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General Questions |
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Why should I book with Suntrek?
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How many singles are on a Suntrek tour?
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What is the typical age of the participants?
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What if I am a first time camper?
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Which tours are best for first time America visitors?
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Which tours offer the most adventure and activities?
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How do I book and pay my tour?
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When does the tour start and end?
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What’s included in the tour price?
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What’s not included in the tour price?
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How do I reserve hotel accommodation before or after the tour?
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How do I book flights?
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Do I need a visa?
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Do I need travel insurance?
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When should I book my tour?
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What about cancellation/booking conditions?
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Tour Questions |
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How fit do I need to be for the tours?
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Do I need a sleeping bag? What kind?
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What should I bring on tour?
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How much luggage can I bring? What if I have extra luggage?
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How does it work with meals and the food kitty?
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How much money do I need during the tour?
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How do I book activities?
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When and how can I do laundry on the tour?
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Have a question that we haven’t answered yet?
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General Questions |
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Why should I book with Suntrek? |
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SUNTREK is a well-established and reliable adventure and active specialist. The founder of SUNTREK has organized "Adventure & Fun" tours since 1970 and developed his van concept in 1974. In 1978 he organized his first trek in the U.S. SUNTREK is still under original ownership with California headquarters. Other advantages of Suntrek are: Low prices for budget minded travelers, Large selection of tours from 1 week – 9 weeks in duration, All accommodations (even hotels/hostels) on tour are included in the tour price as well, Departures are guaranteed in the USA and Canada |
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How many singles are on a Suntrek tour? |
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The majority of SUNTREK travelers are singles and solo travelers. If you are single, feel free to visit our solo traveler page. |
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What is the typical age of the participants? |
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SUNTREK has no age limit and attracts the young and "young at heart" looking for adventure. However, the majority of our participants are between 18 and 35. |
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What if I am a first time camper? |
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Our tents are easy to set up, even for first time campers. Our camping trip participants use our proven quality camping equipment, specially manufactured to SUNTREK's high standards. We provide modern, spacious two-person tents with vinyl floors, insulation mats, cooking equipment, dishes, lamps, coolers, food storage boxes, a water container and, last but not least, a sun and rain roof. If you would like more comfort we recommend that you bring your own pillow and a self-inflatable air mattress. |
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Which tours are best for first time America visitors? |
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For first time visitors to the USA we recommend our classic tours with unbeatable highlights:
- California Dreaming
- The Gold Rush
- The Southwest
- The Sunshine Trail |
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Which tours offer the most adventure and activities? |
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Usually the 3 week tours allow more time for activities than the shorter tours. For example while you see the Grand Canyon and can have a quick hike on the 1-week tour “Western Sun”, you’ll get more time to do long hikes and other activities on the 3-week tour “The Southwest”.
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How do I book and pay my tour? |
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You can book your tour directly on our website and even pay online. Or you can book through a travel agent / Suntrek sales agent in your country. Depending on where you book you may pay by PayPal, cash, check, bank transfer or credit card (bank fees etc. might apply). |
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When does the tour start and end? |
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On the first day of the travel program you will typically meet your trek leader and fellow-travellers at 7:30/8:00 am (departure time may vary at some locations, from Seattle all tours start at 9:30/10:00 a.m.) at our selected departure/arrival hotel or meeting point and start your exciting trek. We recommend that you book an additional hotel accommodation for Saturday night prior to your trek's departure to ensure being on time for your trek's departure. Please see our "Welcome Meeting and Hotel Information" for further details. Shopping and sightseeing in the departure city is on the agenda on the last day of the travel program. The trek leader will drop you off at our selected departure/arrival hotel. To ensure that you have enough time for airport transfers and check-in procedures at the airport, earliest recommended flight time for return flights on this last day is 4.00 pm in the afternoon.
