How It Works

We are a highly trained group of travel professionals who are passionate about the value of exploring the world with children of all ages. When our Advisors aren’t busy designing memorable vacations for CB! clients, they’re on the road, often with their children. They are scouring the globe throughout the year, vetting new destinations, accommodations, suppliers and activities in order to share their firsthand experiences and tips with our clients. As a whole, CB! staff members have traveled to all seven continents with kids!

Our service is geared toward families who would rather not spend hours reading hotel and activity reviews, and instead want to key into the guidance and inside knowledge of a trip planner. Some clients come to us with loads of ideas and information, while others just have a few destinations or experiences in mind. We are equally at ease in both situations and we pride ourselves on our ability to listen, understand what you’re after and then design a vacation itinerary that knocks it out of the park. In terms of budget, we’re a great fit for clients who prefer 4- and 5-star quality accommodations and are willing to spend a bit more for high-quality, kid-friendly private activities and tours.

Traveling without the kids? We can help with adult vacations also! Some of our clients’ children have grown before our very eyes, and are now in college or starting careers of their own. Yet we’re still planning their parents’ travel and we love doing it! We can also help with babymoons, honeymoons, girlfriend trips, guys’ getaways and couples-only or solo travel.

Our trip planning fee starts at $650 for a weeklong trip. All quotes reflect an estimate for the work that will be required to fulfill a given trip. All trips are fully customized. Elements that impact planning service fees include but are not limited to the trip length, the number of trip participants, the number of destinations, any accommodation changes and the extent of activities. The trip planning fee compensates us for the time and research involved in the planning process. This fee includes destination advice; a complete, customized itinerary when appropriate; recommending and reserving all accommodations; booking private tours, guides and classes; activity and sightseeing suggestions when available; and arranging car rental and private transfers. There are some trips where we can book flights and trains, and in these cases an incremental service fee will be charged.

Ciao Bambino partners with the top family travel brands and a robust list of vetted suppliers, most of whom we know by name and who know and value our relationship. Our Advisors have access to insider information and exclusive experiences only available to our agency. Ciao Bambino is also a Virtuoso member, giving us incredible value and perks to pass on to families who book through us. For families who don’t want a full itinerary, we can help book standalone accommodations for a reduced fee. Similarly, we can help clients compare options and book cruises and group tours for a reduced fee.

Some of the more fluid details of a trip are not included in order to give families more flexibility while on vacation. For example, we can advise about public transport options but don’t handle bookings. And while we don’t specialize in restaurant recommendations, we will make suggestions when we have firsthand knowledge. We’re happy to make a personal introduction to your hotel concierge in advance of your stay in order for them to arrange any dining reservations or entrance tickets.

Because every itinerary we design is tailored specifically for each client, and because there are so many variables with regard to destinations and time of year, the timeline can vary. We work as efficiently as possible to source accommodations, craft the itinerary and handle all necessary bookings. At the start of the planning process, your trip planner will go over the expected timeline with you.

In general, the average planning process takes 4 to 8 weeks from initial call to final itinerary. It’s important that clients make decisions quickly, however, as availability at hotels and for popular activities goes quickly, especially in peak travel periods.

We are very transparent that commissions earned via accommodation bookings are a big part of our financial model. However, if you let us know upfront that your hotels are already booked and that you don’t need assistance with this piece of the planning process, we can create activity-only itineraries in certain markets. Your trip planner will discuss a custom planning fee with you in more detail based on your needs.

If you know when and where you are going and only want help with accommodation recommendations and booking, we’ll ask you to provide us with all the relevant details, like dates, room configuration requirements, amenity preferences, etc. The time it takes to fulfill hotel requests varies by season and destination. Any applicable planning fees will be quoted at the time of service.

All of our accommodation suppliers are vetted, both those on and off our website. We try to experience much of what we recommend firsthand. At many properties, we can secure great perks only available to families who book their stay through us. These are just some of the many reasons working with us is invaluable!

The simple answer is no, we do not use mass booking websites for home and apartment rentals that do not vet their inventory. We’ve simply heard too many horror stories of these properties not living up to their promise, or last-minute cancellations that leave families with no place to go and very little recourse to compensate them.

However, we do have a well-developed network of property rental management companies in many popular markets around the world. Let us know upfront if a home or apartment rental is your preferred lodging choice, and we’ll do our best to fulfill that through our favorite partners who stand by the quality of their product and take excellent care of our clients.

We can book rooms on behalf of our clients via the American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts program. If you plan on using points via American Express or any other brand to book rooms, please let us know this at the beginning of the process. We are unable to book these on your behalf.

The reason we customize every single trip we plan, instead of using off-the-shelf itineraries, is because we know each family has a different style and pace of travel. Some of our clients want to be busy from morning until night. If that’s the case, we’ll keep you moving and pack your itinerary with great activities. But most families want free time incorporated into a trip in order to make it truly feel like a vacation and not a sightseeing grind.

We’re happy to combine your top must-do activities along with dedicated blocks of time to experience a destination in an unplanned, more serendipitous way. We can make suggestions for how you might fill this allocated downtime. Or we can simply book you at the resort with the best pool for afternoon lounging, if that’s more your speed.

Our service truly shines when it comes to the unique needs of multigenerational or multi-family trips. Let us handle all the complicated details that often arise when groups travel together. The general rule, though, is that the more people who join the trip, the more planning hours are required for customized itineraries. For example, finding kid-friendly accommodations that have enough space plus availability is more time-consuming than booking a single room for a family of four. A larger group also means a greater volume of questions and requests, whether those come from various people or are funneled through a single person.

We are more than happy to handle all of this and we love doing it, but we consistently find that the amount of time needed for bigger groups justifies a higher planning fee. Reach out to us and we’ll quote a custom rate for your particular group.

For general sightseeing and non-guided activity experiences, we let families book their own entrance tickets in order to maximize flexibility. We’re also happy to connect clients with their hotel concierge to make these arrangements in advance of a trip.

Most of our vetted activity providers arrange entrance tickets in advance of private guided tours or experiences, in which case we will help with those arrangements. If you need assistance with hard-to-get tickets, like sporting events or concerts, we’re happy to make those arrangements through our ticket broker partners.

Please be aware that if you change the number of people traveling, dates, accommodation options, etc., this requires us to start the planning process almost from scratch. While we are happy to do this, please note we charge an additional fee for the revision and we cannot be held accountable for any cancellation fees associated with these changes. At the end of the planning process, we will ask you to sign off on the final itinerary. Please review all of the information very carefully against your confirmation documents and correspondence.

Any changes or updates after you sign off on the itinerary must be made directly with the hotel or service provider. Ciao Bambino cannot be held liable for any cancellation or no-show charges. We recommend that you confirm the meeting place and time with private guides or other service providers 48 hours in advance.

Because we are a small boutique agency that caters to independent travelers, we are not set up to handle 24/7, real-time support while on vacation. Our itinerary is typically the final deliverable for our service. However, for clients who want added support during their trip, we are happy to partner with our favorite suppliers who have local offices and staff available around the clock to assist with last-minute changes or emergencies.

We have an exceptional return rate of repeat customers who come to us again and again for their travel planning needs. We see our Advisor-to-client relationship as a long-term investment in helping you create phenomenal travel memories with your children, from infancy to college. Many of our vendors allocate special perks and incentives for our repeat clients.

Once we know your family’s travel preferences, style and dream destinations, we can keep you in mind for special promotions, sales and availability that suppliers share with us. The savings in time, money and planning stress multiplies each time you utilize our expertise. Many of our clients say they’ll never travel without our help again — just read their rave reviews of our service!