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Contact the Tour Department
Phone: 425/608-4217
Email: tour@ricksteves.com
Mailing Address:
Rick Steves ETBD
Attn: Tours
P.O.Box 2009
Edmonds, WA 98020
Street Address:
130 4th Avenue North
Edmonds, WA 98020
Hours: Mon-Sat: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Closed Sunday
Getting Ready For Tour
Health
Physical Demands
Prepare for a physically demanding tour. Age is not a concern so long as you are physically fit, a very good walker, and able to stand for extended periods of time and climb lots of stairs. You are required to carry your own bag from the bus to your hotel room. This can involve a 15-minute walk and a climb up several flights of stairs. For sightseeing, plan on walking 6-10 miles during the most active days, over uneven surfaces, and up and down lots of stairs.
Special Dietary Needs
While we cannot take responsibility for those with special dietary needs or allergies, vegetarians and those with diet restrictions usually manage fine with a little flexibility and willingness to supplement meals as needed.
Smoking
This is a no smoking tour. Unless you are on fire, you will never be allowed to smoke on the bus or in your hotel room at any time, or anywhere indoors where other tour members are present. At the same time, keep in mind that we cannot always isolate smoke-sensitive tour members from the many locals who light up.
Passports
IMPORTANT PASSPORT WARNING – APPLY TODAY FOR A NEW OR RENEWAL PASSPORT TO PARTICIPATE IN A 2008 RICK STEVES TOUR!
Wait times for US passports have reached gridlock levels, sending lots of travelers into a panic. It seems the new law requiring passports for Yanks traveling to Canada, Mexico, and Central and South America has flooded the State Department with new applications, overwhelming its ability to process them. Now a three-month wait to obtain a new or renewal passport is very common. Please check your passport's expiration date today and prepare to act right away (do the math: for most countries, your passport's expiration date should be at least 6 months after your planned return date).
- To get a new passport (good for 10 years) the cheapest — and slowest — way, you'll pay $97 as a first-timer, or $67 to renew, and probably wait at least 12 weeks.
- If you can't wait that long, tack on an additional $60 rush fee (plus overnight shipping both ways) and you should get your passport by mail within four weeks but please be forewarned that we understand some customers have recently waited much longer even for an expedited passport.
- If you can provide proof that you have to leave within two weeks (by showing a purchased plane ticket), you should call to make an in-person appointment at one of 13 regional passport agencies located in major cities throughout the USA (http://travel.state.gov/passport) and you will receive your passport during the appointment. To make this appointment, call the National Passport Information Center's automated appointment line at 877/487-2778 (this automated appointment system is open 24 hours — please be patient when calling — we have heard that calling at odd hours works best).
- If you're taking one of the slower/cheaper options, four weeks after you apply, you can check the status of your passport application and its estimated arrival date through the State Department website at www.travel.state.gov. We've found it to be accurate within a few days.
REQUIRED TRAVEL DOCUMENTS – PASSPORTS AND VISAS
We need a photocopy of the picture page of each tour member’s passport. Please send this to us as soon as possible after you confirm your tour. If you do not yet have a passport, we recommend that you apply for one at least 3 months prior to your tour’s departure to allow adequate time for it to arrive prior to your tour. For more information, review the above Rick Steves article, and also visit www.travel.state.gov/travel/ or look in the front of your local phone book under “Federal (or US), Passports. Larger post offices also carry the forms. Allow a minimum of 12 weeks for processing.
If you already have a US passport, please check the expiration date. As noted above, your passport should be valid for at least six months after your return date. If it is not valid for at least six months from your return date, we highly recommend that you get it renewed today.
VISAS - At this time, Turkey tours are the only itineraries we offer that require visitors to obtain a visa. Those with a US or Canadian passport can easily get their visa upon arrival in Turkey. If you arrive at the Istanbul airport, stop at the “Visa” counter before lining up for Passport Control. The current price (subject to fluctuation) is $20 USD per person for Americans and $60 USD or €45 Euros per person for Canadians. They only accept cash and exact change is required. Holders of passports from any country other than the USA or Canada must check the visa requirements prior to departure. You are responsible for obtaining all necessary documents prior to participating in this tour and failure to do so will result in the forfeiture of all tour payments if you are unable to join the tour. Updated information is available from the Turkish Embassy (2525 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008, Phone: (202) 612-6700, Fax: (202) 612-6744, E-mail: contact@turkishembassy.org).
Customs
US residents are allowed to bring back $800 worth per person of duty-free goods from Europe. For more information, see the travel section at www.customs.ustreas.gov, or look up their number in the front of your local phone book under "Federal (or US) Customs."
Mailing Packages
On Rick Steves' tours, we try to minimize the shopping focus that dominates other tours at the expense of sightseeing. But even with our tight security, shoppers manage to infiltrate our groups. You can "deep store" purchases under the bus until the end of your tour (does not apply on our 7-day city tours, 8-day Paris/London tour, 10-day Venice/Florence/Rome tour, 14-day Athens & Heart of Greece tour or 15-day Spain & Portugal tour). Packages mailed from Europe can take 6 weeks or longer to arrive and postage can be quite expensive. Save money and hassles: bring an empty bag and carry your purchases home. Our Hide-Away Tote Bag is perfect for this (and doubles as a handy on-the-road laundry bag).
Photography
Your camera is the most likely thing to get lost, broken or stolen. Bring an expensive one only if you're a serious photographer. It's a good idea to label your camera with name, address, phone and travel email (maybe a good Samaritan will send it back). Snapshots with postcards work fine for those doing scrapbooks. Remember to bring extra batteries and film. Digital camera users can often find shops in larger cities to burn pictures onto CDs, and it's also a good idea to bring an extra memory card.
Language
While it's not necessary to be fluent, it is nice to master a few basic courtesies such as "Please," "Thank you," and "Where is the toilet?" Europe / Regional tour members receive a copy of the appropriate Rick Steves' phrase book complete with phonetic translations, when applicable. Scandinavia tour members will find a page of helpful phrases in their guidebook.
Do I need to have a visa, shots, or an International Driving Permit?
US & Canadian citizens need visas for Turkey. Visas can be easily obtained upon your arrival at the Istanbul airport using cash and exact change only. For US citizens, the cost is $20, for Canadian citizens the cost is $60 US or €45. Holders of passports from any country other than the USA or Canada must check the visa requirements for their specific country prior to departure and are responsible for obtaining all necessary travel documents prior to participating in our tours.
No shots are currently required for travel in Western Europe or Turkey. You should, however, check with your doctor to see if you're up to date with regular immunizations such as tetanus, hepatitis, tuberculosis, etc.
If you're renting a car before or after a tour, an International Driving Permit is not required in most countries, just your regular US driver's license. Some exceptions are Austria, Spain, and Hungary (you can get an International Driving Permit from AAA for $10). Check with any car rental agency for other country-specific requirements such as highway-use windshield stickers or theft insurance.