Welcome to our travel familyYou have taken the first step toward an exceptional travel experience. First thing first; a big thank you for taking the time to check us out. We know how many travel choices you have these days and we appreciate you considering us to help you with your travel needs. Every day we help people just like you turn their vacation dreams into reality. 

This page will help answer most questions that you may have about the unique and detailed way we like to work. At anytime you may ask your Travel Expert about any questions or concerns and what to expect, they will be happy to assist you.We are at your service! Toll Free: 1-800-554-5170 Outside USA +1 425-355-3711info@travel4real.com

Important Note: These FAQ's are for reference only please see our Terms and Conditions for compete booking guidelines

Who is Travel 4 Real & Italy 4 Real? 
It all began with the dream we all share of travel. In 1995; the mother and son team of Deborah de Maio and Rem Malloy created a small tour company called Italy 4 Real Tours. Back then Rem & Deborah guided one or two small tours a year and helped people plan their own trips during the winter months. Their passion grew and they began teaching people how to travel efficiently, economically and stress free at local community colleges. Soon their passion for travel took them all over Italy and Europe learning,exploring and growing their knowledge of the industry and the world of travel; 12 years later, a staff of expert people and offices in the USA and Europe; Italy 4 Real had expanded beyond their wildest dreams. Travel 4 Real now offers expert planning assistance, travel packages, escorted tours, destination weddings and group travel to USA, Italy, France, Greece, Brazil and the UK.

Both Deborah and Rem came from corporate backgrounds but throughout their lives, both together and separately, they were given the opportunity to learn a foreign country inside and out. Having family throughout Italy, and traveling to and from the US during the earliest parts of their lives, gave them the on-the-ground knowledge most only read about in guide books. With the love of travel and an extensive understanding of thecultural differences of Europe they began developing the formula in which the company was founded.Whereas the word “tour ” brings images of cramped busses, bad tourist food and an always on-the-go schedule, the thought of planning your own trip from beginning to end brings images of frustration, getting lost, not understanding the language and getting ripped off. There is a huge gap between these two scenarios. This is why Travel 4 Real was born.

By developing small group tours that included all the trimmings and were at a normal pace was the first step. Then came the development of a system of Travel Experts (T.E.'s) who will work one-on-one with you to plan your trip from start to finish so you have the confidence of traveling solo. Our T.E’s don’t just sit behind a desk and book trips; they travel! Each year Travel 4 Real sends its experts abroad to learn the latest trends and understand what their clients will experience; they are also certified destination specialists with credentials from top travel schools. This extensive educational program gives you access to some of the most experienced travel professionals anywhere. If you are going on your own; we send you on your journey with driving directions, a local contact for assistance, maps and personal recommendations from the people who live and travel there; this is what makes Travel 4 Real a different kind of travel experience.

Who you are is important to us. By taking the time to speak to you on a one to one level, understand what you like, what you don’t and what your travel style is makes our job easier and your trip much more enjoyable. Putting in the effort and time to truly understand what you need gives us the reassurance that you will have a truly memorable experience. The differences continue with the concept of having a local contact abroad to assist youwhile traveling; that’s why Travel 4 Real has local representatives in Italy, France, Brazil, UK, and Greece. No travel agent or online booking website can offer this service.The peace of mind of knowing you are still in the hands of your travel planners while away is a great benefit. By walking in the footsteps of our clients we can understand their needs and offer travel solutions which others cannot. 

Trust is important to us. That’s why companies like TNT (Turner Network Television, TheBigDay and others trust their travel needs to us. We want to earn your trust and give you a trip you will cherish for a lifetime.

Is Travel 4 Real A Travel Agency?
No. Travel 4 Real is a tour opperator.  Travel 4 Real is a new way of trip planning. We offer a truly customized professional trip planning service as well as run our own small and medium sized escorted tours to Italy, France Greece, Brazil, and UK. A travel agency works with any destination, domestic or international. Travel 4 Real only offers a few select destinations so we can offer a very detailed service and local assistance while you travel.
What makes Travel 4 Real different from a travel agency or website like Expedia or Orbitz?

