Frequently Asked Questions

What would you like to know about the small-group walking tours that have caught your eye? If you don’t find your answers in the list below, please call us at 1-800-200-3887 or email us, and one of our friendly Guest Services Coordinators will be happy to assist you.

• We're used to traveling on our own. Will Classic Journeys suit us?
• I'm a single traveler. Will I feel comfortable? 
• Can you create a custom journey for me?
• Does Classic Journeys offer any discounts?
• What if I don't want to participate in a scheduled walk or visit?
• How do I get to and from the trip?
• What is the best way to book airfare for my trip?
• Will my rooms have a private bath?
• I am vegetarian or have dietary restrictions. Can you accommodate this?
• How do you ensure the quality of your trips?
• What does Classic Journeys do to support responsible travel?
• I'm ready to make a reservation. What do I do next?
• Can I purchase a Classic Journeys gift certificate?
• Where can I find your terms and conditions?
• How can I purchase insurance for my trip? 

Q: We're used to traveling on our own. Will Classic Journeys suit us? 
A: Many guests on our walking, family and culinary tours are very experienced independent travelers. “I’m tired of handling all the logistics” is the reason many of them cite for traveling with Classic Journeys. If you have any of those missed-train, lost-reservation, all-the-museums-were-closed stories, you’ll appreciate what a pleasure it is to offload the details to us. Likewise, if you crave cultural interactions with the locals, you’re also well suited to a Classic Journey. Our local guides get you into private homes, workshops, villages, restaurants and all kinds of cultural events that simply aren’t open or accessible to other travelers. We also understand that you don’t want to be part of a flock of tourists following a red umbrella. Not to worry. The average Classic Journey has just 10 guests. Many are even smaller; none are ever larger than 18. Most of our itineraries offer you options that include chances to spend time on your own. Our goal is for you to have a very personal experience that just happens to be hassle-free.

Q: I’m a single traveler. Will I feel comfortable?
A: Over a third of our guests travel on their own, so you'll fit right in. In your small group (just 10 guests on average and no more than 18), we typically have a mix of solo travelers, couples, and friends or family members traveling together. If you are like many of our guests traveling solo and prefer a room to yourself, you’ll find our single supplements are among the lowest in the industry. Learn more about how we cater to solo travelers »

Q: Can you create a custom journey for me? 
A: Want to arrange a private tour for your family, friends or business or alumni organization? We'll be glad to help—by creating a special edition of a tour you see on our website, or a totally unique itinerary based on the destinations and activities you want to include. Please call us at 800-200-3887 or email us with your wish list and let us help you plan an unforgettable vacation. Learn more about our private journeys, including ideas you can use from past guests »

Q: Does Classic Journeys offer any discounts?
A: Like you, we like to travel well, but wisely. The Classic Journeys philosophy is to include fine amenities and exceptional services in every one of our overseas and domestic adventure travel tours—at prices that compare to your advantage with those of other highly regarded tour companies that you may consider. In addition to offering family-friendly pricing on our Family Journeys, on all of our tours we like to reward guests who refer a friend or who arrange for a small group of friends to join us. 
Click here for more information on our kids' discounts » 
Click here for more information on rewards for referring a friend » 
Click here for more information on a discount for your group of friends »

Q: What if I don’t want to participate in a scheduled walk or visit?
A: Our guides will offer you a range of options so you can put your own spin on our pre-planned activities. Just choose any variations that appeal to you. You may want to linger longer over the frescoes in Assisi, while others walk through the Umbrian countryside. We like to scout out walks that can be abbreviated or stretched to your personal taste. On most trips our minivans are nearby to offer a lift. Our creative guides may also arrange other transportation, like a fishing boat, a cable car or even a camel.

Q: How do I get to and from the trip?
A: When you reserve space, we’ll send you a confirmation package including detailed information on how to get to and from the starting and ending points of the trip. And our guest services team is available to assist with pre- and post-tour hotel and guiding arrangements.

