Most people write to Aster Travel Design with a folder of links, a month in mind and no idea whether the trip they are describing is one week or three. This page is the short version of how the studio works, so you can decide before you write whether we are the right fit for what you are planning.
What the studio does
We design the trip, book it, and stay reachable while you are on the road. Design means a route with the reasoning written next to each day: why this base, why this night here instead of an hour down the road, how long the transfer really takes when a flight runs late. Booking means we hold space, place deposits and check every traveler name against the passport exactly as it will be read at check-in. Support means you reach the person who wrote your itinerary, not a call center.
The two numbers that decide most projects
Design fees run $250 flat for new clients on custom or multi-country trips, invoiced when design begins. Hotel-only and simple domestic bookings are fee-free, because suppliers pay us a commission. Departing inside 30 days adds a $150 expedite fee, since the whole design compresses into days instead of weeks.
Lead time: 90 days for custom Europe itineraries, six weeks for most other regions. Every quote shows total trip cost in writing, with fees, taxes and transfers included rather than discovered later.
From the first call to a booked trip is usually three to four weeks on a custom project: one call, a draft route within a week, one or two rounds of changes, then booking. A simple domestic booking can close in days. The design stage is the part that cannot be rushed, because that is where the route gets its reasoning and where the weak days get cut.
Who we work with
Couples planning a long stretch in Europe, families of six to twelve where someone needs a nap or a second bathroom, groups of friends who want one plan instead of twelve opinions, and travelers who have booked every leg themselves for twenty years and would rather not research another hotel. About a third of our work arrives as a referral, which is the number we watch most closely.
What to bring to the first call
Dates or a window, a budget range, the names and ages of everyone traveling, and passport details once we book. Then tell us what worked on past trips and what you would rather never repeat. Being honest about pace and sleep is worth more than a list of sights, and the first call runs about twenty minutes.
Where to go next
If you want the mechanics of a project, working with us walks through the five steps from the first call to support on the road. If your question is about money, timing, changes or insurance, the FAQs answer it in short form. The destinations page lists the regions we know first-hand, and when you have dates and a range, the contact page tells you what to include so a designer can reply within one business day.