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ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Most of the questions you have regarding your tour can be answered by reading through this section and the ‘Tour Contract’ page.  Knowing as much as you can beforehand will enable you to enjoy your tour experience to the fullest.  For these reasons, we request that you read the ‘ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS’ and the ‘TOUR CONTRACT’ sections prior to making reservations.

When to Make Reservations.  If you have a particular departure date in mind, or are not flexible in the days that you are able to travel, the best way to get the date you want is to book as early as possible.  Further- more, the sooner you sign up, the better your chance will be to get the lowest tour price and the most favorable air schedule.  For these reasons, we recommend making your reservation five months or more prior to your desired departure date.

Children.  Children under 8 years of age are not accepted on our escorted tours, as it is difficult to keep them entertained on the motor coach, and they may distract from the enjoyment of other tour members.  Children ages 17 and under must be accompanied by an adult.  If children are not accompanied by their legal guardian, the legal guardian must sign their Reservation Application and a notarized consent form.

Discounts for Children.  Unless you are informed otherwise at the time you make reservations, the following discount will apply:  Children who will be ages 8 through 17 at time of departure and will be accompanied by at least one legal guardian are entitled to a $150 discount off the land and air inclusive tour.  No children’s discount applies to the land only prices, extensions, optional excursions, or any other additional costs. 

Visas - U.S. Citizens.  No visas are required for passengers carrying a U.S. passport.

Visas - Non U.S. Citizens.  If you do not carry a U.S. passport, a visa may be required for some of the countries you will visit.  You should check with the consulate of each country you will visit whether a visa is needed.  It is your responsibility to determine which visas are required and to obtain them before your departure.

Airport Coordination in the  United States.  Since we have departures from many U.S. cities, it is not possible to send an Image Tours representative to each airport.  However, we will give you clear and precise instructions to guide you through the check-in process.

Seating - Airlines.  If the airline allows pre-assigned seats, you may request seat assignments from the airlines 85 days or less prior to departure.  Please note these seat assignments may be canceled by the airline due to schedule or equipment changes, and you should, therefore, reconfirm your seat assignments 25 days before departure and again a few days prior to departure.

Frequent Flyers.  If you are a member of a frequent flyer club and if the airline offers miles on tickets issued by Image Tours, it is your responsibility to make sure that you are credited your mileage.  The best way to do this is to present your frequent flyer card/number upon check-in for both your departure and return.  Image Tours recommends you record your air ticket number and keep your boarding passes even after you have returned and until your frequent flyer statement includes your miles, so you can provide proof of travel to the airline, in the event of any problem.  Image Tours cannot provide copies of tickets after travel is completed.

Transfers.  Complimentary airport/hotel transfers are planned based on the scheduled arrival and departure times of the participants who purchased the ‘land and air’ inclusive tour from Image Tours.  For this reason, passengers who purchase ‘land only’ from Image Tours should expect to make their own way between the airports and the hotels at their own expense, but are welcome to join the complimentary transfer if the passenger’s actual flight times coincide with the actual transfer times.

Joining Your Tour.  Instructions on where and when to meet the tour manager in the arrival airport will be included with the Final Trip Documents Packet, received one to two weeks prior to departure.  If you are unable to make the scheduled transfer time, due to flight delays or for any other reason, you will need to make the transfer on your own, and the entire cost of this transfer will be your responsibility.  Your Final Trip Documents Packet will also include instructions and approximate costs for the most economical way to transfer to the first tour hotel.  However, we cannot guarantee this information and, under no circumstances, will Image Tours be held responsible for any portion of the cost of these transfers.  Many travel insurance programs include coverage for travel delays of more than 12 hours.  As you consider travel insurance, check if the policy includes travel delay coverage.

24/7 Emergency Assistance.  If you are traveling on a weekend or evening, when your travel agent may not be available, you can always reach an Image Tours representative who can answer your questions and offer you guidance.  Your Trip Documents will include a toll-free emergency number, serviced by an Image Tours representative 24 hours a day and 7 days a week and available to you any time on the day of departure from the USA.  While you are on the tour, your tour manager is supported by the Operations Department 24 hours a day and 7 days a week as well.  The Travel Insurance plan offered through Image Tours also offers 24-hour/7-day assistance for medical emergencies. 

Day Room.  If your arrival is more than three hours prior to the time you are scheduled to meet your tour representative, we recommend that you check with the airport information desk about a hotel day room where you can freshen up and rest a little prior to the transfer.  Even if there is not enough time to take a nap, a day room affords you the private environment to freshen up and relax a little after your flight. 

