Frequently Asked Questions About Our Travel Services
Our travel experts answer common questions about destinations, services, pricing, and our travel planning process.
Frequently Asked Questions
About Salt & Wind Travel
What is Salt & Wind Travel?
Salt & Wind Travel is a boutique travel company for discerning food and lifestyle travelers. Brought to you by the team behind the food and travel editorial site Salt & Wind Travel, we created Salt & Wind Travel to help people travel in good taste.
Who started Salt & Wind Travel?
Founded by food and travel expert Aida Mollenkamp in 2015, the company is run by Aida and business partner Kristen Kellogg. We believe you don't know a place until you've broken bread there, so our work aims to help you travel in good taste. Visit our team page to learn more about our bespoke travel planning team.
Why is Salt & Wind Travel different from other boutique travel agencies?
Put simply, we’re all about specialization and curation.
Our team has deep expertise in hospitality and travel, and we’re committed to providing you with a custom travel experience. We’re focused on deep knowledge in a few locations: California, Hawaii, Mexico, France, Italy, and Switzerland.
Each destination is meticulously researched, each travel partner handpicked, and each activity personally planned to help you meet the people, tastes, and sights that make these regions deliciously unique.
While all the Salt & Wind staff is familiar with each of the destinations where we work, we have specific team members who are the lead experts in our various destinations. Our team members have lived in California, Hawai’i, France, Italy, and Mexico, so we also have vast cultural knowledge of those locations.
Who are the Salt & Wind Travel itinerary planning services for?
Salt & Wind Travel is not for the one-city-a-day, selfie stick-wielding tourist. Our services are for travelers who want to dig deeper and understand what makes a destination special. We’re for the explorer who travels to experience classic gems worth their weight as well as just-opened hotspots to discover what the culture of a destination is 100% unique.
How do you promote sustainable travel?
Every way we can! At Salt & Wind Travel, we aim to positively impact the local economies by promoting sustainable wine, food, and travel to our most-loved places, including California, Mexico, Italy, Hawaii, and more.
For more information on our client services, visit our Custom Travel Planning Services page.
How Salt & Wind Travel Works
Where do you provide travel planning services?
We have deep expertise in a few specific locations — California, France, Hawai’i, Italy, Mexico, and Switzerland — so our recommendations are thoroughly vetted and high quality.
All these destinations have a deep sense of place, vibrant food culture, intense creative scenes, and unique local makers — the things we believe make a destination magical. While all the Salt & Wind staff is familiar with each of our destinations, we have specific team members who act as experts in the various destinations.
What sort of travel planning services are available at Salt & Wind Travel?
We provide three types of custom travel planning services: Full-Service planning, Hourly Consulting, and Booking Assistance. We work with various traveler group types including couples, families, friends, and food lovers, providing personalized travel itineraries and premium travel experiences that are tailored specifically to you.
How do I get started with your travel planning services?
You can get started in three easy steps:
Decide which of our travel planning services is best for you.
Complete our travel service inquiry form to share your travel plans with our team.
Have a 30-minute Discovery Call with a travel expert to determine how we can help.
Where do you provide bespoke travel planning services?
We provide our travel planning services in locations where we have deep expertise, namely California, Hawaii, Mexico, Italy, France, Spain, and Switzerland.
Here are the places we most commonly work in each destination:
California: Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Big Sur, Napa, Yosemite, San Luis Obispo, Mendocino, and Sonoma
Hawaii: Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Lanai, and Island Of Hawaii (Big Island)
Mexico: Valle De Guadalupe Wine Country, Mexico City, Oaxaca, Jalisco, Yucatan, Veracruz, San Miguel de Allende, Los Cabos
Italy: Milan, Lake Como, Lake Garda, Turin, Bologna, Verona, Venice, Florence, Umbria, Rome, Amalfi Coast, Puglia, and Sicily
France: Paris, Loire Valley, Champagne, Bordeaux, Rhône Valley, Provence, L’Occitane, and Languedoc
Spain: Basque Country, Jerez, Madrid, Andalucia, Galicia, Barcelona, Valencia, and the Balearic Islands
Where do you arrange private day tours and other experiences?
We can arrange private day tours and other experiences in the locations where we work, and have additional connections worldwide. If you don’t see a specific destination, reach out to us and we’ll confirm if we can help you out!
How much time do you need to help me plan my trip?
We prefer to begin planning 90 days prior to departure, but we can do it in less time for a rush fee. The exact fee depends on the extent of travel planning service required and the duration of your trip.
How much do your travel planning services cost?
Please head to our travel planning services page to learn more about our fees. Pricing varies due to the unique requirements of each individual client, including trip duration and desired service level. We’ll provide a personalized proposal outlining our fees before any planning begins.
I only need help with restaurant reservations — can you help?
One of the most complex parts about traveling with a focus on food is securing reservations in countries where you don’t speak the language. That’s why we have an Booking Assistance service to help you with that! To get started, complete our travel service inquiry form.
Do you provide any travel planning resources?
Yes! We have the following travel planning resources for you:
Bucket Lists: Get a bucket list for all the destinations where we work, including suggested planning timelines, itinerary ideas, and things to do.
Travel Guides: Destination-by-destination travel guides that dive into more specific tips.
Italy Trip Calculator: Need help determining your travel budget? We have created an Italy Trip Cost Estimator based on over ten years of travel planning data, and it is much more detailed than other calculators out there!
Italy Itinerary Planner: Want to plan everything yourself? You’ll want to get our Italy Itinerary Planner that helps you do just that (with a ton of our hard-earned intel and travel tips).
Money Matters
What is included in the Salt & Wind Travel service fees?
Each Salt & Wind Travel service has different offerings included in the fee. Please refer to our travel planning services page to understand what is included.
What is not included in the Salt & Wind Travel services fees?
There aren’t any hidden fees! However, we sometimes work with a travel agent who may charge a nominal fee for booking things like flights. While we offer a la carte services (like the ability to have us plan a special event for you or have a photographer take your pics throughout the trip), all the services we’ll provide are listed in our initial fee!
Each fee is based on an estimate of the time our team needs to make your trip successful. Thus, your trip planning fee may require an additional fee if the services the client requests go beyond the initial scope.
And how can I cancel the service?
You can cancel our services for any reason and at any time; however, the fee is non-refundable.
Traveling With Dietary Restrictions
I love good food but I have a dietary restriction, allergy, intolerance....
We love good food too and we'll do our absolute best to work with you to accommodate your dietary restriction, allergy, or intolerance. Our co-founder Aida has celiac disease so we’re familiar with making it work. Please inform us of any restrictions so that we can work with our partners accommodate you throughout your trip.
Anything else?
Please refer to our code of conduct for specifics ways that our relationship can be successful!
Have any additional questions?
Contact our team, we’ll be happy to answer them.
Ready To Start Planning?
Step 1 → Share Your Travel Dreams
Complete our short inquiry form with your destination preferences, travel dates, and budget. Share any special interests or must-have experiences that will help our travel planners craft your perfect journey. This foundation ensures we understand your vision from day one.
Step 2 → Speak With A Travel Expert
We'll schedule your complimentary 30-minute Discovery Call to dive deeper into your travel dreams. Our expert planners will review your intake responses and explore what makes your ideal getaway tick. No pressure, just possibilities.
Step 3 → Receive Your Custom Proposal
Within 3 business days, you'll receive a personalized service proposal tailored to your desired support level. Whether you need full-service planning, strategic bookings, or expert consultation, we'll outline the perfect approach for your journey.