2. Travel Planning Packages

The Away Message offers personalized travel planning services through the following options.

Flexible Guide

A customized, day-by-day travel guide that may include:

Recommended attractions, activities, and experiences
Restaurant and dining suggestions
Neighborhoods and areas to explore
General local transportation guidance
Estimated costs and relevant booking links
Recommendations organized by day without a fixed hourly schedule

Flexible Guides include one round of revisions.

Detailed Itinerary

A structured travel itinerary that includes the elements of the Flexible Guide, along with:

Suggested hour-by-hour scheduling
Activities arranged in a practical geographical order
Estimated transportation times and route guidance
Coordinated dining and sightseeing recommendations
Ticket and reservation guidance where relevant

Detailed Itineraries include two rounds of revisions.

Destination Discovery: Help Me Choose

For clients who have not selected a destination, The Away Message offers destination discovery services as part of eligible planning packages.

This service includes an initial destination recommendation based on the Client's preferences, travel dates, interests, and budget.

If the Client declines the initial recommendation, one alternative destination recommendation is included at no additional cost.

Additional destination recommendations may be purchased for $29 each.

Once a destination is approved, The Away Message will prepare one Flexible Guide or Detailed Itinerary, depending on the package selected.

Destination recommendations are preliminary planning suggestions and do not constitute complete travel itineraries.

Additional Services

Optional services may include flight research, accommodation research, transportation planning, special occasion planning, and other travel-related research.

Additional services and their associated fees will be identified in the Client's personalized proposal.

3. Pricing and Payment

Travel planning fees depend on the selected package, trip duration, destination requirements, and any additional services requested.

The Client will receive a personalized quote outlining the agreed services and total planning fee before payment.

Unless otherwise specified in writing:

Payment is required before travel planning work begins.
Payments are processed through an authorized third-party payment provider.
Travel planning fees cover research, itinerary development, and agreed deliverables only.
Flights, hotels, activities, meals, transportation, travel insurance, and other trip expenses are not included.
Additional services requested after the original agreement may incur additional fees.

For custom or complex itineraries, alternative payment arrangements may be established in writing.

4. Client Responsibilities

To provide accurate and personalized recommendations, clients agree to provide complete and reasonably accurate information about their travel preferences, including relevant dates, budgets, interests, and requirements.

Clients are responsible for:

Reviewing their completed itinerary
Making and confirming all travel reservations
Verifying pricing and availability before purchasing
Obtaining valid passports, visas, and required travel documents
Confirming applicable entry, transit, and health requirements
Reviewing cancellation and refund policies of travel providers
Purchasing travel insurance if desired
Communicating relevant changes to their travel plans

The Away Message may provide general travel requirement information as part of an agreed service, but clients remain responsible for confirming official requirements with appropriate government agencies and travel providers.

5. Research, Recommendations, and Availability

The Away Message makes reasonable efforts to provide accurate, relevant, and current travel information based on research conducted during the planning process.

However, travel information can change without notice.

This may include:

Airline schedules and ticket prices
Hotel rates and availability
Attraction hours and admission fees
Restaurant menus and reservation availability
Transportation schedules and routes
Entry requirements and local regulations
Weather conditions and unexpected closures

Recommendations do not guarantee that a particular experience, reservation, price, or service will remain available.

Clients should independently confirm important details before making purchases or traveling.

6. Itinerary Delivery

The Away Message will provide an estimated delivery date after reviewing the Client's request and confirming the selected package.

The agreed delivery date and deliverables will be documented in the Client's proposal or confirmation.

Delivery timelines may depend on the complexity of the itinerary, the completeness of information provided, and the Client's responsiveness.

If additional information is required, the planning timeline may be adjusted with notice to the Client.

Completed itineraries will generally be delivered electronically.

7. Revisions and Changes

Each package includes a specified number of revision rounds:

Flexible Guide: One revision round
Detailed Itinerary: Two revision rounds

A revision round consists of one consolidated set of reasonable changes requested by the Client.

