How it works

Same price.
VIP experience.
A life changed.

Booking through a travel advisor costs the same as booking direct. You also get VIP perks and every commission funds a cancer thriver's healing trip.

One booking,
one trip funded.

Here's exactly what happens when you book a trip through Alula. Same price as booking directly. But the commission — between 4–16%, paid by the hotel — goes to fund a thriver's healing trip.

The hotel pays the commission out of their margin — not yours.

A real example

A Disney family trip. Same price. Real impact.

You book $4,700 An Aulani family trip
You pay $4,700 Same as direct
To the fund $330 From commission

From an actual recent booking. The hotel pays our commission out of their margin — not yours.

Three steps,
start to finish.

Booking through me isn't more work for you — it's less. Tell me where you're headed (or if you already know exactly where you want to stay, even better). I research the options, layer in the VIP perks the hotel won't give you booking direct, and send you everything you need to decide. You pick. I handle the rest.

  1. 01

    Share details

    You fill out a short form — destination, dates, budget, anything you want me to know. Three minutes. No login.

  2. 02

    I research

    Two emails come back within 48–72 hours: my personal take with the why behind each pick, and the official bookable quotes with VIP perks where available.

  3. 03

    Book & impact

    You choose. I handle confirmation, special requests, and coordination. You travel. The fund grows.

The perks

What booking with me actually unlocks.

  1. Room upgrades at check-in When available.
  2. $50–$100 food & beverage credit Toward breakfast, dinner, or that first negroni.
  3. Complimentary breakfast for two Daily, at most participating properties.
  4. Welcome amenity on arrival Wine, fruit, chocolates — depending on the hotel.
  5. Early check-in & late checkout When availability allows. Makes a real difference.
  6. Spa credits at select properties Toward a massage, a facial, or a long quiet hour.
Questions

Frequently asked.
Honestly answered.

Does booking through Alula cost more than booking direct?

No. The price is the same as booking directly with the hotel — sometimes the same as Expedia or Booking.com. The hotel pays us a standard commission out of their margin, not yours. At no extra cost to you, you also often unlock VIP perks the hotel doesn't give direct bookers.

How does the funding model work?

I'm a licensed travel advisor and I earn standard hotel commission, typically 8–16% of your booking total depending on the property. The majority funds thriver trips. The remainder covers essential operations — web hosting, customer support, booking systems.

It is, deliberately, a model where doing the right thing costs you exactly nothing.

What's the difference between Plan a Trip and Quick Book?

Plan a Trip is the personalized advisor experience. You fill out a form, I do the research, you get my recommendations plus VIP perks at 1,500+ hotels. Best for honeymoons, milestone trips, family vacations.

Quick Book is our Booking.com affiliate channel. You search and book any hotel in seconds, same prices as anywhere. The commission rate is lower, and VIP perks aren't included — but it's the easy option when you already know what you want.

Both fund the mission.

How do you choose which thrivers receive trips?

Through an application process currently in development. When it launches, priority will go to thrivers in active treatment or within one year of finishing.

Until applications open, the honest answer is: we're still building the program. Email megan@alulatravel.com to be notified when applications go live.

What does a thriver trip look like?

At launch, the program is intentionally modest: domestic destinations only, up to ~$5,000 in trip value, 3–5 nights of hotel coverage plus a small travel stipend. Partner or small family welcome. Drivable when possible.

The Hana, Maui trip is the prototype. Not a luxury escape — a deliberate, healing-focused pause.

Is Alula a 501(c)(3) nonprofit?

501(c)(3) status is currently in process — not yet granted. We'll share publicly when it's official. Until then, the model still works: every booking funds the thriver trip program through the commission earned as a licensed travel advisor.

Who is Megan?

A licensed travel advisor, a breast cancer thriver, and a lifelong friend-and-family travel recommender. After her diagnosis in June 2025, she went to Hana, Maui — and the question that became Alula was: what if every cancer thriver could have this feeling?

Read the full story →

Your next trip
could be someone's
reason to hope.

Plan My Trip → or Quick Book a Hotel →

Stay close to the work.

Occasional letters from Alula. Trips funded, stories shared, milestones reached.