News & Travel Info
Terms & Conditions
Click above for our policies, like when the tour balance is due, recommendations, etc.
News regarding our tours
If there is any breaking news available that affects any of the tours, it will be noted here or as an update on the tour's page.
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Domestic travel starting May 7, 2025, will require a "Real ID" (see at the bottom of this webpage). Until then, an ordinary driver's license with a photo is acceptable.
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International Travel from 2025 for some countries (or already for other countries) requires an Electronic Travel Authorization in addition to
your passport.
Tours have departed normally since 2021.
General information or suggestions from the U.S. State Department etc.
Alerts and warnings about various countries:
https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings.html
It is your responsibility to obtain and carry the specified I.D. documents, such as a passport or visa, and when required, inoculations.
Required travel documents for U.S. Citizens:
See at the bottom for details about REAL ID for domestic air travel. For international travel:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages.html. The U.S. State Department reports that Passport Applications have been taking 2-3 months (or at an extra cost, can be expedited to 5-7 weeks). If you are not a U.S. Citizen, please check other resources on the web or by inquiring to your country's embassy or the consulate of the destination country or countries. To apply for a passport: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html.
UK ETA—the United Kingdom's Electronic Travel Authorization
Required online application is coming January 8, 2025, for Americans and many others who do not require a visa & can apply from November 27, 2024. Cost is £10 and is good for multiple stays of six months or less over the course of two years (or when one's passport expires, which ever comes first. Click this link to apply. Exceptions: British & Irish citizens, while Europeans have different start dates than Americans.
ETIAS Travel Authorization requirement coming in 2025 for most European countries
One must go online to apply for authorization for travel to Europe. It costs 7 Euros and can be valid for multiple trips over several years on the same passport. No start date has been announced, but it is now expected to be in 2025. Even if traveling with a group, each traveler must apply personally. If you need help, ask us. Go to: https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en
Other countries like Australia and Canada (and soon Japan) alreadyhave ETAs.
Cruise ship passenger suggestions:
https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/go/CruiseShipPassengers.html
Checklist of things to consider and carry with you:
https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/go/checklist.html
Travel News from Travel Guard:
http://www.travelguard.com/travel-news/
Travel News from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC):
Credit cards for travel
We recommend getting a card with a 0% foreign exchange fee when traveling overseas; consider the "rewards" possibility if you will use it enough to balance against any annual fee (or choose one without a yearly fee). Here's a site that compares options:
https://www.creditcards.com/travel/
REAL ID is required for domestic air travel from May 7, 2025
Click here for the Illinois website about REAL ID; here for the American Society of Travel Agents' site (which addresses children under age 18); or here for the TSA's website. U.S. citizens may use an unexpired Passport instead of a REAL ID. The start date postponement to 2025 was announced in December 2022. Before May 7, 2025, an ordinary driver's license with a photo is acceptable for domestic travel. Most international travel requires an up-to-date passport.