What are Zicasso’s criteria for selecting travel company members?
1. You have leverage for quality service because you can give rating and feedback to the travel company after the trip
2. It’s the right thing to do.
3. Offers to buy or sell Trip Plans outside of Zicasso site are not permitted and violate Zicasso policy
Zicasso’s pre-screened travel companies, with their local expertise, can advice you on the best Trip Plan for you: where to stay, what to do given your interests and budget, and then take care of booking everything you need. You get the entire Trip Planned and booked for you.
Additionally, travel companies can often get up to 20% better prices compared to hotel published or Internet published rates due to exclusive volume discounts. These are rates which hotels require to be unpublished so that they can continue to sell at the higher published rates. Or they can get you a room at a hotel that is supposedly “full” because rooms are often blocked out for travel company reservations only.
And finally, in many cases, having a great tour guide can really make a big difference in how you experience your trip. The best tour guides can explain everything you want to know about your destination—history, culture, architecture, nature, etc.—and act as an interpreter when you wish to converse with locals. But good tour guides are not easy to find. The best way to find and hire them is to use a travel company who specializes in that destination.
What are the types of travel arrangements available to me?Travel companies on Zicasso can essentially arrange any type of travel needs that you may have—just let us know on the Trip Request form. Here are typical types of arrangements: (Keep in mind though that you and the travel companies can choose any combination of travel arrangements to meet your needs.)
- Independent Travel (sometimes known in the industry as “FIT”)
- Non-guided, custom trip arrangement of pre-booked lodging + transportation. This can sometimes be “self-drive” packages which provides custom driving directions and guide books.
- Benefit: Have complete independence, on your own schedule.
- Private Guided Tour or Custom Guided Tour
- Custom Trip Plan designed for you or your private group. This usually includes lodging plus guide plus one or more other travel components (air, airport transfer, car, rail, etc)
- Benefit: Set independent itineraries yet get volume discounts which travel companies offer
- Escorted Group Tour (fixed departure dates, escorted by tour guide or tour leader, structured itinerary)
- Structured journey on which a group of travelers, grouped by a travel company, are accompanied by a travel professional who sees to their needs
- Benefit: Don’t have to worry about anything (leave it all to the pros) & low price … but give up some independence
- Vacation Package (not escorted, not customized)
- Similar to Independent Tour package but fixed travel components (i.e. not customized)
- Benefit: You can get good deals that only travel companies have access to
- Others: Includes Adventure Tours, Nature Tours, Eco Tours, Study Tours, and Cruises
Zicasso’s pre-screened travel companies, with their local expertise, can advice you on the best Trip Plan for you: where to stay, what to do given your interests and budget, and then take care of booking everything you need. You get the entire Trip Planned and booked for you.
Additionally, travel companies can often get up to 20% better prices compared to hotel published or Internet published rates due to exclusive volume discounts. These are rates which hotels require to be unpublished so that they can continue to sell at the higher published rates. Or they can get you a room at a hotel that is supposedly “full” because rooms are often blocked out for travel company reservations only.
And finally, in many cases, having a great tour guide can really make a big difference in how you experience your trip. The best tour guides can explain everything you want to know about your destination—history, culture, architecture, nature, etc.—and act as an interpreter when you wish to converse with locals. But good tour guides are not easy to find. The best way to find and hire them is to use a travel company who specializes in that destination.
Why should I complete the trip booking on Zicasso’s website?When you are ready to purchase a trip initiated by your Trip Request on Zicasso, we’d like you and the travel company to complete the transaction via Zicasso because:
1. You have leverage for quality service because you can give rating and feedback to the travel company after the trip
All our travel companies have built their reputation through years of hard work. They care about their online reputation. In this competitive business, it is important for travel companies to get the best possible rating and feedback from you in order to win future clients. This is your greatest leverage for getting good service. Only travelers completing the transaction (minimum $100USD) on our website are eligible to give travel companies rating and feedback.
