Have a Question?
If you have a question that’s not answered on one of the other customized itinerary pages, you might find the answer here. Below are eight commonly asked questions about our customized itinerary service. If you don’t find the information you need, contact us and we’ll be happy to help!
Frequently Asked Questions: Customized Service
1. Why use Itineready instead of a guidebook?
2. Why use Itineready instead of the Internet?
3. Why use Itineready instead of a travel agent?
4. Can Itineready really save me money?
5. What if I don’t like a place you recommend?
6. How far in advance must I contact Itineready? Can you plan a last-minute trip?
7. What if my plans change and/or I have to cancel my trip?
8. What forms of payment do you accept?
Have a question that you don’t see here? Contact us and we’ll be happy to help!
Answers
1. Why not just use a guidebook?
Guidebooks can be a useful tool for travelers, but they have limitations and cannot do everything for you that Itineready can.
Researched long before they hit the shelves of your bookstore, guidebooks quickly become outdated. They can lead you to restaurants that no longer exist, list prices that are outdated, and leave out new places that are too recent to be included.
Guidebooks are also limited by size as to what they can include. We read, research, and visit places in New York constantly to provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date information possible. We store information about the ever changing events, activities, and establishments in the city in our custom built database allowing us to reference a large amount of current information when working to create your itineraries.
2. Why not just use the Internet?
We agree that the Internet carries a lot of information about New York City. At the time of this writing, a Google search using “New York City” retrieved 343,000,000 listings! Searching for information about the Statue of Liberty yielded 9,990,000 results.
There is an overwhelming number of websites out there promising you deals. Some of these are outdated, some are a little too-good-to-be-true, and some are just plain awful. A few of those sites may be exactly what you need if only you could find them. There is no doubt it takes time, energy and patience to weed through all these options to plan your trip.
Ask yourself, “How much do I know about New York City and how much time do I have to research it?” The answers to these questions will help you determine if Itineready’s services are right for you.
3. Why not use a travel agent?
A travel agent’s services are generally limited to getting you to your destination. Once you’re there, you’re on your own. Being up-to-date on the latest events and activities at any one specific location is impossible for an agent who provides information on destinations worldwide. It’s also possible that the travel agent you’re working with has never been to the area on which they are advising you. Itineready provides personalized services above and beyond what a traditional agency is able to offer.
4. Can Itineready really save me money?
At Itineready, we take pride in finding you a bargain wherever possible and helping you to enjoy New York City at a reasonable price. When using our service, you’ll be informed about any available discounts offered for shows, restaurants, attractions, etc. on your itinerary and given any available coupons in your travel packet. Other times, we can simply advise you on options that are good value for your money and help you avoid overpriced “tourist traps.” For those who are on a tight budget, we’re happy to suggest many of the wonderful free activities in NYC. Particularly in the summertime, when free outdoor events abound, you don’t have to break the bank or your budget to enjoy your visit to New York City.
5. What if I don’t like a place you recommend?
If, during the planning process, we recommend places that don’t appeal to you or don’t meet your needs, please tell us! Our goal is to create itineraries full of places and activities you’ll be excited about seeing and doing. The back-and-forth communication that takes place during the planning process should ensure that your itineraries contain only places that you expect you’ll enjoy.
You will have an opportunity to carefully review your itinerary upon completion. If you don’t feel that you will like a place recommended on your itinerary, don’t go! It’s obviously not required and there will be plenty of other options on your itinerary to substitute in its place.
We solicit your feedback through evaluations and take your comments very seriously. If you do go somewhere that you don’t like, or have a bad experience, and you feel that the place should not be recommended to other Itineready customers, please let us know. Restaurants and hotels may raise prices or lower standards, waiters/waitresses change as do customer service staff, tour guides, and other people you may interact with while touring the city. We will reevaluate that place and reconsider including it in future itineraries.
6. How far in advance must I contact Itineready? Can you plan a last-minute trip?
For our customized service, we ask that you contact us at least three weeks prior to the date you will travel to New York City. We will do our best to accommodate customers who wish to travel “last minute” with less than three weeks notice, but there is no guarantee we will be able to accept you as a customer of our customized service. We will consider each request on a case-by-case basis and much will depend on the number of other customers we have at that time, the number of days in your itinerary, and the amount of time before your trip.
7. What if my plans change and/or I have to cancel my trip?
For our customized service, if your plans change while your itinerary is still a work-in-progress, give us a call as soon as possible to notify us of the needed changes. We will incorporate your changes into your itinerary. If your plans change after your Itineready package has been completed and received by you, changes to your printed itineraries can be made for a fee of $20 per day.
If you need to cancel your trip, please notify us as soon as possible. If your itinerary has not been completed, we will refund your payment. We are not able to refund payment once your itinerary has been finished and shipped to you.
8. What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept online credit/debit card payments and personal checks.
