How much am I expected to tip?

Tipping is not mandatory at any of our destinations; however it will be very much appreciated, as it is a significant part of the workers' incomes. Below is a table with our tipping suggestions.

Tipping is always at your discretion, however, a guideline will be: (per person per day)

Tour Guides : $10.00 per person per day.

Drivers : $5.00 per person per day.

Tour Manager : $7.00 per person per day.

Porterage: $1.00 per bag

Cruise staff: $10.00 per person per day.

Will I need a visa to travel to your destinations? If so, what will it cost?

The requirements for a visa vary according to the destination, the citizenship of the traveler and other factors. It is frequently easy and not expensive to obtain a visa upon arrival at the airport – for example, currently for U.S. citizens arriving in Cairo, Jordan or Istanbul, sometimes a visa is not required – and same for U.S. citizens arriving in Athens or Tel Aviv.

We strongly urge passengers to check current requirements by calling the appropriate consulate or consulting their website well before traveling. We will be very glad to assist in researching this, but ultimately, it is the passengers responsibility to make sure that he/she has all the necessary documentation.

What are the Full Fare Pricing Laws and how do they affect tour prices?

In January 2012, the United States Department of Transportation enacted new consumer protection laws, requiring that airlines and agencies that sell air tickets include all the taxes, fuel surcharges and fees charged by the airlines in the total price of the ticket or tour.

Previously, it was the custom in the travel industry to list these taxes, surcharges and fees separately, because they are subject to change until the ticket is issued. But the government felt that this practice could confuse consumers, making it difficult for them to understand the full cost of their purchase.

So now the rates for any of our tours that include airfare also include these additional costs. This gives a mistaken impression that the cost of our tours has increased significantly, as the additional costs are typically several hundreds of dollars. In fact, the rates have not increased; they merely include more items.

What happens if the additional costs increase before ticketing? How does the consumer know what they are and how they have changed?

It is not illegal to list the amounts of the taxes, fuels surcharges, etc., as long as:

The total price is listed first and most prominently.

The various charges are listed separately and accurately – for example, this amount for taxes, that amount for fuel surcharges, the other amount for checked baggage fees.

Then, if any of these charges increases, the agency needs to inform the passenger accurately of the increase – for example, fuel surcharges have increased by $40.00 per ticket..