2. It’s the right thing to do.
Otherwise Zicasso loses track of the transaction and we do not get paid commission by the travel company.
3. Offers to buy or sell Trip Plans outside of Zicasso site are not permitted and violate Zicasso policy
Such offers are a potential fraud risk for travelers and travel companies. They also undermine the trust and legitimacy of the Zicasso marketplace. Additionally, these offers circumvent Zicasso’s fees to travel companies, creating an unfair playing field for travel companies who do not circumvent Zicasso’s fees. Travel companies or travelers who buy or sell Trip Plans outside of Zicasso site in order to circumvent Zicasso’s commission from travel companies are subject to losing their memberships.
Can I talk to the travelers about their Trip Requests?Absolutely! Zicasso wants you to help our traveler members plan their trip in the most efficient way. However, in order to protect our traveler members’ privacy, their contact information is not available on their Trip Request or on their profile. Your initial response to a traveler for his or her Trip Request is via Zicasso’s website—either in the form of a Trip Plan response, or as a message (using our message inbox system). For subsequent communications, when a traveler feels comfortable providing his or her contact information, then you and the traveler can talk on the phone, email each other, etc.
We also encourage you to use our message system to record all communication between you and the traveler since it tracks all communications easily. In the case of confusion or dispute, it will help you retrieve your communications easily.
How do we get paid by travelers?You get paid by Zicasso travelers exactly the way you get paid now. Zicasso understands that every travel company has different requirements for how they want to be paid by travelers. Zicasso’s website helps travelers and travel companies track the payment status easily, but travelers will pay you directly in the payment methods you specify, for example, wire transfer, credit card, Paypal, check, money order, etc.
As soon as you receive the payment, you can simply send a receipt to the traveler via Zicasso message system.
How does Zicasso make money? What commission do you charge?We make money by charging travel companies 4% commission when there is a successful sale (e.g., a purchased Trip Plan or a purchased Sample Trip). Note that if part of the booking includes airline tickets for which you do not receive commission, we will not charge commission for that portion.
We don’t charge for anything else—no charge for leads or for membership.
How do I pay commission to Zicasso?Since the Trip Requests and your Trip Plan responses all take place inside Zicasso, we track your sales activities automatically. We will send you an electronic bill on the last business day of the month showing you the amount of commission due each month. We collect commission when the trip begins (this way, we know for sure that traveler has paid you in full). If our record differs from yours due to the changes you or travelers have made after the purchase date, you can inform us about the difference in the amount due. For sales of Sample Trips, Zicasso will send you the list of travelers who have sent inquiries to you about your Sample Trips via Zicasso during that month. You will let Zicasso know which of those inquiries have turned into sales by the end of each month. (In the future, Zicasso will offer a complete transaction module for Sample Trip sales, making it easier for you and Zicasso to track inquiries vs. actual sales.)
The amount is due on 30th day from the time we send you the bill. You can pay us via wire transfer, Paypal, money orders, or checks (US only). Failure to pay the commission will result in suspension of your membership. If you have questions or feedback on commission, please send us an email at info@zicasso.com.
Zicasso is a free personalized online travel service that provides customized itinerary bids from pre-screened leading travel companies. We are ideally suited for busy, discerning travelers who want a hassle-free experience in planning & booking a trip. Experts from these pre-screened Zicasso Select Travel Companies do the work for you and they compete to get your business. No more spending hours and hours researching on the Internet and travel books on where to go, which accommodations, what transportation, which attractions, who’s a good tour operator or travel agent, etc. No more spending additional hours on booking everything you need either.
With Zicasso, you fill out a simple Trip Request form to describe your trip—destination, preferences, and interests. We match you with up to three pre-screened relevant travel companies (yes, we’ve done the homework for you to find only quality tour operators and travel agents who deliver the best value). These travel companies submit online Trip Plans to you on Zicasso typically within two business days—Trip Plans which are complete with detailed itineraries and pricing for everything you need, so you can easily compare and choose. In essence, you simply describe what you need once and you’ll get multiple quality travel companies, with expert knowledge of your destination, competing to plan and book everything you need, from lodging to flights, car, airport transfer, cruise, rail, tour guides, tickets to attractions, etc. You can work with the travel companies to refine and customize the Trip Plans as necessary. Then choose which company’s Trip Plan you like best and book it. Simple!