Leave Early/Return Later.  We accept requests to leave earlier or return later.  You may even be able to add another city at the beginning or end of your tour.  Ask your travel agent about availability and how such a revision may affect your air fare.  Any change(s) in your departure/return date(s) and or arrival/return city/cities may increase your air fare and subject you to a surcharge.  If you are considering any such changes after you have sent in your deposit, change fees will apply. 

Extensions.  Extensions must be requested at the time you make a reservation for your escorted tour and are subject to availability of the air and hotel space.  Extensions are independent and unescorted and all transfers are at your own expense unless specifically listed as an inclusion in the extension description.  Every effort will be made to reserve pre- and post- tour nights at the hotel where your tour stays.  Alternative accommodations may be made if space at the tour hotel is not available.  When this happens, the transfer between hotels is at your own expense.  For extension prices and suggestions, refer to the ‘Dates & Prices Guide’ insert or ask your travel agent.

Nights Away from the Tour.  If you wish to leave the tour for a night or two, and notify Image Tours in writing at least 60 days before departure, we will give you a credit of $35 per person for every night you are away.  You may leave the tour at any place on the itinerary, but you can only rejoin the tour at one of the overnight hotels.

Early Returns.  Air tickets issued by Image Tours are subject to change fees, and you may need to purchase a non-restrictive, one-way air ticket for returns within 7 days or from a different city than scheduled.  Therefore, Image Tours recommends purchasing travel insurance with trip interruption coverage.  If you must return early for any physical/medical reason, make sure you obtain a statement from the attending physician/hospital, as this may allow the airlines to waive change fees and this will assist you in making a claim if you have purchased insurance.

Driver/Tour Manager.   As a rule, Image Tours provides both a driver and a tour manager when indicated.  However, at our sole discretion, we may have the driver double as tour manager.

Tips, Taxes & Service Charges.  The tour price includes tips, taxes, and service charges for all aspects of the tour that are prearranged by Image Tours.  Any additional tipping is strictly at your own discretion.   In answer to the question “How much do we tip the tour manager and driver?”, the average amount tour participants tip the tour manager and driver is about $2 each, per day and per tour participant, highly influenced by how much they feel the tour manager and driver have contributed to the success of the tour.  However, we hasten to stress that any tipping to hotel staff and tour personnel, shall be strictly an expression of your special appreciation, shall be strictly a personal matter, and must never be considered mandatory, either by tour participants or by tour personnel.

Smoking.  In Europe the non-smoking issue is not addressed as aggressively as in the United States. 

Nevertheless, we have adopted a non-smoking policy on our motor coaches.  Also, although most restaurants still do not feature non-smoking sections, we urge all tour participants to refrain from smoking when your tour party is seated together for breakfasts and dinners.  Unfortunately, we cannot be of much help when it comes to hotel rooms, because many hotels on our tours do not offer non-smoking rooms.  Image Tours expressly disclaims any responsibility or liability in connection with non-smoking requirements.

Seating - Motor Coach.  Seating on the motor coach will be assigned by a rotation system.  Out of fairness to all passengers, we do not accept special seating requests for the motor coach for any reason and expect full participation in the rotation system. 

Rest Rooms.  Although motor coaches for our tours are usually equipped with an enclosed ‘porta-potty’, you are asked to limit its use to ‘emergencies only’, due to limited disposal sites.  Frequent sightseeing and rest stops will be made in order to allow for a comfortable traveling experience. 

Heating & Air Conditioning - Motor Coach.  All our motor coaches are equipped with heating and air conditioning.  Due to stringent pollution prevention laws, however, the motor coaches must turn off their engines when at a standstill, and the air conditioning will only function when the engine is running.  While the air conditioning is in operation, you will find that the temperature in the motor coach is about 10º lower than outside.  For instance, if the outside temperature is 80º, then the motor coach will be about 70º.

Heating & Air Conditioning - Hotels.  Due to a milder climate, air conditioning is not as widely used in Europe as it is in the U.S.A.  Therefore, a number of our hotels do not feature air conditioning, but all are equipped with central heating.

Hotel Rooms.  All rooms have a private bathroom with sink, toilet, and shower or bathtub.  Room assignments for each tour are made by the individual hotels.  This is a practice accepted worldwide.  The location, view, and size of the rooms may vary.  Often the European ‘twin’ is two beds made up separately, placed side by side sharing the same headboard.  In some hotels it may not be possible to separate these twin beds.

