Explanation of  "Travel Fee" Policy 

For all speaking engagements that require travel from my home in Vancouver or Kelowna, BC to any destination in the continental US or CANADA, I charge an all-inclusive, flat travel fee. Sometimes, clients wonder what it includes and have questions about the basis for this fee. 

The primary reason I converted from traditional itemized expense reports to the flat fee is to provide simplicity and predictability for my clients and to reduce dreaded paperwork for myself. You may have been unpleasantly "surprised" by employees', vendors' or speakers' expense reports in the past. They sometimes include curious charges that you have not authorized, or that you find to be unreasonable. This never happens with my flat fee policy. You know exactly what my travel expenses will be well in advance, and have a single invoice to process with no untidy receipts to track.  Those are never fun!

I have chosen to be a "one-gal-show" with an excellent full-time assistant to help with my correspondence and other office functions. I hate collecting receipts for everything;  parking, taxis, plane tickets, etc. Instead, I simply charge all of my miscellaneous travel expenses to my company credit card, and declare your travel fee cheque/check as earned income. 

The amount of the fee includes:

• **Hotel fees are generally paid by the organizing company. 
• The presentation discussed.
• Air transportation. 
  • I may fly first class or economy, but do not ask you to process an invoice showing first class airfare, which nearly always (and often outrageously) is very expensive. I may use an airline points/certificate, or purchase upgrades, or combine my plane ticket with other necessary flights.
• Transportation from my office/home to the airport.
• Parking while there.​
• En route meals.
• Land transportation.
• Phone calls.
• Miscellaneous expenses.
• My husband. Yep,  I might bring my husband with me as he is a REALTOR® and loves a great conference.

​​I might drive or fly, have champagne and caviar if I feel wild :-), need courier services, etc. In other words, all expenses that result from my having to leave home, with the exception of my hotel room and tax, which I ask you to have direct billed to your account. 

Because this fee is inclusive of, but not limited to, actual out-of-pocket expenses, no receipts will be provided. Some trips cost me less than my quote, others cost way more. The amount I quote is a best estimate of the average costs for a speaking engagement journey to your event location. 

If you have any unanswered questions about my travel fee policy, please reach out!