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What’s included in the tour price? |
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- Welcome meeting and briefing
- All van rides mentioned in the travel program
- All hotel/cabin/hostel/lodge/ranch nights marked with a house symbol in the trek itinerary
- Campsite fees
- Services of a SUNTREK-trained trek leader
- Use of top quality camping and cooking gear (where applicable)
- Admission to national parks and monuments (including slide and films shows in the visitor centers)
- Entrance to archeological sites, ruins and ghost towns (where applicable)
- Use of regional tourism information material
- Special SUNTREK discount rates for optional activities
- Company “back up” behind the scenes
- Customer service line (toll free in the USA & Canada):1-800-SUNTREK
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What’s not included in the tour price? |
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Meals (many Central & South American itineraries include selected meals), optional activities, flights, transfers and personal expenses are not covered in the trek price. |
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How do I reserve hotel accommodation before or after the tour? |
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If you are a single traveler, you can book a shared room in North American departure cities (on Saturdays only) except in New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Anchorage, where single travelers can book the hostel. Please click "here" for the prices for hotel/hostel accommodation before of after the tour. You can book these accommodations with your tour booking. Please review our "Welcome Meeting and Hotel Information" for hotel addresses. |
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How do I book flights? |
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You can book your flights through a travel agent / Suntrek sales agent in your country, on Internet travel websites or directly on airlines websites. Sorry, but the Suntrek office in the USA does not offer flights. Here are a few examples of websites:
* www.expedia.com
* www.travelocity.com
* www.jetblue.com
* www.americanairlines.com
* www.unitedairlines.com
* www.delta-air.com
* www.usair.com
* www.flycontinental.com
* www.southwest.com
* www.northwestairlines.com
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Do I need a visa? |
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This information is an indication
only. Please consult the
embassy of the respective
countries you are traveling to for
up-to-date visa information and
the required documents prior
to traveling. You are responsible
for obtaining the necessary visa. A
valid passport is required (valid for
6 months after departure date) for all
countries.
1) For the USA and Canada
Most Canadian citizens and many
citizens from Visa Waiver Program
countries (for example UK, Germany,
France, Switzerland, Austria,
Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy,
Denmark, Australia, New Zealand,
Japan etc.) can come to the U.S.
without a visa for a 90 day stay if
they meet certain requirements. Visa
waiver travelers from all Visa Waiver
Program countries must present a machine-
readable passport (must meet
U.S. requirements) at the U.S. port of entry to enter the U.S. without
a visa, otherwise a U.S. visa is
required. Canada does not require a
visa for nationals from most Western
European countries, Australia, NZ,
Japan, Korea and some others.
You can get further information from
the US Department of State’s and the
Canadian government’s websites:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors.html
http://canadainternational.gc.ca
No vaccinations are required. We
advise that you consult your health
care provider for up-to-date information
on recommended vaccinations /
immunizations.
2) Central- and South America
Nationals from Western Europe,
Switzerland, Japan, USA, Canada,
Australia, and some other countries
do not need a visa to enter most
Central and South American countries
for a stay up to 30 days (up to
90 days for some South American
countries), except for Brazil, where
nationals from Japan, USA, Australia,
Canada and others need a visa. Citizens of Switzerland need a visa for Belize.
We recommend a selection of the
following vaccinations / immunizations
for parts of Central and South
America: Malaria prophylaxis, Yellow
Fever, Cholera, Typhoid, Hepatitis
A/B. Please consult your health care
provider and the embassy (website)
of the respective countries you are
traveling to for up-to-date information
on recommended vaccinations / immunizations
for the areas you are
visiting and allow time to receive the
vaccinations.
3) Australia
For the following nationalities, the
visa can be issued by your Travel
Agency or Airline via Electronic
Travel Authority (ETA): Andorra,
Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada,
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Hong Kong (SAR), Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein,
Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta,
Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway,
Portugal, San Marino, Singapore,
South Korea, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, Taiwan, U.K., U.S.A,
Vatican. ETA‘s are available for stays
up to 3 months. No vaccinations are
required. We advise that you consult
your health care provider for up-todate
information on recommended
vaccinations/immunizations.
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Do I need travel insurance? |
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Travel insurance is the traveler’s own responsibility and it is mandatory. You should be insured against accident, sickness, emergency return trip expenses, cancellation expense, lost/damaged baggage and theft. An insurance policy is not included in the trek price. You can obtain a travel insurance package through your travel agent / Suntrek sales agent. To buy insurance in the USA go to www.travelinsured.com and list SUNTREK TOURS INC., TII Agency Number: 45466 on the form. |
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When should I book my tour? |
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We recommend that you book your tour as early as possible as we have limited number of seats available. You can check availability for each tour on our website. If you book before January 31 each year you can take advantage of our early booking discount. For discounts on selected tours that depart within 1-8 weeks go to last minute discounts. |
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What about cancellation/booking conditions? |
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Please refer to Suntrek's "general booking conditions. If you are booking through a Suntrek sales agent in your country, the booking conditions might be slightly different. Please check with your travel agent. A non-refundable deposit is due at the time of booking.
