The honest cost of a curated trip — what you pay for, and what you do not

By Christoph · 30 January 2026 · 5 min read

We are sometimes more expensive than Booking. Sometimes we are cheaper. Here is the actual maths.

On a typical 7-night stay for a family of four in a Saxon farmhouse, the booking-portal price will be roughly within ten percent of ours. Sometimes higher, occasionally lower. What is different is what is included — and what is not. We pay the host directly. We do not pay a portal a 15% cut. The host gets more of the money. We get a smaller share, transparent, only on confirmed stays.

The Transfăgărășan Is Open Again — 2026

As of 12 June 2026, the legendary DN 7C is open daily between 07:00 and 21:00 on the Bâlea Cascadă – Piscul Negru section — and that means it is time to start planning your Carpathian adventure.

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What a ski week in the Carpathians really costs

We priced the same family ski week twice — once in the Alps, once above Brașov. The difference pays for the flights, the ski school, and most of the food.

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