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Questions
and Answers
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- Q: Why Should I take an RV
tour?
A: This is the most popular question we are
asked by potential tourmembers. The answer is not safety as many believe. While there is
safety in numbers, this shouldn’t be your only reason for taking an R.V. tour. The
main reason is to see things you would otherwise miss traveling alone.
NO WORRIES, our staff takes care of all the planning, reservations and tours. We know the
roads and scout our trips in advance. The camaraderie of your fellow tourmembers is
another reason to travel with a tour. Friendships made during a tour last long after the
group returns home!
Q: What is (and is not)
included in my tour Fee?
A: The services of your tourleader, who is
experienced and knows his way around. All indicated tours, events, and camp fees. All
tours include vehicle inspection, drivers meetings, border assistance, camping fees.
information packet, emergency location enroute, and pre-trip routing. You must pay for
your vehicle expenses like fuel, etc. Personal expenses like shopping and groceries are
not included. Any OPTIONAL tour not listed in your literature, is not included.
Q: What about safety and
terrorism?
A: As far as bandits, we have not seen any in
over 20 years of south-of-the-border traveling. Thieves are world-wide, if you leave the
invita-tion, there is a chance you’ll find them. We believe there is less chance of
this on tour than by yourself in the US. Terrorism has reached within the USA and no where
is completely safe. Central America has been off the front page of newspapers for years,
we see no indication of problems arising anywhere on our tour.
When a problem arises, we have alternate plans that can be implemented at any time. Most
cases of “tourists” having problems, can be explained by analyzing the situation
they were in. Many times, common sense was not used and the invitation for trouble was
left out. We have very strict security rules that are followed. We hire security guards
where needed and stay in secure places we have used in the past. We also give our
itinerary to local authorities so we can be contacted in the event of an emergency.
Q: Do I need a passport?
A: Passports are required on most tours. New US
passports are valid for 10 years and are a valuable piece of identification. Some
countries require visas. We assist in obtaining these permits, before departure.
Q: Should we bring our
C.B.’s?
A: We use C.B.’s and find them very useful
for communicating with other members.
Q: What about road conditions?
A: On our tours, we use the best highways
available in the areas we travel. In Latin America, some of the roads are 6-lane freeways,
others are little more than country roads. The size of our group and pre-trip planning
allows us to travel slow when roads are rough. Toll roads are used where needed, we have
carefully planned our tours on routes which do not always require the use of a toll road,
because the free road is either just as good or more scenic.
If the toll road is much better than the free road, we take it. Keep in mind, toll roads
usually bypass all the interesting small towns and things your here to see, so if you want
to travel solely on toll roads, missing all the things in between, seeing only the main
towns and cities, then travel with another tour company that does this!
Q: What about vehicle
Insurance?
A: You are free to purchase your insurance
where you choose. Unlike some companies, we are not in the insurance business. We have
companies who are familiar with our low loss ratio and offer competitive rates to our
tourmembers. Some US insurance companies offer comprehensive coverage in Mexico, all you
would need to do is purchase a Mexico Liability Policy.
Q: What about BAD FUEL!?!
A: Fuel is plentiful and of excellent quality
in Mexico and Central Amer-ica. At present, Mexico prices are close to par with the US.
Central America is about 30% more than the US. Unleaded is available through-out the tour
route in Mexico and Central America. In South America, unleaded is available in most
areas. Extra capacity tanks should be installed for this trip.
Q: How about hook-ups?
A: Generally speaking, there are not many
hook--ups. We will have them when available. Scheduled dumps and water fills are provided.
Most of our stops are chosen for scenic beauty and/or cultural inter-est, not based on
hook-up availability.
Q: Do we travel bumper to
bumper?
A: NO, we travel apart (except in special
circum-stances) at a distance which is safe for others to pass. You may stop where you
wish, after advising a staff member.
Q: Can we drink the water?
A: SURE! There are several ways to ensure that
the water you drink is pure. We have not used bottled water for years now and have yet to
get sick. Water Purifiers (see advertisement on back cover), chlorine or iodine treatments
will provide safe water during your trip.
Q: Are there any inoculations
or health precautions required?
A: No, there are no re-quirements for the
countries we visit. We do how-ever advise that your tetanus shot be current in case of
injury in the countryside. Inoculations for safety is a personal decision.
Q: What about biting insects?
A: Believe it or not, biting bugs (sand fleas,
mosquitoes, etc.), are very rare in most of the places we visit. In some of the beach
areas you will find a few mosquitoes at dusk, but that’s it. Even in Central America
rain forests, the mosquitoes are at the lowest levels when we visit, because it is the dry
season. During other times of the year, (rainy season) there are some bugs!
Q: What about pets?
A: Dogs and cats are welcome, but require a
health certificate from a veterinarian dated within 60 days of departure. Dogs require a
rabies vaccination dated within six months.
No pets allowed in Panama due to strict quarantine regulations. Anyone planning on taking
a tour to Panama, will have to board their pets with a vet in San Jose, Costa Rica for one
week while we go to Panama, or you can stay in the full-service RV Park in Costa Rica
until the rest of the group returns from Panama.
Q: How much money should I
bring?