Q: What is the best way to book airfare for my trip?
A: Based on feedback from our guests and our own travel experiences, we've found the following online search engines to be very helpful for investigating and ticketing airfare to and from each of our trips. Each company has a toll-free number that you can call to speak with a real person if you prefer to do that rather than going on-line via your computer. Representatives are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

•  Expedia: www.Expedia.com, 1-800-397-3342 or 1-404-728-8787
•  Orbitz: www.Orbitz.com, 1-888-656-4546 or 1-312-416-0018
•  Travelocity: www.travelocity.com, 1-888-872-8356 

Q: Will my rooms have a private bath?
A: Yes. All hotels on all Classic Journeys have private bathrooms. The sole exception is the luxury Berber encampment where we spend a fantastic Saharan night on our Morocco trip. The site, which we get to after a camel ride to the desert’s highest sand dunes, does offer modern bathroom facilities, but they are shared. Our guests in Morocco regularly tell us this is one of their most favorite travel experiences ever.

Q: I am vegetarian or have dietary restrictions. Can you handle this?
A: Yes! An important minority of our guests are vegetarians, for example. Prior to any trip, we’ll send you a detailed pre-trip questionnaire. This is designed to provide us information on your expectations and any special requests or requirements you may have. In that pre-trip questionnaire, we ask you to advise us if you have any dietary restrictions, limitations or preferences. We’ll ask you to be as specific in that as possible. (For example, if you are vegetarian, let us know if that means you do not eat meat and poultry but you do eat fish, only legumes, etc.) We then pass that information along to our guides and restaurants so that you do not have to worry about it during the trip. If you have specific concerns or questions, please call us at 1-800-200-3887 or email us at moreinfo@classicjourneys.com. We can accommodate most dietary requests, so please do not hesitate to let us know so that we can make your trip exceptional.

Q: How do you ensure the quality of your guided adventure tours?
A: We research and develop our own walking, culinary and family vacations from the ground up. We hire expert local guides who are well-connected in their regions. They help create our tours so they have a personal interest in your satisfaction. We encourage guides to react to your interests and to unexpected events (like a one-day festival or an invitation into a home) to make your trip unique. Finally, we ask for and pay careful attention to comments from our guests. We use input from previous travelers to make sure your Classic Journey meets—and exceeds—your expectations.

Q: What does Classic Journeys do to support responsible travel?
A: We recognize that tourism can provide income to local people, conserve the environment, and promote understanding of other cultures. We are proud members of The Adventure Travel Trade Association, The Ecotourism Society, the Better Business Bureau, and IATA. Condé Nast Traveler singled out The Adventure Travel Trade Association for its screening of member tour companies. And National Geographic Traveler has complimented The Ecotourism Society for setting standards by which consumers can judge tour operators.

Q: I'm ready to make a reservation. What do I do next?
A: It's easy to make a reservation on one of our cultural walking tours, culinary tours or family tours. Simply call us or fill out our on-line reservation form. We'll ask you for a few quick pieces of information and a deposit of $300 per person per tour. Reserve your space in any of the following ways:
•  Call us toll-free: 1-800-200-3887 
•  Web site: Complete the on-line reservation form » 
•  Fax: 1-858-454-5770 
•  Mail: Classic Journeys, 7855 Ivanhoe Avenue Suite 220, La Jolla, CA 92037 
We accept personal checks or credit cards, including Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Please make checks payable to Classic Journeys.

Q: Can I purchase a Classic Journeys gift certificate?
A: A Classic Journeys' tour is the perfect gift for your favorite traveler. Gift certificates are available in any amount and can be applied by the recipient toward any Classic Journeys' vacation, pending availability. Click here for more information on how to purchase a Classic Journeys gift certificate.»

Q: Where can I find your terms and conditions?
A: You can review our terms and conditions on-line . For terms and conditions on-line unique to our private and custom terms, please click here » 

Q: How can I purchase insurance for my trip?
A: Travel insurance helps you plan that vacation you need right now with one less worry. As America’s leading travel insurance company, Travel Guard protects more than 6 million travelers each year. We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance from Travel Guard to protect your travel investment. A great new benefit offered by Travel Guard is called “cancel for any work-related reason” and protects you if you are required to cancel for any work-related reason. This added coverage provides peace of mind as you make long-range travel plans, and is available to you only if you take out the insurance within 15 days of making your reservation with us (7 days if you live in Washington state or Oregon). The fastest and easiest way to purchase your insurance is to click the Travel Guard link after you complete your Classic Journeys’ reservation on-line, as Travel Guard will send you an insurance certificate immediately. If you prefer to wait for your deposit confirmation package from us, we’ll include with it Travel Guard’s insurance application. 
Click here to reserve a Classic Journeys trip (with the option to purchase Travel Guard insurance) » 
Click here to compare Travel Guard insurance plans (with the option to purchase Travel Guard insurance) »