Nadine’s tips for her favorite new feature on our website.
Our long-term customers might be familiar with our ‘famous’ GTA, or Getting to and Away information. This document was meticulously designed for each tour containing detailed arrival and departure information, including helpful travel planning details. It was developed in our earlier days when technology, and along with it, travel planning, was slower-paced. As technology has evolved and there is often a need for more immediate information, enter our software wizards. With their help we have integrated the arrival and departure information in each bicycle tour itinerary online! This means that important travel information is now immediately available as you book and plan your vacation, and updates can be distributed quickly.
Allow me to invite you along on this little introductory journey as I share our new arrival and departure information features that can be found directly on our website.
Where to find your itinerary – and its new and improved features
You found your itinerary when you booked your trip, but how do you navigate back to it? First, we send you a link to it in your reservation confirmation email, so simply click on that link and you will find a variety of information relating to your trip. Or, simply go to our Tour Finder on our website and find it (by country, date, etc.).
Let me demonstrate our new features by using our beloved classic, the Bike Across Italy – Venice to Pisa tour. Click the link and follow me!
Scroll down below the “At-a-Glance” summary box (which contains a wealth of information on its own) and find all the tabs that offer all you need to know and more:
- Tour Summary: It will summarize the highlights of the trip, anything that is different about this trip, what’s included, what’s not included, which airport to best arrive and depart, the Tour Level and a quick summary of each day on tour and whether you’ll have hills, how far you’ll ride and how high you’ll climb. Neat! You will also find a link to our Terms & Conditions in this section – make sure to read and understand them.
- Daily Itinerary: Even more detailed information to get excited about. You will find descriptions of each day and the hotels along the way. Keep in mind that there is always the chance that there might be some changes as we constantly tweak and improve our tours.
- Travel Information: My true love child! You will find your tour-specific arrival and departure information here – all that which used to be in the good ol’ GTA way back when. You will also find – again – information on what’s included (or not), and things to keep in mind. Don’t forget to check out our Pre-Trip Planning Checklist and click on What to Expect on Tour!
- Map: Want to visualize where you’ll be riding? Here you go! Remember that this is not an exact representation of the route, but a rough visualization.
- Reviews: What did others think about the tour? If there aren’t any reviews, then that’s not because nobody liked the trip (unlikely!), but because it’s a new trip and we don’t have any comments yet.
- Similar Tours: Finally, if you’re still looking for inspiration or you want to see a trip similar to this one, this tab will provide some inspiration.
Where should I start?
For your travel planning needs, the best starting point for you will be the Travel Information Tab. The information this tab will be specific to your chosen tour.
What are my exact dates again? I booked a while ago.
Now, we know, not everyone has their trip dates in mind all the time. First, refer to your reservation confirmation email and your Deposit Payment Letter that were emailed to you when you booked. Both will state your tour dates. Or do it the easy way and ask us!
Which is “Day 1”, and when is my tour end date?
We are thrilled to announce that we now have date-specific PDF-itineraries! We will mail you a hard copy once you’ve booked, but you can always access your latest version online (remember the time we said we constantly tweak and improve our tours? So don’t rely on your printed copy.).
Go to your itinerary (see explanation at the top) and scroll down a teeny bit, past the large photo that gets you longing, to the “Download Itinerary” button. Click on it and magic will ensue: You will see that it will display an entire selection of date-specific downloadable information, right at your fingertips!
What about help with hotels and if I don’t know what to do with trains?
Never fear! Even with more information at hand now to make it easier for you, we are still here to help. I will personally assist you with your arrangement of extra nights at your tour starting and/or ending hotels and with questions about your arrival and departure. Don’t hesitate to email reservations@experienceplus.com or give us a call. Read more on our Traveler Services and what they include here.
Ready – set – travel plan!