Roommates/Guaranteed Shares.  Unless advised otherwise at time of booking, if you are making your reservations more than 100 days prior to departure, Image Tours offers a ‘Guaranteed Share’ program. 

If you indicate on your Reservation Application that you are requesting to share a room, Image Tours will assign you a roommate of the same sex.  If Image Tours does not find a roommate for you, you will be assigned a single room but will not be charged a single supplement.  Requests to share a room made within 100 days prior to departure will not be guaranteed and, in these cases, if we are unable to find a roommate, or in the event of cancellation by a roommate, you will be charged the single supplement.  Please note, if you request to change to a single room for any reason, this change will be subject to availability of a single room at the time you request the change.  If you request this change more than 30 days prior to departure, you will be charged the single supplement.  If you request this change within 30 days prior to departure or during the tour, you will be charged double the single supplement.   

Single Rooms.  For the applicable single supplement for each tour, please refer to the ‘Dates & Prices Guide’.  Single rooms are usually much smaller and not as well located as double rooms, and only a limited number are available.  Once our standard allotment of single rooms (4 per tour) is sold out, we may be able to confirm additional singles at an extra supplement of $10 per night. 

Although highly unlikely, if you have paid the single supplement and are forced to share a room, an appropriate refund will be made.

Triple Rooms.  Most European hotel rooms are not designed to accommodate three persons, and ‘triples’ usually consist of a standard double bed or two twin beds, with a folding bed, cot, or rollaway for the third person.  Be aware that this may not be comfortable for three adults.  There are no discounts for triple rooms.

Meals.  Some hotels may still serve a continental breakfast, but usually breakfasts are buffet style with a selection of rolls, butter, jam, cheese, cold cuts, coffee, tea, milk and juice.  On occasion, the buffets may also include cereal, sweet rolls, fruit, yogurt, eggs, or other items.  The included dinners are usually prepared following a prearranged, fixed menu.  We work with the hotels to try to provide you a variety of meals throughout the tour.  Beverages are not included with dinners. 

Diets.  If notified in writing at least 50 days prior to departure, Image Tours accepts the following diet requests only:  1) vegetarian; 2) diabetic; and 3) low salt.  Although we will inform the tour manager and the hotels of these diet requests, any dietary requirements remain entirely your own responsibility.  Please do not give the tour manager a list of items you may or may not eat.  Instead, leave items you may not eat on your plate and order additional items ‘à la carte’, at your own expense.  Please ask your travel agent to forward your diet request to the airline.  Image Tours expressly disclaims any responsibility or liability in connection with your dietary requirements.

Optional Excursions.  The tours are carefully planned to offer you a comfortable balance of sightseeing, entertainment, and leisure time. However, experience shows that many of our clients like to use their free time to make one or several additional excursions.  The proposed optional excursions for your tour are noted in the itinerary and an updated list will be included in your Trip Documents Packet.  Optional excursions must be booked with and paid to your tour manager in Europe.  Prices are in American Dollars, and you may pay with USD cash, VISA, MASTERCARD or DISCOVER.  Traveler’s Checks, personal checks, and foreign currency are NOT accepted.  Operation of these excursions is subject to sufficient participation, and our driver/tour manager reserves the right to cancel or change these excursions at his/her sole discretion.   

Physical Condition.  Due to limited access for motor coaches to old town centers, a fair amount of walking is required to take in all of the old-world charm and sights on our escorted tours.  In order to keep up with the pace of the tour, we recommend participants be able to comfortably walk a half mile in 10 minutes.  If you are concerned about your physical condition, please consult your family physician as to whether the tour is suitable for you and consider the following points:

1)  If you are not keeping up with the rest of the group, the tour manager will ask you to stay near the motor coach and forfeit any sightseeing that requires walking as a group.  In case you are separated from the group during sight- seeing time, it will be your own responsibility to position yourself at the pre-designated re-embarkation point, at the agreed time.  If you have to take a taxi to do so, it will be at your own expense.

2)  Staying on the motor coach during stops is not an option, because when parked, all passengers must disembark so the driver can lock the motor coach and take a break.

3)  Tour and hotel personnel will not be available to lift or otherwise physically assist tour participants at any time.  Thus, if you require any type of assistance, you must bring a capable travel companion who can comfortably help you keep up with the pace of the tour as described above.

