Frequently Asked Questions
How Active is Active?
Stretch your mind and your legs. Activities range from a day of light walking around a vineyard or museum to more invigorating pursuits like kayaking, bicycling or scaling the steps of an ancient Incan ruin. Most activities are geared to people who are used to doing some sort of regular exercise. You always have the choice to opt out of more strenuous activities - use the icons in each itinerary as a guide.
To stretch the mind, get set for activities that are hands-on endeavors you might never expect to find yourself doing. Like making a meal with an Italian - or French or Croatian - chef... sketching the landscapes of the Impressionists... learning about (and of course tasting) wine, olive oil, chocolate... having political or topical discussions with local experts. A new skill - or thought - every day.
To make it easy for you to see at a glance what types of activities are on each trip, we’ve created spiffy icons. You’ll see them, with explanations, in the trip detail pages.
How Do We Get Around?
How you travel with Culturious to pursue all of these activities is most important. Transportation varies from trip to trip, but is usually by multiple small passenger vehicles - so get set for access to hidden places that are off the beaten track, roads that larger vehicles can’t maneuver on, and the freedom to change your route for unexpected, spontaneous activities. And the vehicle transportation time is minimal. We prefer to walk.
How Many People & Who's in Charge?
Small groups, 20 people on average, travel together on Culturious trips. Culturious is about new skills, new knowledge, and new experiences. It’s all about the laughter shared with like-minded travelers at the end of the day, in a café, a vineyard, a konoba, a private home, a seaside villa... And if you wish, your own group can travel privately and buy out a whole departure.
Your journey is escorted by Culturious Trip Guides who are locals. They have the spirit, knowledge and welcoming embrace to show you the less-traveled, more illuminating corners of the places that they call home - which also happen to be some of the most fascinating places on earth. They are joined by local experts with amazing specialties - an art scholar with a passion for van Gogh, an artisan specializing in antique Florentine restoration, a rainforest naturalist who knows the Amazon like the back of his hand, a Vietnamese historian and author who welcomes you into his home...
Where Do We Sleep?
Where you stay on a Culturious trip reflects the local culture, from a thatched-roof cabana nestled on the banks of the Amazon to an 18th-century Provençal mansion. Accommodations are unique to each destination. Most are small luxury hotels, a few are private villas, some are eco-hideaway resorts, and occasionally there’s a trendy city-center hotel. Some have spas, some have phenomenal views, some have gardens...and all are authentically Culturious. You will experience local life from the best-in-class accommodations.
What’s on the Menu?
Food, and the art of dining, are some of the most important parts of the Culturious experience - on each journey you’re ensured that you’ll try local cuisine the local way. And oh, there are oh so many ways... Savor creations from an award-winning chef at a top-rated hotel or resort. Make a trip to the local market for fresh produce, meats, and cheeses to create a picnic lunch. Go to small family-run restaurants where the bread is freshly baked, the vegetables handpicked and the catch of the day is the real thing. Visit a local market with a chef, then it’s hands-on for a cooking lesson. Wine tastings and olive oil tastings, canapés and cocktails, tapas and hors d’oeuvres - from Vietnam to Tuscany, they’re all part of the Culturious culinary experience.
What’s Included?
Just about everything – all gratuities (Trip Guides, local experts, drivers), daily activities, luggage handling, airport transfers, on-tour airfare & transportation, fees... We take care of all details so you can simply be Culturious. And enjoy. Please note airfare to the tour departure point and from the tour ending point is not included.
Who Designed These Trips?
We are very lucky to call Brian Stacey our primary Tour Architect – his passion for personal exploration and professional travel is extraordinary. During his 26-year career with Tauck, Brian has navigated over 65 countries and led the development of over 40 Tauck itineraries. He has met literally thousands of people from local communities, taking every opportunity to immerse himself in their cultures as he develops tours. In all, the programs Brian developed have played host to over 100,000 extremely enriched and inspired guests. Not surprisingly, during his free time Brian travels with his wife and daughter, often volunteering their services towards the development of third world countries. Culturious journeys are hand-stamped, road tested, Brian Stacey approved.
Help on Specific Topics
Group Travel
- Do you offer opportunity for group travel?
Culturious encourages group travel on its journeys, whether partial or exclusive departures. To learn more please call our Group Specialists at 1-888-840-1852 or email groupsale@Culturious.com. You can also visit our private group departures page or call your local travel agent.
Air Travel
- Can Culturious make my air arrangements?
Culturious offers special fares for most travel originating in the U.S. We strongly urge you to take advantage of Tauck Culturious air which offers more lenient change and refund policies, and are selected for being the most suitable flights for travelers arriving and departing our journey's designated start and end dates.
- Can I use my frequent flyer miles?
Accrued frequent flyer miles cannot be used toward the purchase of airfare or used for class upgrades, however, airfare purchased through Culturious does qualify to earn you additional miles.
- If I purchase my air through Culturious do I need to pay for it immediately?
One of the advantages of purchasing your air through Culturious is that it can be reserved and held without payment until ticketed - which is generally done 60 days prior to your journey’s departure date. By contrast, airline published fares must be reserved, ticketed and paid for immediately.
Booking a Trip
- Can Culturious make hotel reservations before and after my journey?
