News & Travel Info
​Terms & Conditions
Click above for our policies, like when the tour balance is due, recommendations, etc.
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News regarding our tours
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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 no longer requires a "Real ID" (see at the bottom of this webpage), and for 2024 and early 2025 an ordinary driver's license with a photo is fine. The Real ID requirement for US Domestic travel has been postponed until May 7, 2025.
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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.
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Required travel documents for U.S. Citizens:
See at the bottom for 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.
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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
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Cruise ship passenger suggestions:
https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/go/CruiseShipPassengers.html
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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/
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Travel News from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC):
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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/
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REAL ID is required for domestic air travel from May 7, 2025
Click here for the Illinois website about REAL ID. Or here for 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.
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