FAQ's

'Makoza Travel' is an independent travel advisor with FORA Travel. We make the experience of planning and booking trips SO much easier. My deep relationships with hotel and travel partners allow me to give you the best trip possible.

No! I have thousands of relationships with hotels and partners that allow me to secure the best experience for my clients, getting you priority room upgrades, preferred rates, or even spa credits.

Think of a travel advisor like an interior designer. Sure, you could pick out your own furniture and decor. But maybe the pillows end up not being quite right or the couch doesn't fit the room like you'd imagined. You also don't really know the best furniture makers. You just see the big companies that spend a lot on marketing. That's why you hire an interior designer - they're constantly sourcing, inspecting, and comparing products from the most reliable furniture suppliers. And, you trust their expertise to make sure everything comes together perfectly.

This isn't just true of interior designers - this is exactly how I work as a travel advisor and your custom itinerary!

No! Because hotel and travel partners love the clients that I bring to their properties, they pay me a fee to do just that.

Working with me isn't a discount service, it's a value add service. I will always work with hotel partners to get you the best rates AND the best experience possible.

You might be able to find the cheapest room possible on Google or booking platforms, but did you know that room is right above the hotel nightclub and looks directly at a brick wall? And sometimes what might look like the cheapest rate is often not including taxes and fees that show up later in the booking.

By working with me, you'll have insight into all of these things to make sure your experience is the best it can be. And if the rate you've found online is in fact the best, I can also book that for you, while flagging you as a preferred VIP guest with the hotel directly.

The beauty of working with me is that you can be as involved in the planning as much or as little as you'd like. If you want to do the legwork and be more involved - no problem!

You can still do the research and come to me when you're ready to do the actual booking. I can add on the finishing touches (access to the upgrade, the free breakfast, or the rooms that adjoin) and make sure you're getting the best value.

I am the expert when it comes to my clients. I know your likes, dislikes, preferences - and that makes me uniquely qualified to deliver the best experience for you. Booking online through credit card travel perks means you're sacrificing that level of personalization and attention to detail.

If you're not booking online through your credit card, the other option is waiting on hold to speak with a call center agent. Call centers can have upwards of 7,000 agents, so you're never getting the same person twice.

Booking with me means you'll get the highest touch, personalized experience possible - triple confirming that

your suite will be connected to your teenagers room next door or that a crib can fit next to the bed.

Yes, I know credit card travel perk programs offer things like $200 resort credits and free breakfast. But, I'll let you in on a little secret: booking with me means you're getting all of the same perks, but you're prioritized for room upgrades before other customers. Why?

Because the travel industry is all about relationships and mine go deep. Our team has decades of experience within the industry and during that time we’ve built meaningful relationships with hotels around the world (4,500+ to be exact). Why does this matter?

Well, preferred partnerships aren't easy to get - these are selective, invitation-only programs cultivated by hotels to reward agencies who deliver consistent, high-quality clientele. What does this mean for you?

Beyond getting priority ahead of Amex customers for room upgrades, when you book a hotel through me, you'll be flagged as VIP guests prior to your arrival. Cue bespoke welcome amenities, hyper-personalized attention - and maybe even your favorite slice of cake from that little local bakery waiting in your room at turn down.

As stated, I have long-standing, personal relationships with partners, hotel managers, and staff, which means I have a direct line to the places and people who take care of your stay. Why does this matter?

My personal relationships mean I can quickly and effectively address any issues or concerns that may arise during your trip and resolve them in real time. For instance, if your flight is delayed, I can update your airport pick up, adjust the time of your tour, and make sure you have a welcome drink waiting on arrival.

We have the processing fee because it costs us man hours to track down new payment information from our customers if one method declines at any point in the planning/booking process.

Because the fee is only in place to save us time dealing with non-working payment methods...

Your 3% fee will be waived if:

You give us a second form of valid payment that we will hold on file. This will ONLY be used if your FIRST payment method is declined in the booking process. If you save us the time, we will pass the savings onto you.