Travel Fees

[Mary Sparrow]

I have always had a side note on my fee page that travel fees were not included. However, have never had to address it. The clients were either within an hour, or were willing to come to me.

But now someone in another state has asked, and I would like to know how this is typically handled?

Do you have a standard fee and just estimate a cost that should cover your needs? Or do you actually itemize it and what would that cover?

Mileage, airefare even? Hotel and or food?

Do you expect to be paid for that up front, or do you add it into the total bill.

[Michele Rushworth]

Different artists do all kinds of things.

Some artists set their prices high enough to include travel anywhere in the lower 48 states. Clients next door pay the same price as people across the country. Peggy Baumgaertner does it this way and decided to add on about $500 to all her prices to allow for the ones that would require travel.

Other artists ask the clients to reimburse them for the specific expenses they incurred during their trip, and they submit receipts for airfare, hotel, meals etc. at the end.

Still other artists tack on a consistent flat fee ($500 - $700) for any travel outside their home area. I personally like this approach. This way clients aren't worrying about getting hit for a potentialy large (and unkown) bill that they have to pay at the end of the commission. They know up front what the total costs will be.

[Tom Edgerton]

The procedure with most agents is about the same, so I patterned after them.

I don't charge travel when it's within about 50 miles of home. If it's a client I like and they're maybe 2 or 3 hours away, sometimes I don't either.

When I travel, the client pays airfare, or mileage, and lodging. I don't charge for meals, as I don't think it's a good idea to nickel and dime them to death--buy your own toothpaste. I bill for travel when I get home, and submit receipts with the invoice.

I could see that tacking on a fee to all prices would accomplish the same, but it penalizes your local clients. Most potential clients know that travel is to be paid by them, and I've explained so in initial discussions that it's "standard practice in the portrait field." It helps if you've stated this policy somewhere in your literature or on your website up front, with your policy on framing and shipping, etc.

Many clients who have had the space and didn't want to put me up somewhere else have had me stay with them. I've made many friends this way. Retire discreetly and early, read a book and stay out of their hair, and make the bed in the morning.

Best--TE