4)  With an average of 40 participants per tour, the tour manager’s principal responsibility is to ensure the enjoyment of the tour by the overall group.  The tour manager may ask you to leave the tour if you are unable to keep up with the pace of the other tour participants, to the extent that it impedes the other tour members’ enjoyment of the tour, and all resulting costs will be your responsibility.

If You Require the Use of a Wheelchair.  We discourage you from taking our tours if you require a walker or wheelchair, or are unable to comfortably walk a half mile in 10 minutes.  If you use a walker or wheelchair and still decide to take our tours, please note the following requirements:

1)  If you normally use a walker, you will need to bring a wheelchair and leave your walker home.  A walker is simply not practical on the tour due to motor coach entrances, uneven sidewalks, and cobble stone streets. 

2)  You must bring your own folding wheelchair.  Non-folding or motorized wheelchairs are not allowed on the motor coach.

3)  At time of reservation, you must notify the Tour Operator, in writing, that you will bring a wheelchair.  If you fail to comply with this requirement, the driver will not accept your wheelchair on the motor coach.

4)  The wheelchair will be stored in the luggage space underneath the motor coach; therefore, it should fold quickly and easily.  The charge for handling and storage of a wheelchair on the motor coach is $50.  This is a one-time charge, payable to the driver at the beginning of the tour.

5)  You must bring a capable travel companion who can comfortably help you keep up with the pace of the tour.  Please refer to points 1 through 4 of the Physical Condition information above.

6)  In Europe, the laws do not yet require motor coaches to be equipped with ramps/lifts, or hotels to offer provisions for the physically challenged.  So, please do not expect these facilities on our tours.

7)  You must always try to be the first person to get on the motor coach and the last person to get off.  This will ensure smooth and swift embarkation and disembarkation for all passengers.  To help facilitate this, we recommend you make it a habit to arrive at the motor coach slightly ahead of the other passengers.

If You Get Lost.  The chance that you become lost is very small indeed.  If this does happen, you will usually manage to find the motor coach before it leaves at the agreed time.  However, in the event the bus has left, you should proceed to your hotel using a taxi, train, or bus.  This will be at your own expense.  If you need to do this, you can ask for assistance from police, bus drivers, train station or tourist office personnel.  Always carry your passport and a copy of your ‘Overnight Schedule’ with you! 

Lost Articles.  Neither Image Tours nor any company contracted through Image Tours shall be responsible for articles lost, stolen, or left behind.  Such articles are rarely retrieved, therefore, we recommend you check that you have all your possessions each time you leave a motor coach, hotel, restaurant, and on all other occasions throughout your tour.  Out of consideration for your fellow travelers, do not ask the driver/tour manager to turn the motor coach around to retrieve a lost article.  Any items found by tour managers, drivers, or hotel personnel will be brought to the attention of Image Tours.  Locating the owner of a ‘lost and found’ item will be most successful if the owner reports the loss to Image Tours immediately.  Upon receipt of payment for the shipping and handling (on average $25 per item) Image Tours will ship ‘lost and found’ articles to their owner, provided the item is approved for shipping and customs.  Neither Image Tours nor any company contracted through Image Tours shall be responsible for any articles lost, damaged or confiscated while stored or transported.   

Contacting Tour Participants.  Image Tours respects the privacy of their tour participants.  If you wish to contact fellow tour participants after the tour, be sure to ask them for their names and addresses during the tour because Image Tours will not be able to provide you with this information.

About the Weather.  The weather in Europe, like that in most places, is unpredictable.  While planning your wardrobe, imagine that you are planning a trip through the USA.  Season for season, the climate of the midwest is comparable to western and central Europe, and the climate in our southern states is comparable to southern Europe.  Even in the summer, bring that warm sweater and a raincoat.  Conversely, during fall and winter, you may experience some lovely weather with pleasant daytime temperatures.  Before the tour, everyone is concerned about the weather.  When you return, the weather is the last thing you’ll remember.  In evaluating the tour, participants rarely mention the weather.  Instead, people attribute the success of their tour to such things as the hotels, meals, motor coach, extras, pre-tour information, local guides, driver/tour manager, dinner entertainment, sightseeing, the people they’ve met, things they’ve learned, and all the new experiences they’ve had.  Indeed, enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of Europe is in no way bound by seasons, or the weather.  You can enjoy our tours as much in November as in August.  So, whether guided by your calendar, or by your pocketbook, pick the season that suits you best and capture the fun and enjoyment of an Image tour . . . any season!