Revisions may include adjustments to activities, restaurants, timing, or recommendations within the originally agreed trip scope.

Significant changes, including a new destination, additional travel days, major itinerary restructuring, or additional travelers requiring substantially different arrangements, may require a new quote or additional fee.

Revision Request Deadline: 7 days after initial itinerary delivery

Requests submitted after the revision window or exceeding the included revision allowance may be subject to additional fees.

8. Cancellations and Refunds

Because personalized travel planning involves research and customized work, cancellation and refund eligibility depends on the status of the service when a cancellation request is received.

The Away Message's cancellation and refund schedule is as follows:

[Insert finalized cancellation and refund policy, including whether a refund is available before research begins, whether partial refunds are offered after work starts, and what happens after an itinerary has been delivered.]

Any approved refund will be processed through the original payment method when reasonably possible.

Nothing in these Terms limits refund rights or other remedies that cannot legally be waived under applicable law.

9. Third-Party Travel Providers

The Away Message is not responsible for operating, managing, or controlling third-party travel services.

Airlines, hotels, transportation companies, restaurants, attractions, and tour operators establish their own prices, schedules, availability, policies, and service standards.

Any booking or purchase made by the Client creates a separate relationship between the Client and the applicable provider.

The Away Message does not guarantee the performance, safety, availability, or quality of third-party services.

Nothing in this section excludes responsibility for The Away Message's own conduct where such responsibility cannot legally be excluded.

10. Travel Risks and Unexpected Events

Travel involves inherent uncertainties, including delays, cancellations, weather disruptions, transportation interruptions, illness, emergencies, and other circumstances beyond our control.

The Away Message cannot guarantee uninterrupted travel or that every recommended activity will proceed as originally planned.

Clients are encouraged to consider appropriate travel insurance and to maintain flexibility when traveling.

The Away Message does not provide emergency travel assistance or 24-hour support unless expressly agreed in writing.

11. Intellectual Property and Permitted Use

Customized itineraries, travel guides, written recommendations, and other original materials created by The Away Message are protected by applicable intellectual property laws.

Upon full payment, clients receive a non-exclusive license to use their purchased materials for personal, noncommercial travel planning purposes.

Unless authorized in writing, clients may not:

Resell or commercially redistribute itineraries
Publish purchased materials as their own work
Reproduce or distribute guides for commercial purposes
Use our original materials to create competing commercial products

Clients may share their itinerary with individuals traveling in their party for purposes of their shared trip.

Third-party links, photographs, maps, and other externally sourced materials remain subject to their respective owners' rights.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the extent permitted by applicable law, The Away Message is not liable for losses arising solely from the acts, omissions, or failures of independent third-party travel providers or events outside our reasonable control.

Any additional limitation of liability applicable to our own services will be set out in the Client's agreement and must comply with applicable law.

Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be limited or waived.

13. Privacy and Personal Information

The Away Message collects and processes personal information to respond to inquiries, provide travel planning services, communicate with clients, and manage business operations.

For additional information about how personal information is handled, please review our Privacy Policy, available on our website.

Clients are encouraged not to submit sensitive personal documents or financial information unless specifically requested through an appropriate secure process.

14. Communications

Clients agree to communicate through the contact methods identified during the inquiry and onboarding process.

Timely responses are important for completing travel research and itinerary revisions.

If a Client does not provide necessary information within a reasonable period, the planning timeline may need to be adjusted.

Any applicable inactivity, project suspension, or project closure policy will be communicated in the Client's agreement.

15. Changes to These Terms

The Away Message may update these Terms from time to time.

Updated Terms will be published on our website with a revised effective or last-updated date.

Changes will not automatically alter the terms of an existing accepted client agreement unless both parties agree or applicable law permits the change.

16. Governing Law

These Terms are intended to be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, subject to applicable consumer protection laws and mandatory legal requirements.

Any dispute resolution provisions will be specified in the applicable Client agreement.

17. Contact Information

If you have questions about these Terms or your travel planning services, please contact: