After you book
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What should I do about a cell phone?
Most of our staff get an international data plan for our personal phones when we travel and only use data or make calls minimally (as it generally costs extra). We then take advantage of Wi-Fi whenever possible.
Need more info? We've got multiple suggestions here.
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What is the closest airport or train station to my tour start/end?
On each tour page, you will find the nearest airport (and often train station) listed on the 'How to get there' section of the Program tab.
Contact us if you still have questions.
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How do I pay for my tour?
Your confirmation email (and Final Payment Due reminder email) contain a personal payment link. You may follow this link to make secure balance payments via credit card or e-check (as well as obtain wire payment bank details).
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Credit card (Visa, American Express, Discover, MasterCard). If you opt to pay by credit card, we charge a non-refundable 4% surcharge based on the total tour cost. The charge on your credit card will read 'BikeTours LLC'. You can avoid the 4% surcharge by paying by check or e-check. If you make final payment by check or e-check, you must still pay the initial deposit and booking fee by credit card, but the 4% surcharge doesn’t apply.
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ACH. You can make your balance payment by e-check (with no 4% credit card surcharge) by providing U.S. bank account information.
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Wire transfer. You may pay by wire transfer either in U.S. dollars to our U.S. account or in euros to our Euro account. There’s an additional $20 charge to offset our banks’ fees, and we ask that you add that to your total balance due. Please be sure the transfer includes a reference to your name, tour name, and/or invoice number. Please also email us with the wire transfer reference number at info@biketours.com. We will provide you with our account information after you book.
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Check or money order. Please make personal or bank checks payable to 'BikeTours.com' and mail to our office:
BikeTours.com
PO Box 30
Dimock, PA, 18816 -
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Where do I mail my check or money order?
Please make personal or bank checks payable to 'BikeTours.com' and mail to our office:
BikeTours.com
PO Box 30
Dimock, PA, 18816 -
What if I have to cancel?
Cancellation fees vary among tour operators. Exact details can be found on the individual tour page on the Dates & Prices tab via the linked text 'Tour Company Terms' (in the bottom right-hand corner). Tour operator cancellation fees usually increase as the tour date approaches.
Cancellations must be made to BikeTours.com in writing via email, fax, or mail. Please read full details under 'Cancellations' in our Terms and Conditions.
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What should I pack?
It varies from person to person, tour to tour, and season to season, but these tips and suggestions should help get you started!
Quick links:
- Appropriate clothing and equipment
- Suggested gear and equipment
Or download our printable packing list.
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What is included in my tour packet at the start hotel?
Your tour packet includes maps, route instructions, and sightseeing information.
Sometimes clients report that tour materials for certain routes offered by our overseas tour operator partners were somewhat lacking. We encourage you to do some homework upfront. Your local bookstore can supply you with guidebooks, maps, and other information about your destination.
Please note that you will receive just one packet per room unless you request otherwise.
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When do I get my tour documents?
Pre-tour documents are the documents you receive before your tour.
You'll receive pre-tour documents via email, including your hotel list (for hotel-based tours) and information on how to get to your starting town and hotel or boat, tour operator contacts, packing tips, and other helpful information, about 2-3 weeks before your tour.These items are supplied by the local tour company, and while we do our best to get the information to you well in advance of your tour, we're entirely dependent on the local company to get the information to us.
Tour documents are documents you'll receive on tour.
For self-guided tours, you will get (physical) packets with maps, route instructions, and sightseeing information at your start hotel (or boat). Please note that you will receive just one set per room or cabin unless you request otherwise.
Guided tours tend to have little to no on-tour documents as you are cycling with a guide. -
Can I get physical maps and route instructions before I leave?
The quick answer is no.
Why? While many higher-priced tour companies may send you materials in advance, the local overseas bike tour companies we work with keep their prices and overhead low by not doing this. Materials are bulky and heavy and may cost as much as $50 to mail. They would also need to print two sets in case you didn't bring the first with you from home.
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Who do I contact if I have any questions or problems while I'm on my tour?
If you're on tour, contact the tour operator. They are in the area and can respond more quickly and accurately than we can. Contact information will be in the tour documents we email you before you leave. Of course, if you don't get a satisfactory response, contact us.
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How much is my deposit?
Please see the payments page.
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What visas do I need?
Please contact the embassy or consulate of your destination to get detailed entry requirements for citizens of your home country. If obtaining or updating your passport or visa is overwhelming to you, let someone else handle it all for you! We recommend CIBT Visas, which offers discounts to our clients in the following countries:
- US citizens
Or call 1-800-577-2428, reference account number 101052 - Canadian citizens
Or call 1-888-665-9956, reference account number 11842 - UK citizens
Or call 0207 963 3873, reference you are traveling with BikeToursDirect - Australian citizens
Or call 1300 882 977, reference account number 300507
More information can be found on our Passports and Visas page.
