Frequently Asked Questions
- What can I expect from your tours?
- Why should I choose for Monsoon Adventure?
- Are there any demands to my health?
- Is there a certain age limit? Is this way of travelling suited for the elderly? Can children join?
- Is it possible for me to do this on my own?
- Do the hotels where we stay have a swimming pool? What about bathroom facilities?
- What sort of transportation will we be using during the tours?
- How much money will I need for meals and possible excursions?
- Should I take a suitcase or a bag / rucksack?
- If I book a group tour, is it certain that the tour will run?
- Does the price of your tours include international flights?
- Are there any hidden extra costs?
- I travel as a single, do I have to pay more for the room?
- What language do you use during the tour?
- Can you send me a brochure of your tours?
- Can I bring pens, balloons, etc. with me to give to children on the way?
- Do I have enough free time during the tour?
Q: What can I expect from your tours?
A: A journey for the adventurous
minds where you will get to know
the original or “coleur locale” character of a certain country
and its people. Our tours stand for gaining new experiences and you will
do things or find yourself in situations in which you would
usually not be. This without losing sight of the safety aspect of our guests
during the tour. We try to restrict the possible negative impact of tourism
up to an absolute minimum. Respect for the country we visit, its people and
its local traditions and customs
during the tour are essential.
Adventurous travelling is generally also quite adventurous concerning trying local food, accommodation and local transport. From time to time it’s "back to basics." We strive however within the local possibilities for a better than average accommodation without losing the “coleur locale” of the visited country. Our goal is to "experience" the real character of the country and to be able to taste and feel how it is to live and to travel there.
Our tours are and have to be flexible as a consequence of the fact that we also visit the not yet discovered places by the public. Therefore a good infrastructure is not yet always present. That is also an important part of our adventure. Travelling through such untouched areas!
Q: Why should I choose for Monsoon Adventure?
A: There are
several reasons why you should choose for us! It will
however be too much to mention these reasons here once again. Our Web site explains
this sufficiently more than once. However we would like to mention in short
our strong points: We are different from the mainstream tour
organizers. Our quality adventurous tours are an experience
where you can taste the real authentic coleur locale and soul or character
of a country. It isn’t
just a trip. We travel exclusively in small groups. Experienced
tour leaders will take care of you during the tour. The
group exists of likewise minded participants who also want to explore.
The programmes are as complete as possible so
that you will get a complete overview of a country or region. There is much
included in the price like excursions, entrance fees, tips and often
also meals.
The way we travel
and our exploration tours are personal.
Your tour will be a chain of never ending local experiences where
we will meet with local people and their customs and traditions, standards
and values. We have days where we will go together as a group but there is
also enough individual freedom for your own discoveries and relaxing. Respect
for the visited country, its people and their customs and traditions. Not
only words but also in the way we discover these places!
We want you to experience the real Asia!
Q: Are there any demands to my health?
A: Yes, there are minimum requirements
to both the physical and mental health of our guests, who want take part in
our tours.
Absolutely necessary is a normal health with an active
mind. Walking and bicycling are frequently standard components of
the programme and are most of the time the best way to get to know the character
of a country. From time to time we probably have to carry our own luggage.
Flexibility
and a positive and social attitude are a must and are also expected.
Q: Is there a certain age limit? Is this
way of travelling suited for the elderly? Can children join?
A: With respect to the age of our guests, there is not a minimum
or maximum age limit. We think that your age doesn't’t really
matter, as long as you’re willing to participate, experience new cultures,
and enjoy yourself. As long as you’re fit enough to take part in the
tour, then you’re more than welcome. Therefore for us it is more important
that you are: adventurous, flexible, have a positive attitude and enjoy travelling
and you are a member of the group. Essential is that you are open for new
places and cultures with different traditions and customs.
We don’t however
take children on our tours because of the adventurous nature
of our tours.
Teenagers may be allowed to join if they are accompanied
by a parent who accepts full responsibility for them.
The average traveler
on our tours is between 30 and 70 years old.
Q: Is it possible for me to do this on my own?
A: Yes, you probably could do. But you will probably need
a lot more time to arrange everything like your accommodation and your transport.
Some of the places we visit are also difficult to reach by public transport.
Also traveling alone is a lot less fun. We have also some extras in our
programmes that you will not find in the travel guide books.
Q: Do the hotels where we stay have a swimming pool? What about bathroom
facilities?
A: Sometimes the hotels will have swimming
pools, but often they won’t.
We think that as you’re booking an adventure tour, you’re
more interested in getting out and exploring and discovering than hanging
around the pool. This discovering and experiencing of the local atmosphere
is one of the important elements in our philosophy for our tours. We do not
try however to lose our sight of "comfort".
Most of the accommodation
we use do have en-suite bathrooms with toilet plus shower or bath. But facilities
can also be more basic, as are facilities at homestays, jungle houses, rafthouses
or other ethnic accommodation. You'll probably encounter both western and
squat style toilets. Standards will vary widely depending on the region we
visit.
The accommodation during our tours is utmost important to us and we aspire
to provide a better than average quality.
You can find more information about accommodations on the Practical
Information page.
Q: What sort
of transportation will we be using during the tours?