Suntrek guarantees departures for USA, Alaska and Canada tours. In Mexico, Belize and Guatemala the minimum participant number is 4, in Honduras, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and Argentina it is 2, and in Australia it is 6. |
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Tour Questions |
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How fit do I need to be for the tours? |
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Anyone in good health with normal fitness level can join our tours. Every day various optional activities are offered for different budgets, interests and fitness levels. National parks offer a variety of hiking trails which you can choose depending on your fitness/interest level, from a quick viewpoint walking to several hour hikes. You should be able to walk at least for one hour a day without problems. |
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Do I need a sleeping bag? What kind? |
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You need a sleeping bag for all tours in the USA, Canada and Mexico (even Lodging Tours). No sleeping bag is required on the Central & South America Lodging Tours. For most treks and seasons a three-season mid-grade sleeping bag is best (winter season / below freezing point types are not required). In the US you can buy a sleeping bag for around US$ 35 at a major store like Walmart, Kmart, Target, camping/sport supply stores etc. Please buy the sleeping bag before the start of your tour. |
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What should I bring on tour? |
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Jeans / trousers
Socks / shorts / underwear
T-Shirts / cotton shirts / dresses
Casual evening “out” clothes
Warm anorak / rain coat / sweater
Comfortable walking shoes
Jogging shoes / sandals
Swim wear
Sunglasses / sunhat
Warm sleeping bag (required for all Suntrek tours even Loding Tours in USA, Canada and Mexico, except Central & South America Lodging Tours)
Toiletries / towels / soap
Shaver
First aid kit / Insect repellent
Suntan lotion / lip-salve
Personal medications
Sewing kit
Flashlight
Plastic bags (for laundry)
Travel plug
Binoculars
Camera / films / batteries / filters
Mini-alarm clock
Scissors / army knife
Writing material / address-book
Air mattress and pillow for extra comfort (insulation pad supplied)
Tissues / toilet paper
For Central & South America we recommend additional supplies of basic traveler’s medications and personal hygiene items, since it is more difficult to find these supplies in Latin America. For a detailed list refer to our "Pre departure information". |
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How much luggage can I bring? What if I have extra luggage? |
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All baggage is transported on the van's roof rack. We advise you to bring tough bags because small scratches and minor damage can occur. 1 medium sized suitcase/ backpack, 1 sleeping bag and 1 piece of hand luggage (max. 20 kg in North America, Mexico and Central & South America and max. 15 kg in Australia). If you carry extra luggage because of transit or returning back to your home country after a long time abroad, please store your extra luggage in a storage facility in your departure city. Some hotels will store luggage for an extra fee. Please inquire before you travel. For Australia no suitcasese are allowed. Only soft dufflebags or backpacks. |
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How does it work with meals and the food kitty? |
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On camping tours and lodging tours in the USA (excluding hotel/hostel nights) we share buying food, cooking meals and washing up in a team-based rotation system. Everybody helps. Each trek participant, who wants to participate pays around US$ 35 per week into the food kitty. We buy breakfasts and dinners from this money. For breakfast we usually buy milk, juice, coffee, tea, cereals, bread, jam, butter etc. We usually cook our evening meals together over our own stove, or barbecue food over the camp fire. We usually prepare salads, grill meats and cook pasta, rice and vegetables. For lunches and some dinners we go to sandwich shops, fast food chains or restaurants where everybody pays out of his/her own pocket or we make sandwiches. If you are a vegetarian, vegan or eat any other special diet, it is usually possible to participate in the food kitty as well. Just let your group know what you can’t eat and they will try to fit you into their plans. For very restricted diets and special dietary needs, you might need to exclude yourself from the food kitty and buy your own food. Your trek leader will participate in the food kitty as well. Alcoholic beverages and snacks are not included in the food kitty. On the Central & South America Lodging Tours the food kitty does not operate. You should budget around US$ 15 a day for food on these tours. |
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How much money do I need during the tour? |
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Apart from food you need to budget for souvenirs, snacks and optional activities. It depends on your budget and your taste for adventure. Think about how much you want to spend on souvenirs, shopping, entertainment, food, drinks, excursions and attractions, that are not included in the tour price. Please keep in mind that there are endless things to do and see. You should budget around US$ 300 for selected optional activities on a 2 week tour, more if you would like to participate in most offered activities. |
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How do I book activities? |
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Your Suntrek trek leader will discuss the optional activities with you a few days prior. He/she will arrange those activities that need to be pre-booked. You just pay the local operator for the activities. |
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When and how can I do laundry on the tour? |
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Some hotels and selected campgrounds offer coin/token operated laundry facilities, where you can also purchase soap. Other hotels offer laundry services (especially in Central & South America). Since doing laundry takes time, it does of course, not always fit in the schedule. Discuss the best opportunities for laundry with your trek leader. You can plan on time and opportunity for laundry about once a week. |
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Have a question that we haven’t answered yet? |
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This is where you find more information:
"Travel Style"
"General Travel Informaton"
"Pre departure Information"
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