[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":122},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guide-\u002Fguides\u002Fpricing-and-packages\u002Fshould-i-charge-a-travel-fee":3,"guide-siblings-\u002Fguides\u002Fpricing-and-packages\u002Fshould-i-charge-a-travel-fee":112},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"body":7,"description":87,"disclaimer":88,"draft":89,"extension":90,"faq":91,"lastReviewed":104,"meta":105,"navigation":106,"path":107,"publishedAt":104,"seo":108,"sitemap":109,"stem":110,"__hash__":111},"guides\u002Fguides\u002Fpricing-and-packages\u002Fshould-i-charge-a-travel-fee.md","Should I charge a travel fee?","Rally",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":79},"minimark",[10,14,19,22,26,54,57,61,64,72,76],[11,12,13],"p",{},"Yes, past a radius you pick and publish. The standard shape is a free zone around your base, 15 to 25 miles for most operators, with a per-mile or per-band fee beyond it. Close bookings stay simple, and the far ones stop quietly eating your margin one Saturday at a time.",[15,16,18],"h2",{"id":17},"why-distance-is-a-real-cost","Why distance is a real cost",[11,20,21],{},"A party 45 minutes out costs you three things the invoice doesn't show: 90 minutes of round-trip crew wages, fuel and vehicle wear, and, on a busy Saturday, the buffer math. The drive can be the reason a second party doesn't fit that day, which makes a far booking cost you part of a near one. The travel fee prices the first two. Only your judgment prices the third.",[15,23,25],{"id":24},"the-three-shapes-that-work","The three shapes that work",[27,28,29,42,48],"ul",{},[30,31,32,36,37,41],"li",{},[33,34,35],"strong",{},"Free radius plus per mile."," \"Free within 20 miles of ",[38,39,40],"span",{},"town",", 2 dollars per mile beyond.\" Precise and fair, slightly annoying to quote by hand, trivial if your booking form does the math.",[30,43,44,47],{},[33,45,46],{},"Free radius plus flat bands."," \"20 to 35 miles: 50. 35 to 50 miles: 100.\" Easier to say on the phone and easier for clients to predict.",[30,49,50,53],{},[33,51,52],{},"Zone pricing by county or town list."," Cleanest for metro operators whose drive time doesn't track mileage. Name the towns in each zone on the website.",[11,55,56],{},"Pick the one you can say in one sentence. A travel fee that needs a paragraph invites negotiation.",[15,58,60],{"id":59},"where-to-cap-it","Where to cap it",[11,62,63],{},"Somewhere out there is a booking that isn't worth taking at any realistic fee: the two-hour drive that burns a whole crew day for one party. Set a hard service boundary and, past it, quote a full-day rate instead of a travel fee. \"We do go that far, and it books as a full-day event\" turns the fringe inquiry into either a real payday or a polite pass.",[65,66,69],"rally-aside",{"label":67,"to":68},"See the catalog in Rally","\u002Ffeatures",[11,70,71],{},"Travel fees in Rally attach to your packages and calculate on the booking, so the form quotes the party and the drive together. Nobody discovers a surprise fee after they've fallen in love with a date.",[15,73,75],{"id":74},"the-line-to-remember","The line to remember",[11,77,78],{},"The free radius is a marketing decision. The fee past it is a math decision. Keep them separate and both get easier.",{"title":80,"searchDepth":81,"depth":81,"links":82},"",2,[83,84,85,86],{"id":17,"depth":81,"text":18},{"id":24,"depth":81,"text":25},{"id":59,"depth":81,"text":60},{"id":74,"depth":81,"text":75},"Yes, past a radius you pick and publish. A free radius with a per-mile fee beyond it keeps close bookings simple and stops far ones from quietly eating the margin.","none",false,"md",[92,95,98,101],{"q":93,"a":94},"How much per mile should I charge?","Between 1.50 and 3 dollars per mile beyond the free radius is common, which covers the federal mileage rate plus crew time for the extra distance. Round to numbers you can say out loud.",{"q":96,"a":97},"Should the travel fee be round trip or one way?","Quote it one way from your base and build the round trip into the rate. \"2 dollars a mile past 20 miles\" with the doubling already inside is easier than explaining round-trip math on the phone.",{"q":99,"a":100},"Do clients push back on travel fees?","Rarely, when the fee is published and calculated up front. The pushback comes when it appears late in the process. On the website next to the price, it reads like shipping: normal.",{"q":102,"a":103},"Should I waive the fee for big bookings?","Fold it, don't waive it. On a large event, quote one number with travel inside. The fee did its job in your math whether or not it's a line item.","2026-07-13",{},true,"\u002Fguides\u002Fpricing-and-packages\u002Fshould-i-charge-a-travel-fee",{"title":5,"description":87},{"loc":107},"guides\u002Fpricing-and-packages\u002Fshould-i-charge-a-travel-fee","4vhsZpfKkwfGPXxLCjyb1FnCms0TyG-Z5Go5nA9YCoQ",[113,116,119],{"path":114,"title":115},"\u002Fguides\u002Fpricing-and-packages\u002Fhow-much-should-i-charge-for-a-foam-party","How much should I charge for a foam party?",{"path":117,"title":118},"\u002Fguides\u002Fpricing-and-packages\u002Fhow-to-raise-prices-without-losing-clients","How to raise prices without losing clients",{"path":120,"title":121},"\u002Fguides\u002Fpricing-and-packages\u002Fshould-i-list-prices-on-my-website","Should I list prices on my website?",1783921368034]