A:
We will use public transport and also private transport. Trains, boats and
all other possible means of public transport are used to bring a change
and new perspective in the tour. By
using private transport your personal comfort and freedom are guaranteed.
Do keep in mind that transportation in Asia
can be from a very different standard than we are used to in the West.
The condition of the roads can sometimes also be quiet "adventurous".
We give much attention to the safety, reliability and the
comfort of the different means of transport during our tours.
You can find more information about the transportation on the Practical
Information page.
Q: How much money will I need for meals and possible excursions?
A: It is always difficult to give a clear answer on this.
Different people spend their money in different ways on food, drinks, souvenirs,
etc. Everybody has its own wishes and preferences.
A "normal" average is 20 Euro per person per day. Luckily in many countries
it is possible to get money from money-machines (ATMs) or from changing money
or traveler's cheques.
Q: Should I take a suitcase or a bag / rucksack?
A: You can take a suitcase with you but you will notice
that a bag or rucksack is a lot more practical to carry during traveling
and also onboard buses and trains. A water resistant cover is very handy
in the rainy season! Suitcases with wheels are made for nice even pavements
in developed countries. We will not find these most of the time on our
tours!
Q: If I book a group tour, is it certain
that the tour will run?
A: We need a minimum of six persons to
run our group tours.
As long as we
get this minimum number of guests booked, then your tour will go ahead. The
maximum number for a tour is fourteen persons.
Occasionally,
of course, political situations and other factors may mean that it’s
not possible to run a tour but this is very rare.
In case a tour is not possible to run due to not
enough participants, then the booked participants will be informed of this
at the latest 4 weeks before the departure date of the tour. This way you
will have sufficient time to choose another tour or holiday. If a tour
does not run because of too few participants, then the booked participants
will be reimbursed their paid advance for the full 100%.
Q: Does the price of your tours include international
flights?
A: No, the prices on our Web site are for the tour
only, from start point till finish point as mentioned in the programme
of each tour. International flights to the start point of the
tour and from the finish point of the tour are not included.
Local or regional flights which are part of the programme are included in
the tour price. More details are mentioned with each tour
programme.
Q: Are there any hidden extra costs?
A: No, there are no hidden extra costs!
During the tour
there are no unexplainable extra
costs.
The price of the tour covers everything except meals not mentioned
in the programme, visas costs, travel insurance, airport taxes,
optional excursions and personal expenditure.
All accommodation is with breakfast
and all transport during the tour is included. All entrance fees are
included. English speaking Tour Leader is included.
Local tips for drivers, guides and hotel staff are included
in the tour price. Our participants do not have to worry about this, during
the whole tour the Tour Leader will give the appropriate tips in name of the
group. More information about the local tips during the
tour.
At each tour description you can read exactly what is included in
the tour price.
Q: I travel as a single, do I have to pay
more for the room?
A: Not if you don't want to. On all our tours
a Single Supplement is optional and you can pay this if you really want to
have a room for yourself alone. If you do not want to pay a Single Supplement,
then we will organize that you have a room with another group member (of
the same sex) with who you will share the room during the tour.
Q: What language do you use during the tour?
A: Our programmes are offered worldwide. On our group tours
most of our travelers come from European countries and also from other Western
countries like Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US. Therefore the Tour
Leader will be English speaking and the language used during the tour will
be English.
Q: Can you send me a brochure of your tours?
A: No, we are afraid not. We do not print brochures. You
can find all information on our Web site. Every year many travel companies
print thousands and thousands of brochures, and many will be just thrown
away or have to be recycled. This is an enormous waste of natural resources.
Even if the paper comes from "sustainable" plantations. These
plantations could better be turned into natural forests or into farms to
improve the food supply of the local people.
Q: Can I bring pens, balloons, etc. with me to give to children on
the way?
A: No absolutely not, even if your intention is good. It
is our opinion that giving money, candy and other presents to children causes
more harm than good. Parents will even keep their children from school because
of this. It encourages begging. We support a few projects who help children
and other disadvantaged people. There are alternatives to help in a useful
way and for the long term to do good in a positive spirit. See also our suggestions
regarding begging and the organizations we support on our Responsible
Travel page.
Q: Do I have enough free time during the tour?
A: This depends on the chosen tour. We strive
to create enough personal individual freedom for our guests. By this to have
the opportunity to fill the program with activities which one likes and wants
to do. Our tours are organized in such a way that there is a
balance between your personal freedom to explore and the activities of the
group with similar minded co-explorers and a relaxed holiday. We also believe
that our travel philosophy and our way
of traveling the perfect way is to explore the character and atmosphere of
your chosen country.
On the shorter tours it is unavoidable that we have some long
traveling days. Sometimes we have also little free time as a consequence
to see as much as possible on these shorter tours. However this
is limited to the absolute minimum!
Sometimes meals and visits are included, this to guarantee a
smooth progress of the programme and to avoid unnecessary loss of time.
Other questions?
If you have other questions which are not answered
here or which you can not find on our Web site, please do not hesitate
to contact us. You can send us an e-mail (explore@
monsoonadventure.com)
or you can fill in the Contact Form on the
Contact page.
Experience the real Asia with our group tours or our individual tours.
Monsoon Adventure
More than just adventure travel in Asia. Explore Asia!