Do You Need a Palm Beach Travel Agent? An Honest Answer
I love walking the oceanfront path on the island
I'm Krista Nannery, a Virtuoso travel advisor based in Palm Beach Florida, and I'll give you the honest answer: you need a Palm Beach travel agent if your trip involves more than one country, a luxury hotel where amenity programs apply, a luxury cruise, or anything where the cost of getting it wrong is greater than the cost of getting help. You probably don't need me for a long weekend in Charleston or a return trip to a Caribbean resort you've already done five times.
I built my business on telling clients the truth about that, even when the truth is "book this one yourself." Here's how I think about when an advisor is worth it — drawing on 20 years in the investment management industry before this, an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and 80+ countries of personal travel.
Ready to talk travel? Book a complimentary 30-minute vacation consultation here.
What I actually do as a Palm Beach travel agentsw
My day-to-day looks nothing like what most people picture. I don't sit at a desk in a strip mall waiting for someone to walk in and ask about a Sandals resort or a Princess cruise. Most weeks I'm doing four things:
• Designing custom itineraries. This is real design work. Sequencing cities, matching hotels to travel style, building in the right pace, and handling all the moving parts between cities and countries.
• Booking with VIP perks. Through Virtuoso, the Four Seasons Preferred Partner Program, Marriott STARS & Luminous, Rosewood Elite, the Hilton for Luxury program, and similar networks, I add daily breakfast, hotel credits, room upgrade priority, and early check-in to my clients' bookings — at no additional cost.
• Coordinating logistics. Private transfers, vetted local guides, train tickets, restaurant reservations, special access. The pieces that turn a trip into a great trip.
• Solving problems in real time. When a flight cancels at 11pm in Rome, my clients text me. They don't sit on hold with an OTA's chatbot.
Is a Palm Beach travel agent worth it?
For the right trip, yes — and the trip often costs the same or less than what you'd book yourself. Let me show you the math, because my Booth background means I'm going to show you the math.
Luxury hotel rates are rate-parity. The price you'd see on the Four Seasons website is the price I see, too. The difference: when I book it, you also get daily breakfast for two ($80–$150 per day depending on the property), a $100 hotel credit you can use on dining or spa, priority for upgrades, and VIP recognition with the GM. On a five-night stay, that's roughly $700–$1,000 in tangible value the direct booker doesn't get.
On luxury cruises, I often have access to onboard credits and prepaid gratuities that Regent, Silversea, Seabourn, or Crystal will not show on their public-facing website. On a 10-night Silversea voyage, that can be $500–$2,000 in onboard credit per stateroom. Same cabin, same sailing, more money in your pocket.
The harder-to-quantify value is what I save you from: the wrong hotel, the wrong week, the wrong cabin category, the excursion you should have skipped, the day you spent traveling when you should have been arriving. Those mistakes cost real money and real vacation days.
When I'll tell you to book it yourself
I'd rather you find me when you actually need me. So here's when I'll tell you to skip the consultation:
• A weekend in Charleston, Savannah, or another easy domestic city you know well
• A repeat trip to a Caribbean resort where you already love the property and just want the same room
• A simple long weekend with one hotel and one direct flight
• Hotel stays where you want to redeem Hyatt, Hilton, or Marriott points (advisors generally can't book points stays)
• Award flights — that's a points-and-miles consultant's specialty, not mine
If your trip is one hotel, one flight, one country, and you've done it before, you don't need me. Save my time for the trip that's actually complex.
How much does a Palm Beach travel agent cost?
I charge a transparent planning fee for custom itineraries, disclosed in writing before any work begins. The fee reflects the complexity of what you're asking for — a two-week multi-country Europe trip is a bigger build than a five-night Italy stay. Cruise bookings are generally booked at no planning fee, because cruise lines compensate advisors directly and rate parity means you're not paying more than you would on the cruise line's website.
I'll discuss your specific situation on our consultation call, before you commit to anything. Ready to talk travel? Book a complimentary 30-minute vacation consultation here.
How to find a good Palm Beach travel agent
Three filters I'd use even if I weren't one:
• Are they Virtuoso? Virtuoso is the strongest luxury travel network in the world. Membership is invitation-only, based on production volume, ethics, and client service. If your prospective advisor isn't Virtuoso (or in a comparable network like Signature or Ensemble), ask why.
• Do they actually specialize? I sell the entire world but my top sellers are Italy, Switzerland, Japan, Egypt, France, the UK, and luxury river and ocean cruises. I am not the right person if you want a generic 4-star all-inclusive in Punta Cana. Ask any prospective advisor what they sell most.
• Will they Zoom with you before booking? If they'll take your credit card without a real conversation, you're a transaction, not a client. I require a 30-minute Zoom before I take on any new client. It protects both of us.
Ready to talk?
If your 2026 or 2027 trip is the kind where getting it right matters — a multi-country itinerary, a luxury cruise, a complex family trip, or a milestone celebration — let's talk. I offer a complimentary 30-minute Zoom consultation to see if we're a fit.
About Krista
I'm a Virtuoso travel advisor based in Palm Beach, Florida. I attended the University of Notre Dame for undergrad and have my MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Before building my travel business, I spent 20 years in the investment management industry and over a decade living and working in London, England. I've personally traveled to 80+ countries and now design thoughtful, highly customized trips for travelers who value expertise, access, and a seamless experience.
