Travel Services Agreement Template
A travel advisor sits between a client and a dozen suppliers whose terms you do not control. The agreement is where you make that boundary explicit, in writing, before anybody pays a deposit.
See the coursesEverything on this page is yours to copy and adapt. The courses cover the decisions behind it: what to charge, what to promise, and what to put in writing.
What yours needs to cover
- ✓ A scope section stating what you are planning and, just as importantly, what you are not
- ✓ Your planning fee, when it is payable, and whether it is refundable
- ✓ How commission works, disclosed rather than buried
- ✓ A clause passing supplier terms through, since airline and hotel change rules are theirs and not yours
- ✓ Cancellation and amendment handling, separating your fee from supplier penalties
- ✓ A travel insurance clause, including a signed decline if they choose not to take it
- ✓ Passport, visa and entry-requirement responsibility
- ✓ A limitation of liability clause that reflects your role as an intermediary
How to use it
- Send it with the first invoice, before any deposit moves.
- State the planning fee and its refundability in plain words. Most fee disputes are about whether the fee survives a cancellation.
- Pass supplier terms through explicitly. A client who has read that the fare is non-refundable argues with the airline rather than with you.
- Get the insurance decline signed. It is the single clause most likely to matter, and the one people skip.
- Have a local professional review the final wording once, because consumer travel law varies by country and state.
The position a travel advisor is in
You recommend and book travel that other companies deliver. The airline sets its change rules, the cruise line sets its cancellation schedule, the hotel decides whether a late arrival keeps the room. When something goes wrong, the client usually contacts you first, and without a written agreement there is nothing to show where your responsibility ended and the supplier's began.
A good agreement does not try to shift every risk onto the client. It states plainly what you will do, what you are paid for it, and what depends on third parties. Clients who read that at the start are far less likely to feel misled later, which is the point.
Working through the clauses
Scope comes first. Describe the trip you are planning in a sentence and list the services included, such as research, one proposal with one round of revisions, booking, document preparation and support while traveling. Then list what is not included, such as rebooking after the client changes plans for personal reasons, which you may handle for a further fee.
The fee clause should say how much the planning fee is, when it is due, and whether it is refundable if the client cancels or never books. Many advisors make it non-refundable once research begins and credit it against the trip if the client books. Whatever you choose, write it in one sentence a client cannot misread.
The supplier terms clause explains that each booking is governed by the supplier's own terms, which you will share, and that deposits, final payment dates and cancellation penalties are set by them. Add that suppliers may change schedules, itineraries or prices under their own terms, and that you will help but cannot override them.
The documentation clause makes the traveler responsible for holding a valid passport, any visas and meeting health and entry requirements, while you undertake to point them to official sources. This is not a way to avoid care. You should still flag what you know, but the client must be the one who confirms and obtains the documents.
Insurance, liability and getting it signed
The insurance clause records that you recommended travel protection and whether the client accepted or declined it. A signed decline is valuable because the most painful disputes in this trade begin with an illness before departure and a non-refundable booking. Keep in mind that explaining specific policy benefits may require an insurance license in your state, so many advisors refer clients to the insurer or their host's licensed program for those details.
The liability clause describes you as an intermediary and limits your liability to your own negligence. Wording and enforceability vary, which is why a one-time review by a lawyer who knows consumer travel law is worth the cost. Send the agreement with the first invoice and do not book anything until it is signed.
A filled-in example
| Parties | Brightwater Voyages (example) and the lead traveler named on the booking |
|---|---|
| Scope | Research and one proposal for a ten-night trip to Portugal, one revision round, booking and in-trip support |
| Planning fee | Due on signing, non-refundable once research starts, credited against the trip if booked |
| Supplier terms | Each supplier's terms apply and are attached; penalties are set by the supplier |
| Travel documents | Traveler responsible for valid passports, visas and entry requirements |
| Travel insurance | Recommended; client accepted or declined, initialed |
| Liability | Limited to the advisor's own negligence; advisor acts as intermediary for suppliers |
Mistakes to avoid
- Booking before the agreement is signed. Once money has moved, the client has little reason to sign. Make the signature the step that unlocks the booking.
- Vague fee wording. Phrases like "fees may apply" start arguments. State the fee, when it is due and whether it is refundable.
- Advising on policy details without a license. Recommending protection is fine; interpreting coverage may not be. Refer detailed questions to the licensed provider.
- Copying another country's template. Consumer travel rules differ by country and state. Adapt carefully and have a local professional review the final wording.
Travel Services Agreement Template FAQs
Do travel advisors need a client agreement?
Yes, and more than most service businesses, because you are selling something you do not control. When a supplier changes a schedule or refuses a refund, the agreement is what establishes whose obligation that was.
What is the most important clause?
The insurance one. A client who declined cover and then loses a non-refundable trip to illness will look for someone to hold responsible, and a signed decline is the difference between a sad conversation and a claim.
Is this an agreement I can sign as-is?
No, and no template should be. This page explains which clauses the agreement needs and why each one matters, so you can brief a lawyer cheaply or adapt a local agreement with your eyes open. Travel law differs by jurisdiction.
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