• We personally inspect our services. The hotels, tours, guides, city tours and dining we offer our clients are fully inspected. We don’t send you to a place we have not had inspected; it must reach our high quality standards before we offer it to you. Other companies and travel agents do not personally inspect.

• We assign a seasoned professional to help you. Unlike online travel sites or travel agents who may have visited a location a few times; we assign a real person to every client; we call them Travel Experts or T.E.’s. These are people who know detailed information about our destinations and can help you with all the little details that make a trip go smoothly. Our T.E.’s have traveled all over the world and have helped hundredsof people just like you have a hassle free travel experience. Our experts focus on the details like route planning for the most efficient use of your time, where to shop for the best prices, what part of a city you should avoid; the little things that only someone who has been there many times would know. No other online company gives you one person to work with from beginning to end. Our T.E.’s are part of our Travel Educational Program where each T.E. is sent abroad to places like Italy, France, Greece to learn, inspectand understand the on the ground details that will make your trip smooth and hassle free.

• We have local offices abroad. We have offices in Italy, France, Greece, Brazil, UK, and USA, this means that when you travel you will have access to a real person who can assist you if there is a problem or you need assistance. If you travel somewhere we do not have a local office, we will give you the contact numbers so you can reach your T.E. while away for any questions you have. Travel Agencies and big online travel sitesdon’t have local offices abroad so if you have a problem you must wait for a response.

Where does Travel 4 Real offer its services?
Travel 4 Real has several travel products and new ones are added each year: Italy 4 Real, France 4 Real, Brazil 4 Real, United Kingdom 4 Real, Greece 4 Real, Canada 4 Real, Golf 4 Real, Spas 4 Real, Resorts 4 Real and Mexico 4 Real are just a few. With this great selection of travel destinations, we are sure you will find something that is just right for your trip. We began in the 1990’s with Italy and that is our main destination because the founders of the company come from just outside Rome.

What services does Travel 4 Real Offer?
Custom trip planning, escorted tours, fly and drive packages, car rentals, villa rentals,air tickets, rail tickets, sightseeing tours, show tickets, museum passes, apartment rentals, transportation passes, honeymoons, destination weddings and more. If you can think of it, we can probably do it. We will do our best to get you whatever service you want for your trip, no matter how big or small. For the limited destinations we offer we are truly experts in almost any activity you can dream of.

How much does it cost? 
Custom trip planning has no additional charge for the actual planning (Itinerary/routeoutline development, working one-on-one with a Travel Expert (T.E.) researching yourhotel, car, villa or other services) as long as you book the services through Travel 4 Real, you pay only for the services you choose; not for the planning process. Because our customized trip planning services are so detailed we can design a trip around almost any budget. We also offer a wide range of escorted tours.

Where do I start?
It all starts with a phone call or email. If you submitted a request through one of our websites such as this site www.italy4real.com ; a no obligation consultation with a Travel Expert will result in an entire outline of your trip at no charge. We will offer suggestions on the best route to take, when to travel and how to get the best value for yourtravel dollar.

How long does it take?
The consultation takes only a few minutes but you will be working one on one with your Travel Expert as long as it takes to get your trip exactly the way you want and expect it to be. The planning time of your trip depends on how long you are traveling and how many people are going. Typically you can have your trip completed in a short time. It all depends on what works best for you. We don’t get our pricing, hotel selections or sightseeing choices from a click of a button. Our focus on detail and a very well thought through route means a much smoother and hassle free trip so our experts use maps, distance calculators, conversations with our offices abroad to truly customize your entire experience. We ask lots of questions so we get a feel of your likes and dislikes. We know you can go online these days and book your entire trip in 5 minutes; but we also have heard the horror stories of lost reservations, wasted time and no help if a problem should arise. Our process is quite unique and just like you may wait for a custom piece of fine furniture to be made from scratch; we take our time to research, review, confirmand re confirm each service so you have nothing to do but truly enjoy yourself during your trip.

When do I pay?
After you and your Travel Expert have gotten to know one another, exchanged travelstories and gone over what you want in a great trip they will put it all down on paperso that you both are on the same page. Changes can be made without question.Once you decide on firm travel dates, itinerary and destination with your T.E. you willbe asked to place a $350 per person deposit toward your trip. Deposits are fullyrefundable for 7 days from payment in case you get cold feet or need to changeyour plans. Your small deposit is all that we need until 90 days before your trip. We useyour deposit to secure any pending reservations you need. It also lets us know you arereally ready to go and are ready to begin planning.

