How Do Travel Fees and the Photography Service Area Work?

Introduction

Before booking a listing shoot, there are two separate location questions to consider: whether travel carries a fee, and whether the property qualifies for photography-only service. We base both on Google Maps driving time from our studio at 2016 Peach Street, The Bastion, in Erie, Pennsylvania—not on a mileage radius.

When is travel complimentary?

Travel is complimentary for locations within a 20-minute one-way drive of our studio, based on Google Maps. For longer drives, the full round-trip drive time is billed at $0.50 per minute. The fee is not calculated only on the minutes beyond the complimentary area. Once the one-way drive exceeds 20 minutes, the full round-trip drive time is used for the travel charge.

What does that look like?

A property with a 30-minute one-way drive involves 60 minutes of round-trip travel. At $0.50 per minute, the travel fee is $30. For a straightforward example with a 45-minute drive in each direction, 90 minutes of round-trip travel would produce a $45 fee. These examples explain the calculation; the property's actual drive time should be checked in Google Maps rather than estimated from its town name or distance in miles.

How far can we travel for photography only?

Photography-only bookings are limited to listings within a 60-minute one-way drive of our studio, based on Google Maps. A property can therefore qualify for photography-only service and still carry a travel fee. For example, the 30-minute property above falls inside the photography-only service area, but outside the complimentary travel area. Those are different thresholds serving different purposes.

What if the property is more than 60 minutes away?

Listings more than 60 minutes away may be booked for video only, or for photography when booked together with video or a drone add-on. Travel fees still apply as described above. Adding an eligible service changes the booking options for that location; it does not make the travel complimentary. Video Postcards alone are not named as an exception to the photography-only limit in this policy.

Next step

If your property is outside the immediate Erie area, share the listing address and intended services with us before finalizing your plans. We can clarify the appropriate booking option and travel calculation. View services at https://www.reachmediaproductions.com/book-a-shoot or ask about a location through https://www.reachmediaproductions.com/contact.