A: This is a personal decision, people
don’t have the same spending habits. During our trips we have our tourmembers
complete a series of questionnaires so we can track these variables from year to year.
Based on these questionnaires the average amount spent on tour is US$53 per day.
Q: What about the Language?
A: Some Spanish would come in handy, but it is
not a requirement. Your guides speak Spanish and can help with translating. Many people in
Latin America speak English because it is a required subject in school. That’s
another reason to travel with a caravan tour (at least the first time) into Mexico or
Central America. You will learn how to get around and communicate with the local people.
We meet many of our previous customers while on tour in Mexico, who are now traveling on
their own.
Q: How can my family contact
us in an emergency?
A: All they have to do is call our office, toll
free and the message will be delivered to our group wherever they are. No need for your
loved-ones to communicate in a foreign language, with a foreign country, we take care of
it for you. For example, one time a tourmember had a family emergency at home and our
office contacted us, literally “on the road.” By calling the embassy, who in
turn called the local police, they tracked the group down to a short stretch of mountain
road in Guatemala. The police caught up with the group and delivered the message to our
tourleader while the tour was moving along. How’s that for communication!
Q: Does the Tourleader stay
with us?
A: Unlike other tour companies, our tourleader
leaves with the group. The reason others leave one hour before everyone else is to scout
the routing before the group gets there. They would not have to do this if they scouted it
in advance like we do. We spend a lot of time and effort to scout each trip before
departure, so your staff doesn’t have to during the tour!
Q: Can I break off from the
group and travel on my own?
A: Yes! Unlike some regimented groups, we
encourage you to explore on your own. We understand that individuals want to see different
things. We encourage individual exploration and will suggest points of interest for you to
see along the way. There are things you may be interested in, that are not going to
interest the rest of the group. You may be interested in churches, or waterfalls, or
bird-watching, and we will personally point out these things for you.
Q: Who takes care of the
border paperwork and permits?
A: We do! For countries that need visas, we
send your passport ahead of time to the consulates. In Central America and even at some
Mexico borders, the paperwork and process, can be bewildering, especially if you
don’t speak the language! When we arrive at a foreign border, our staff takes care of
all formalities and you just relax and wait for us to complete the work!
Q: How’s the weather?
A: We plan our tours to coincide with the best
possible weather patterns in the countries we visit. Weather is one of the most important
factors in determining our tour dates. For example, many people think, heading south in
August is not right, but on our Trek of the Americas Expedition, the seasons are reversed
in South America, so August is really the end of winter (not the end of Summer) and the
best time to visit this area. Our Mexico and Central America tours are scheduled during
our winter months (January to March) and the weather is usually very mild, with little or
no rain.
Q: I cannot drive continually,
do you have break stops?
A: There is usually a 20-30 minute break after
every 2 hours of travel. If you need to stop sooner, stop in a safe wide spot off the
roadway. Lunch break is usually around midday and we are nor-mally in camp by
mid-afternoon. Our average travel distance is 150 miles which varies slightly according to
road conditions, and unexpected events.
Q: What about towed-cars?
A: Some caravan companies actually request you
bring your towed car along. That’s because they expect to use it for group
activities, instead of renting a bus!!! We don’t do this. If there is a group
activity, we take care of the transportation, not our paying customers! We suggest you
leave your vehicle at home or at rendezvous location, due to the additional expense at
borders, insurance, tolls, etc. Most camp sites in Latin America are “back-in”
type, so the vehicle will have to be disconnected every night! Ninety percent of those who
take cars, wish they had not! There is local transportation you can hire for a fraction of
the cost, without the parking hassles!!
Q: What preparations must I
make before our tour?
A: Each trip has different
requirements due to length of trip, countries visited, etc. We will provide you
with a pre-trip checklist that outlines what you need to do before leaving home.
Last minute items to buy. Vehicle supplies that are hard to find, equipment for
your vehicle and so on.
Q: What about cancellations?
A: If you have to cancel anytime before 60 days
prior to departure, we will refund your
deposit (minus a $75-$200 processing fee). If you are forced to cancel at any
time after the tour has started, all fees paid will be forfeited. Because
of this we strongly suggest purchasing an optional Tour
Cancellation policy. These policies are available from Travelex Insurance Services
and other companies. These policies will protect you in the event
you have to cancel your tour. With this type of insurance, all monies paid for the tour will be refunded (minus the
cost of the policy) if you are forced to cancel.
Keep in mind!
Travel in Latin America is different from traveling at home. In order to
travel in Latin America you must be flexible. Plans can and often do change
frequently. You have to be able to expect the unexpected.
Camping areas close, road conditions change, life moves on and you
must be mentally prepared to accept these inconsistencies as a part of the travel
experience. Travel plans and arrangements are not as easily made or carried out in Latin
America as they are in the US and Canada. Sometimes reservations are not always honored.
If you can accept this, you will enjoy yourself!
You will be visiting this region as a foreigner, to see the
differences of the culture and daily life found in these countries. Since R.V.’s are
somewhat of an oddity, you will usually be the center of attraction when pulling into a
small town. Some of the best (and most memorable) exchanges happen when the local people,
curiously come out to see the “turistas.”