How can I pay?
Travel 4 Real accepts Visa, MasterCard directly and Discover and American Expressthrough PayPal. We also accept personal checks and money orders. .

Can I get a refund if I need to cancel?
Once you send in your deposit we strongly recommend you purchase our travel insurance. Our travel insurance will cover cancellations for any reason*. Travel Insurance is the best way to cover the costs of your trip due to unforeseen circumstances. Ask your T.E for details. Refunds are not possible after full payment, so travel insurance is a must. You will also be given an application when you place your deposit. Your T.E. can also add travel insurance to your package price if you wish. Make sure to read the booking conditions given to you by your T.E. for complete cancellation details. Terms & Conditions.

Why are some prices in Euro Dollars?
To give you the best price we quote in Euro if you are traveling to an E.U. country such as Italy, France or Greece. By quoting in Euro this gives you the best price and exchange rate. Companies who quote in US dollars for European travel are marking up the price to compensate for the exchange rate. Travel 4 real does not hide any fees in its pricing and gives you the price in the currency it is issued. Your T.E. tracks the Euro rate daily and will advise you as to the best time to take advantage of a low Euro rate. The exchange rate is clearly marked on your invoice so you know exactly what you are paying.
During Your Planning:Will I get an outline of my trip or tour before I pay?
Absolutely! The best trips are developed with a detailed plan. Your T.E. will work one-on-one with you to develop an itinerary for your trip. You will not be asked for a deposit and no services will be booked until you are absolutely sure you approve of the itinerary you and your T.E. designed. This is the blueprint for your trip and we want it to be exactly what you want.

Will I have a choice of where I stay or go?
Yes. If you are traveling independently your T.E. will research what hotels have availability, what sightseeing you would like to do, if you need or want an airport transfer and will design a package based on a budget you have discussed. We only use accommodations that we have personally inspected. We will not offer you any hotel, villaor accommodation that does not meet our quality standards. Travel 4 Real only uses accommodations it knows well to insure a smooth trip, so we won’t book anything outside of our pre qualified properties. When you get your package you will have many choices of places to stay and things to see. Our T.E’s are experts at finding the rightcombination of services to give you the best trip possible. If you are booking an escorted tour with us, the services and accommodations will be outlined in the tours itinerary.

What if I have a problem while traveling?
We have you covered! Many of our destinations have local contacts. You will be given the contact information for our local assistance resources when available. We also offer a 24/7 Customer Response System which is a phone number that you can leave a message to be returned. We want to give you peace of mind while traveling so you can relax and enjoy! Travel Agents or online sites do not offer a local contact in case you have questions or need assistance.

What if I find my own hotel, will you book it for me?
Sorry, No. We only book properties we have had inspected. This gives us a level of quality we can depend upon. You may find a cheaper place on the web but we have working relationships with our hotels and know all the details that you won’t find by surfing the web such as how far from the hotel are the sights, which room is the bestetc. Our hotels treat our clients better because we work directly with them to insure the quality of your stay. We have thousands of inspected properties we work with, so more than likely we will be able to offer you a better choice than you can find on the web. We encourage you to let your T.E. do the hard work, your job is to sit back, relax and let your T.E. do the research for your trip. If you are on the web searching it will only slow the process down with your T.E.

What if I want to make a big change?
You can. You can make changes to your trip at any time before final payment. This is why we give you until 90 days before your departure to pay in full. You will be working with a real person so you and your T.E. can work out all the details. Once you have paid in full, your trip is confirmed; no changes can be made because all of your services are paid before you depart so there is no chance of the dreaded “we don’t see your reservation” problem we have all heard of.

Will you book my air?
Yes but we are not airfare consolidators or air ticket booking agents. Our expertise iswith land services only. We will research your air as a courtesy. You may accept ouroffer or you are welcome to book your air on your own. If you would like us tothoroughly research your air there is a minimal charge of $25 per ticket.

