Julia Child
Please contact us at info@daves.tours if you cannot find an answer to your question. Please also read our Terms & Conditions
You can expect to be looked after extremely well on a meticulously crafted trip, in what can be a bewilderingly varied set of circumstances.
You can also expect to be challenged at times, experiences which might take you close to your usual comfort level, or even past it.
However, our tour itineraries are the result of an extraordinary amount of experience and should be viewed holistically in much the same way as you would listening to a symphony or watching a play - there are quiet passages, loud passages, crescendos, comforting moments, moving moments , challenging moments.
Conducting or directing a finely balanced journey is what we do but you should always remember we are also interacting with the real world, and that often throws up the unexpected. In the downloads section you can find much more detailed commentary on destinations.
We have a minimum of around 6 guests, and a maximum of 12 guests, after which tours we feel stop being an intimate 'travelling with a group of friends' experience.
Not hugely, but you do need to be able to stand for several hours at a time (during cooking demonstrations or classes, for example) to walk over mixed terrain for a similar time, and occasionally get a wriggle on if we are catching a train or something like that.
We tend to attract people who normally consider themselves to be experienced independent travellers but are now looking to be a bit more looked after so they can focus on the journey rather than the minutiae of logistics. That said, some of our most wonderful guests have been first-timers. Ages range from late teens (we sadly don't accept guests under the age of 16 or unaccompanied by an adult under the age of 18) to late 80s, although most guests tend to be 30s to 60s. Clients are generally fairly gregarious and are often a bit cynical about cookie cutter tours, or doing what everyone else is doing.
We ask you to get to the tour's starting point and the rest is up to us. Everything, including alcoholic drinks in the context of group activities, all organised meals, adventures, travel and transfers, is part of the deal. Obviously personal items, souvenirs and anything you do outside of what we organise is at your own expense, and that includes getting stuck into the mini bar in your room, although be aware that not everywhere in every destination serves alcohol. See more details on the destination PDFs in the download section.
Yes! Not to the tour itself, clearly, but we actively encourage 'book-ending' for a few days acclimatisation at the beginning of your tour and for R&R (recovery and reflection) at the end. We are on hand to help curate these bookends and ensure they compliment the experiences of your tour.
We do our best to offer an extremely varied and fulfilling range of activities, balanced over the whole tour to have the maximum impact. However, within the bounds of the tour itinerary, availability of resources and without inconveniencing other guests, we will do our best to accommodate anybody wanting to go off-piste or have a round of golf, for example.
Have a look at the individual tour destination PDFs in the download section for specifics but generally we recommend you travel as lightly as possible and leave room for acquisitions along the way. Comfort is the key overall. There will be times where dressing up is fun, but formal occasions are few or non-existent. If in doubt, call and have a chat. Be aware that we are on the move and not all places we stay in are able to do a super fast laundry turn around. Bring sufficient supplies of anything you particularly need, including prescription medications.
We live in a connected world but access to wifi and internet speeds are not guaranteed in every location, and most certainly not on the road. Local pay as you go SIM cards can be available but often require more time than is available at the beginning of a tour. Where possible make provisions before leaving home, and manage your connectivity expectations accordingly. We publish connectivity ratings for each destination along with final itineraries to help you plan if you really need to be in touch, but we encourage guests to unplug as much as possible.
How long is a piece of string! We all now have at least some experience of changing climate, and what was once normal weather can vary hugely, with the potential for disruption at any time. We choose periods to travel where there are generally stable conditions with pleasant weather. See the downloadable notes on particular destinations for more information on what to expect.
Dress for comfort and travel but also for respect. We travel in places where there are different concepts of attire. For example, bare shoulders in India outside swimming areas are generally considered most immodest and shorts a complete no-no for men and women - you might as well be in your underwear. We usually have a couple of occasions during a tour where it is fun to get dressed up a bit.
We operate tours based around the food chain, so food plays an extra special role in our business. For most occasions eating food is either prepared for the group as a whole and/or prepared in facilities over which we have no control of the ingredients or possible cross - contaminations.
Along with respecting the authenticity of dishes and those that prepare them, the impossibility of being able to cater individually means that we can make no guarantees to guests in respect of diet. We kindly ask guests with diagnosed food or other allergies to let us know details at the time of booking, and to ensure they travel with the necessary remedial solutions. We respectfully also ask guests with food intolerances, or dislikes, to eat round their intolerances or dislikes as much as is possible.
Consult with a qualified health practitioner at home who has a knowledge of where you are going, and who can advise on such things as vaccinations, malarial prophylaxis and the inevitable - for some - 'traveller's tummy'. Road travel may not be as comfortable as at home, so consider the possibility of motion sickness.
We understand the protocols to deal with most emergencies in all destinations, bearing in mind the availability and standard of care may not be the same as your home. We require you to have full health and travel insurance before joining a tour but ultimately, for your maximum enjoyment, it is up to you to ensure you're up for the trip.
Yes! People who are used to seeing foreign visitors in their country usually have a fair degree of tolerance towards them, much less so in remoter areas. Having a good working knowledge of local etiquette goes a long way to improve your overall experience and acceptability. See the destination notes for more information.
There's no simple answer to this. Cash used to be king, but since Covid contactless payments have become fairly ubiquitous. However, cash will still be required for a lot of artisanal souvenirs outside of big shops. ATMs are also now ubiquitous but the time to visit them without disrupting the itinerary is not always possible. Try and stock up on reasonable amounts of cash before the tour starts.
Gratuities are left to the discretion of guests, but are fairly standard for drivers, guides and the like. We give guidance and create a pot so tips are fairly distributed.
Files coming soon.
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