We provide a free service to make travel planning and booking hassle-free:
- Traveler submits a Trip Request telling us what you want included in your Trip Plans,
- Up to three pre-screened quality travel companies relevant to your needs respond with Trip Plans to compete for your business. They also provide local knowledge and expert advice to ensure an authentic travel experience
- Traveler and travel companies refine Trip Plans if necessary
- Traveler chooses and books the best Trip Plans. And there’s no obligation to buy
For more details, please view How it Works illustration
Travel companies on Zicasso (known as Zicasso Select Travel Companies) are tour operators and travel agents.
Tour operators: Companies which put together tour packages (i.e. organize a package which includes lodging and one or more other travel components such as air, car rental, tour guides, etc.) and operate the tours locally, including hiring local staff such as tour leaders, tour guides, and drivers. A tour package can be a customized private tour or an escorted tour with a group of other travelers on a structured itinerary (see “What are the types of travel arrangements available to me?”) Because they operate tours locally, they have deep local knowledge of a destination and often have access to volume discounts. Tour operators typically sell their tours directly to the public and/or through travel agents. Note that in some countries, particularly developing countries, tour operators also act as travel agencies, helping travelers to book tours offered by other tour operators.
Travel agents (also known as travel counselors or consultants) and travel agencies: Professionals with the expertise to analyze a traveler’s needs; recommend itineraries; and price, arrange, and sell one or more travel components (tours, cruises, lodging, flights, rail, car, guides, etc). Travel agents often have access to exclusive deals not available otherwise to the public. Zicasso strives to pre-screen and select travel agents with local knowledge of destinations as well as tours and cruises, adding value with their expert recommendations so you do less planning work.
See Why should I use travel companies to plan and book my trip? for more details
As you can see in our Trip Request form, you can specify any part of your trip to be included into the Trip Plans you want from Zicasso’s travel companies. Your request can be as simple as hotels and flights, or as comprehensive as an all inclusive package.
Zicasso can especially help you save time and hassle if your trip involves one or more of the following:
- Multiple destinations (locations, cities or countries): Standard ways of searching online for destination information, hotels, and flights take a tremendous amount of time. Zicasso Select Travel Companies can give you expert advice and recommendations, and book everything for you
- Unfamiliar countries: If you were traveling to a country where you are unfamiliar with the culture and language, (e.g. an American traveling in China), it’s a good idea to use a reputable travel agent or tour operator to plan and book your trip. Getting the help of professionals with local knowledge on the planning process before you go can really help you make the right choices. During the trip, a good tour guide can not only educate you about the country, its people, culture, history, etc., but also serve as an interpreter when you want to communicate with the locals (or you want to understand what’s on that menu!)
- Multiple activities or adventure tours: It saves you a lot of time and hassle if expert professionals help you with planning and booking a trip involving a) several activities, ranging from excursion tours to spa, golf, tickets to a popular show, etc. or b) adventure experiences such as safari, trekking, or scuba diving
- Private group with different interests and needs: For example, you have a family vacation with people of different age groups, that have different interests and activity levels. Planning and booking such a trip takes a tremendous amount of time. Using Zicasso, you can easily reach out to and compare a few quality travel companies who can arrange the entire trip
Save time: Get personalized travel planning services
Fast, simple way to get several personalized itineraries and have your entire trip booked. No need to do all that research and planning yourself—top travel companies advice you on the best Trip Plans for you: where to stay, what to do given your interests and budget, and then take care of booking everything you need.
Get the best value
Pick best price/value from multiple Trip Plan bids. Travel companies can often get up to 20% better hotel prices compared to hotel or Internet published rates due to volume pricing—these are unpublished prices.