Do you accept frequent flyer miles?
Sorry, no. If you would like to use frequent flyer miles to get your air tickets they mustbe arranged through the issuing airline directly. We strongly recommend that you getyour frequent flyer tickets 6 months to a year in advance. Frequent flyer tickets arethe first to sell out.

Do I get any travel documents like maps and such?
Yes. One of the benefits of booking with Travel 4 Real is our TRIP-PAK. We supply youwith free travel documents for your trip. Many of our travel documents arecustomized to your exact trip; like turn by turn driving directions if you rent a car.Your TRIP-PAK will include maps, guide books, sightseeing guides, restaurantrecommendations, museum and event times and language tips, just to name afew. Travel 4 Real is one of the only companies that offer such a complete trip kit totheir clients. We don’t charge extra for our travel documents like many others do.

When will I get my final travel documents?
Your final travel documents arrive during the last month before you depart. We do this so any last minute information about your trip or destination can be added and given to you before you depart. We want to make sure you have the most up to date information before you go.

Before You Depart:

What do I need to bring with me?
A valid passport for all people traveling. If you are not a U.S. Citizen please tell your T.E. at the beginning of the travel planning process because some countries a TOURIST VISA for entry and this process takes additional time. Travel 4 Real cannot issue or assist you in obtaining a TOURIST VISA and you are fully responsible for all required travel documents for the countries you will be visiting. If you are renting a car you will need an international driver’s license which can be purchased at your local AAA office (US clients only). You will also need all of your travel vouchers and service documents given to you in your travel documentation. Find out if you need a Italy Tourist Visa. 

Do I need to re-confirm my reservations before I go?
No. This is the job of your T.E. they will confirm and re-confirm prior to your departure so that everything is in order when you arrive. Your T.E. may even check in on you after you get there to make sure you are having a great time!

Will I need Euro Dollars before I go?
No. There is no need to purchase Euro before you go. The worst exchange rates for the Euro are found at currency exchange centers in US airports. The best way to get Euro is to get it from an ATM at the airport when you arrive. You will get the best exchange rate this way.

Once You Arrive

How do I get from the airport to my hotel?
Your T.E. will work with you during the trip planning process to see if it will be best to have a private transfer from the airport to your hotel. If you do not schedule a transport then your T.E. will give you all the local resources of public transportation available to get you to your hotel or to meet your tour. If you are booked on one of our tours, thetransportation options will be listed in the itinerary.

If I am renting a car, where do I pick it upr?
Your T.E. will give you the choice of where you would like to pick up and drop off your rental car. They will also advise you if you can save time or money by picking up in one location and returning at another. This is why we call them Travel Experts!

How do I check into the hotel?
Vouchers. Tour operators like us work on the voucher system. This is a document issued and confirmed that states what services you have pre paid for. When you arrive to the hotel you will give the reception the voucher issued to you by your T.E. in your travel documents. It’s that simple but don’t worry if you lose your vouchers your reservationswill still be honored.

If I have an airport transfer and I am late, what happens?
This can be a problem if you are more than 20 minutes late. Private transfers are not required to wait unless they are notified. If you know you are going to be late please call the number given to you by your T.E. to tell them of your new arrival time. You may be subject to “waiting fees” which are charged by the transfer company for waiting untilyou arrive. Travel insurance can often cover problems caused by flight delays so be prepared and get travel insurance with every trip!

If I am on an Escorted tour, where do I meet up with my tour?
Some of our tours will meet you when you arrive at the local airport. Other tours will pick you up from your hotel. Your T.E. will give you the entire pick up details before you depart.

What do I do if I don’t like my room?
When you reserve with us you are not booking a particular room number but a room in the hotel. You have the option, once you arrive, to go to the front desk and request a room change. This request might not always be available. If there are any problems, just contact your local representative for assistance. Complaints are dealt withimmediately upon notification by you. You must contact us for any problems within 24hours.

What do I do if I have a problem or emergency?
If you have a problem, you must report it to us within 24 hours so that we can have our local contact work with you to correct the problem. We can’t fix it if you don’t tell us immediately. For an emergency please contact medical, police or fire by dialing 113 (within Italy)Top