As a service, Culturious will make hotel reservations before and after your journey. Rooms are reserved at the first or last night’s hotel property of any Culturious journey so there is no worry of having to change hotels or rooms at the start or end of your trip. Rooms are reserved on a space-available basis, and the cost will be added to your tour cost.
- Will I have to make payment at the time I make a reservation?
A deposit is required in order to hold a reservation for a Culturious journey. Deposit amounts vary depending on the destination. Culturious’s non-refundable Guest Protection Plan must also be paid for at time of deposit or up to 10 days from the time your reservation is made. You may cancel within 10 days of making your reservation to receive the full refund of your deposit, and the cost of the Guest Protection Plan (if applicable).
- When is final payment due for a journey?
Final payment for a Culturious journey is due no later than 60 days prior to a journey’s start date.
- Will there be penalties if I cancel my tour?
Regardless of reason, cancellations result in costly charges from travel and hotel providers covering penalties and fees incurred by canceling confirmed bookings. Guests choosing not to purchase our Guest Protection will incur these cancellation penalties. Penalties vary depending on destination, and whether it is a land, rail, or cruise journey. Please see Guest Protection for specific charges by tour.
- What forms of payment does Culturious accept?
Culturious accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and check payments.
- Does Culturious work with Travel Agents?
Culturious has a strong relationship with the Travel Agent community and we encourage you to see your travel agent if considering making a reservation for a Culturious journey. However, if you do not have or typically use a travel agency, you may make a reservation directly with Culturious.
- Will I receive documentation when I book a Culturious journey?
Once a journey has been booked and deposited, Culturious will automatically send a confirmation of your reservation. Final tour documentation which includes a day-by-day itinerary of your journey is sent after final payment is received.
- What kind of information can I expect to receive when I purchase my journey?
When you book and deposit a Culturious journey you are sent a ‘Summary of Purchase’ outlining the tour’s start and end dates/times, all associated tour costs, monies applied, balance due, and additional information. Included with the Summary of Purchase is information on Culturious’s Guest Protection, a list of suggested reading material appropriate to the journey, a visa application form when applicable, and an air itinerary schedule if your flights to and from the tour are confirmed through Culturious. Final tour documentation is sent after final payment is received, and will include additional information about clothing and packing, weather and more, along with a day-by-day itinerary of your journey.
- Can I make special room requests?
Culturious is happy to advise hotels of any special room requests or requirements, provided we receive them at the time your reservation is made. Please be aware that requests cannot be guaranteed.
Traveling with Culturious
- Will we be eating as a group for meals?
Culturious’s “free choice” dining allows you to eat many of your meals when you want and with whom you want. Special occasion dinners are held as group functions, and lunches that are included during group sightseeing excursions are often held in a group setting.
- Are gratuities included?
The customary gratuity to the Culturious Trip Guide, local guides and drivers are included on all Culturious tours. All appropriate gratuities for luggage handling, bellman, doorman, dining room servers, housekeepers, local city guides, and the like are included in the price of a Culturious journey.
- Do Culturious journeys accommodate triples?
Most every Culturious journey can accommodate three people in a room. Typical room accommodations for triples are two beds and a roll-a-way. Though very rare, there is sometimes an occasional hotel that must accommodate a triple by using two rooms. This cannot be requested and is only done out of necessity by the hotel for lack of rooms accommodating three beds.
- Can special dietary needs be accommodated on a Culturious journey?
Many special dietary needs can be accommodated on Culturious journeys with advance notice but cannot be guaranteed. Different destinations make some dietary needs harder to accommodate than others. We will do everything possible in communicating your requests to hotels and restaurants. Common dietary requests like ‘low sodium’ or ‘vegetarian’ are likely to be accommodated much easier than very special or unique dietary needs. Meals that are full a la carte offer more flexibility for special dietary requests as do some limited a la carte meals. For the occasional ‘set menu’ or ‘buffet meals’ on Culturious journeys, unique dietary needs may prove a bit more challenging.
Preparing to Go
- Should I bring identification with me?
No matter where your destination may be, you should bring identification with you. A valid passport is always an appropriate form of identification. If you are a U.S. citizen traveling abroad then a valid passport will be required, and though not mandatory, we also recommend bringing some form of government issued photo ID such as a driver’s license. Culturious recommends that non-U.S. citizens consult the embassies or consulates of the countries they will be visiting to determine identification and travel document requirements.
- Will I be restricted in the amount of luggage I can bring?
Most Culturious journeys only allow for one normal sized suitcase per individual. Remember, a wise traveler packs light! We also encourage just one carry-on bag per individual (for carrying items that might be needed during the day’s sightseeing excursions or camera/video equipment).
Culturious Photo Contest
Another reason to smile in 2009! Be sure to take along your camera when you travel with Culturious this year, because in addition to giving you a world of exciting photo opportunities for never-ending memory making, we're also giving you a chance to win a travel voucher valued at up to $2,000 towards your next Culturious vacation.
Simply send us your best candid shot of your Culturious vacation this year and we'll enter it in our 2009 Photo Contest. If you submit the winning 1st place photo, you will receive a $2,000 Culturious travel voucher; if your photo places 2nd, you will win a $1,000 Culturious travel voucher; or if your photo places 3rd, you will enjoy a $500 Culturious travel voucher. Travel vouchers are redeemable towards any future Culturious journey.
Click here to download complete contest details and entry form. Please note, much of the language will say Tauck – our parent company.