Easily reach quality companies with local knowledge
We pre-screen travel companies and only select ones with best quality and value to join Zicasso: we’ve done the homework for you.
Get better accountability
Choose companies with the best ratings and feedback from actual customers. Rate travel company after your trip
You can basically have EVERTHING you want on your trip arranged for you by our travel companies, such as: lodging, tours, tour guides, cruises, flights, car, driver, airport transfer, rail, tickets to attractions and entertainment, etc.
You can also get your favorite travel activities arranged for you, such as: yoga, scuba diving, golf, spa, trekking, volunteering, etc.
Simply describe what you want on our Trip Request form.
Travel companies on Zicasso can essentially arrange any type of travel needs that you may have—just let us know on the Trip Request form. Here are typical types of arrangements: (Keep in mind though that you and the travel companies can choose any combination of travel arrangements to meet your needs.)
- Independent Travel (sometimes known in the industry as “FIT”)
- Non-guided, custom trip arrangement of pre-booked lodging + transportation. This can sometimes be “self-drive” packages which provides custom driving directions and guide books.
- Benefit: Have complete independence, on your own schedule.
- Private Guided Tour or Custom Guided Tour
- Custom Trip Plan designed for you or your private group. This usually includes lodging plus guide plus one or more other travel components (air, airport transfer, car, rail, etc)
- Benefit: Set independent itineraries yet get volume discounts which travel companies offer
- Escorted Group Tour (fixed departure dates, escorted by tour guide or tour leader, structured itinerary)
- Structured journey on which a group of travelers, grouped by a travel company, are accompanied by a travel professional who sees to their needs
- Benefit: Don’t have to worry about anything (leave it all to the pros) & low price … but give up some independence
- Vacation Package (not escorted, not customized)
- Similar to Independent Tour package but fixed travel components (i.e. not customized)
- Benefit: You can get good deals that only travel companies have access to
- Others: Includes Adventure Tours, Nature Tours, Eco Tours, Study Tours, and Cruises
Zicasso is not a travel agency nor an online travel agency (e.g., Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity). We do not sell tickets or tours. We connect travelers with reputable travel companies around the world, and we provide the tools to facilitate a simple planning and booking process, saving travelers much time and hassle in getting a quality, authentic travel experience.
A “Trip Request” is a simple form that travelers fill out to describe what they want included in their Trip Plans. With this simple but comprehensive form, travel companies can easily understand travelers’ needs and plan the trip accordingly. Click here to check out the Trip Request form.
After a traveler submits a Trip Request, Zicasso sends the request to relevant pre-screened travel companies. These travel companies can then respond by submitting “Trip Plans” to the traveler via Zicasso’s website.
A Trip Plan consists of proposed itineraries and pricing to meet the traveler’s needs. Travel companies can simply input their proposed Trip Plans on Zicasso’s Trip Plan form, including attachments of photos, Word documents, or PDF files if applicable.
As a traveler, you can view all proposed Trip Plans on the same page and compare them easily. See how Trip Request and Trip Plans work.
Sample Trips are popular tours or cruise packages that a travel company offers. A traveler can search for Sample Trips using keywords and/or browse them by country to get inspiration before submitting a Trip Request. If you see a Sample Trip that fits quite well with what you want to for your trip, you can click on “Send inquiry about this trip” button to ask for more information from the travel company directly. In such a case, you might be able to get what you want for your trip without submitting a Trip Request.
Explore our directory of inspiring Sample Trips, offered by our network of Zicasso Select Travel Companies. Remember, at Zicasso, you tell us what you want to do, and we'll make it happen. Our sample trips are a great place to start, but they can always be customized to match your needs.
No. Zicasso does NOT charge travelers for anything you do on our website – whether you book a trip through our Trip Request system or use our other community features. We make money from charging a commission to the travel companies.
We make money by charging travel companies a commission when there is a successful sale. (Zicasso is a free service for travelers). It is free for travel companies to register for travel company membership.