- US citizens
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What if the tour operator cancels?
This happens, although rarely. Some tours are subject to a minimum number of participants (but you'd be notified upfront with a provisional confirmation if your departure hasn't met the minimum number of participants when you book). If a tour operator cancels a tour due to an insufficient number of participants, or any other reason, you'll be refunded any payments you've made up to that time, or you may be able to apply those funds toward another tour. BikeTours.com will refund your payment within 15 days of when we receive funds from the tour operator. Please note that most travel insurance generally doesn't cover cancellation by the tour operator except for 'cancel for any reason' policies.
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What kind of insurance do I need? Do I need medical insurance?
We recommend travel insurance for your bike tour. Everyone's needs are different, but we suggest the following types of coverage:
- Trip cancellation and interruption
- Travel delay
- Baggage delay
- Financial default
- Emergency evacuation
Depending on your health insurance coverage, you may also want to look at:
- Medical insurance
- Dental insurance
- 'Cancel for any reason' coverage
Please note that most travel insurance does not cover tour company cancellation due to insufficient numbers of participants or other reasons unless it specifically offers and you purchase 'cancellation for any reason' coverage. We encourage that you purchase this coverage if you are on tours that have not reached their minimum number of participants at the time you book (this applies primarily to guided group tours).
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Do you sell travel insurance?
We don't sell travel insurance, but we recommend you purchase it.
We purchase our personal travel insurance through TravelGuard, but please feel free to shop around. Yonder lets you compare multiple companies' policies and prices.
You can also search online or ask your broker.
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How do I get to my start hotel?
Details on how to get to your hotel will be included in the tour documents we email you before your tour (approximately 2-3 weeks in advance of departure). If that information is missing, please let us know.
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When do I find out which hotels I'll be staying in?
Most tour pages include a sample hotel list, under 'Hotels' on the ride side of the Program tab on each tour page. This list represents hotels booked 99% of the time.
In advance of your tour (generally 2-3 weeks prior to departure), we'll email you tour documents, including your hotel list and information on how to get to your starting town and hotel, tour operator contacts, packing tips, and other helpful information.
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When are payments due?
At the time of confirmation from the tour operator, we will charge your credit/debit card a deposit.
Your balance payment is due 60 days before your tour departure.
If your tour is confirmed within less than 60 days before tour departure, the due dates are as follows:
- Confirmation from 60 to 37 calendar days before your tour: Full payment must be received within one week of when your tour is confirmed.
- Confirmation within 36 days of your tour date: Full payment (deposit, booking fee, balance payment, credit card service fee) will be processed by credit card upon confirmation of your tour.
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Do you accept credit cards?
Yes. We accept Visa, American Express, Discover, and MasterCard.
If you opt to make your balance payment by credit card, we charge a non-refundable 4% surcharge on the total tour cost.
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If I make my balance payment by credit card, is the 4% service fee just on the balance or on the whole tour cost?
The 4% service fee is on the whole tour cost.
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Why do you charge a 4% service fee if I pay by credit card?
As we offer you the same prices as the tour companies, we don't increase tour prices to offset credit card fees. The 4% fee is what the credit card company charges us. Many of the tour companies also charge credit card fees, and many banks charge a transfer fee for paying in a foreign currency (you pay us in US dollars).
Please note that you can avoid the credit card fee by paying by e-check, check, or wire transfer. If you pay by one of these methods, the credit card fee is not applied to your $200 per person deposit.
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Can I pay in euros, so I don't have currency transactions costs?
Yes!
You may make your balance payment by wire transfer either in US dollars to our US account or in euros to our Euro account. Your confirmation email provides you with a personal payment link. Following that link will take you to a personal, secure payment portal with information on where to wire your balance payment.
More information can be found on our Payments page under 'Balance payments'.
Please note deposits are by credit card in US dollars only.
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Is there a way to sign in to my account on your website and view the scheduled tour, amount due, etc?
At this time, we do not offer a personal account feature; however, you will find a personal payment link in your confirmation email. Following this link will show you the amount due (based on a real-time exchange rate).
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need additional help at any time.
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How long does it take to get confirmation when I book a tour?
Some tour companies confirm overnight, but please allow at least 3-4 business days for confirmation. In rare cases, it can take 5-7 days. We'll send our confirmation as soon as possible.