Travel Planning Support
Personalised email help to build a better trip
No more frustration. No more confusion. Get my help to answer your Japan travel planning questions and challenges without the limitations of a scheduled call.
What is Travel Planning Support?
It's having personal access to me via priority email, so doesn’t happen in real time like my Travel Planning Calls do.
Instead of saving all of your questions and asking them on a single call with me, you can ask me your questions via email, as many as you want and as you think of them, at any time.
Then, I can respond back to your questions as a priority at any time.
How does the service work?
We communicate via email at times that suit us individually. If we're in different time zones, there's no problem with trying to find a specific time that suits us both - you simply ask your questions when you have them, and I'll reply ASAP after receiving them.
As well as sending you emails, where appropriate, I can supply you with a variety of responses to your questions, including links to online experiences, service I personally use or recommend to my clients, English-language Japan-based booking platforms, helpful videos, etc.
Unlimited email support
There's no limit on the number of questions you can ask me while you're using my Personal Travel Support.
Ask me anything
Ask me anything about planning your trip to Japan, from destinations to logistics, and I'll answer.
Best from me to you
I'll often answer your question directly, but if there's a better answer or resource elsewhere I'll point you to it. That way, you'll always get the best advice and help available.
"I reached out to Rob because I had so many questions about our trip to Japan. His website and blog posts were so helpful, but I had some specific questions and really needed an expert to double check our itinerary.
Rob was so helpful. He had great advice and tips. We felt so much more confident arriving in Japan based on his guidance."
Angie L.
Service Client
What topics can we cover with Travel Planning Support?
We can cover just about any questions you have about your Japan travel pre-trip planning, everything from choosing where to go, to travel logistics, and more.
We all have those moments when we wish we had an expert on hand. And that's what Personal Travel Support gives you. It is the perfect solution to get you unstuck and moving forward - closer to your dream trip to Japan.
NOTE: This service is not designed (or priced) to offer travel advice while you are travelling in Japan. It is for pre-trip planning only.
Choose Your Travel Planning Support Plan
Each service plan comes with unlimited email support. Simply select the length that works best for you.
If you’re working on a large travel plan or know that you'll regularly need help, I recommend a month or three months. You’ll also save money by booking a longer plan.
If you just need help getting your plans finalised or asking a few questions, then I recommend you buy a week at a time.
Saved me the cost of his consultation within the first 10 minutes
It was a priceless experience working with Rob.
Not only did he completely transform any itinerary or agenda that I would have had, he saved me the cost of his consultation within the first five to ten minutes of speaking to him.
I think that anyone who doesn't use him for their for his services in their travel to Japan he's doing themselves a disservice because they're effectively risking 80 to 90% of the possible enjoyment of Japan if they don't consult with Rob.
I can't thank Rob enough and I recommend anyone to use him.
Elliott Reid
UK
The service was incredibly valuable to re-working my itinerary
I was unclear on scheduling and logistics (train, car, bus) during the trip. As well, I needed some advice on best sights and cities. The service provided by Rob was incredibly valuable to re-working my itinerary.
The suggestions provided allowed me to solidify my plans and create a better vacation. All my questions were answered fulsomely and picking Rob's brain about alternatives was extremely useful.
The written recommendations in the email allowed me to make all the changes to create a better trip.
Martine F.
Canada
Insanely effective!
Before using The Real Japan I spent hours upon hours scouring the web trying to decide what I wanted to do with my time in Japan. There were so many options, I was locked in a state of decision paralysis.
Rob helped me narrow down my goals and put together a comprehensive guide to accomplish everything that I wanted to in Japan as well as providing advice and resources on how to go about my trip.
Without Rob and The Real Japan I am sure that my trip would've been a jumbled unfocused mess, but because of the insanely effective help of Rob, I am certain that this will be the best trip of my life.
Jackson Houston
USA
Saved me more than the cost of the service. Excellent stuff!
I had spent hours and hours deciding what to do on my first trip.
Just a few tweaks with Rob and I’m now even more excited than ever!
For me, the travel planning service was never about saving money… it was to get the best experiences and best use of my time while there.
Saying that, Rob has also saved me more than the cost of the service. Excellent stuff!
Andrew Rondeau.
UK
There is no catch. That's the value of using email - for both of us. You get more help over a longer period of time and I’m able to serve more people at the same time. It's a win/win.
Responding via email alone allows me to answer questions at any time that's convenient, even when I'm not sitting at my computer. If I'm away from my office I can pull out my phone and type my reply. If I'm at my computer I can go through and answer questions from more than one client at a time.
Compare that to a 1-on-1 Zoom call: You and I both have to be on the call for the entire duration. I can't serve any other clients during that call, and you have to have everything prepared for us to go over all in one sitting.
While there are absolutely times where booking a call or calls makes complete sense for what you need, more often than not, people have smaller questions they want to ask, and they come up with them over time while they build their travel plan. That's where this service comes in.
Travel Planning Support includes you being able to email me (via a dedicated email address) an unlimited amount of times during the length of your plan. I will reply by email and may include any helpful resources, either as attachments or links to online resources (either my own or other companies I use in my own trip planning or trust and recommend to my clients).
Travel Planning Support does not include any proactive, hands-on work. It is a responsive service where I answer questions you send me. My Travel Planning Calls via Zoom can include hands-on work (such as building a Google Map or itinerary spreadsheet for your trip), so if you need that type of help then please either book a call with me or see if my Concierge Service is currently available.
Most of my clients can be helped via Travel Planning Support.
Note: The service cannot be used for real-time support during your trip. See: Can I use this service while I'm travelling in Japan FAQ below for more details.
Weekdays during 'business hours'. I am based primarily in the UK, but can offer the service wherever in the world I happen to be. You'll get a reply pretty quick. Typically anywhere from 1 hour to 1 day.
I don't guarantee replies during the weekend, but I do check in regularly.
Don't forget to account for any time zone difference. I might be sleeping when you ask your questions, and I'll may reply when you're asleep. But that's the beauty of this service. That way you don't have to wake up at 4am and get on Zoom. 
The service starts on the day you purchase your plan, so you can begin asking your questions immediately.
When your plan is due to expire you’ll receive an email from me to remind you of that. If you’d like to continue using the service, and I have capacity, you’ll have the chance to renew your current plan or choose another one.
All plans are one-time and automatically cancel after the duration term.
For example, three months of support is £496 for 3 months. You pay just once and it won't renew at the end of those three months.
There's no subscription required. If you start with a 1 Week Plan then realise you have more questions, simply book another week.
If you need proactive, hands-on help in real time then you should either book one of my Travel Planning Calls - I offer 30, 45 and 60-minute durations, or check to see if my Concierge Service is currently available.
If you have a lot of questions and you're not sure a single Travel Planning Call would be enough time to cover everything then I suggest try starting with 1 Week of Travel Planning Support.
There is no difference in how I help you. The monthly and quarterly packages are just longer.
The 1 Week option is ideal if you are pretty sure you won't have a lot of questions.
If you're unsure if 1 week is enough, you can always start with a week and then switch to monthly (or 3 months) if you value having me available to answer more questions over a longer period of time.
It's the same on all plans. When your plan ends you have all my replies in my emails, and can keep any resources, links etc. I send you, so you'll have your own, personalised library of planning advice, but you can't get more help until you book another plan.
No. This service is designed to offer support during the pre-trip planning period only. It is not suitable, or priced, for real-time support while travelling in Japan. Please do not book this service to use when you are already travelling. Any bookings made with the intention of using while travelling in Japan will be cancelled and a 25% admin fee will be charged, before refunding the balance.