• Tour leader is included on nearly all our tours and for the full duration of the tours. On some tours a local representative may be provided. See your dossier.
• Local crew - drivers, local guides/interpreters, cooks, helpers, porters and pack-animals may be provided on some tours.
• All accommodation is included as per the dossier. Most tours are based on twin rooms with private facilities in small hotels, as specified in detail for each tour. On most of our tours it is possible to request a single room for a small supplement.
• Meals - as detailed in the tour pages. Please note that these vary from trip to trip. When camping most meals are included.
• Sightseeing and activities - these are included as outlined in individual tour itineraries and may include entrance fees, local guides, half- or full-day city tours and excursions. Optional activities (listed in the dossier) are not included and are payable locally.
• Transport during the trip to all points included in the itinerary - again, this varies depending on the objective of the tour. See your tour itinerary for details.

For those passengers who have booked our 'Ex London' tours - that is including international connections from London on our group flights - the following is also included:

• Flights/train from London - usually scheduled, economy class flights from London to the destination and back, although a few charter flights are used to specific destinations and Eurostar journeys from London. Flight supplements or fuel surcharges may also be charged.
• UK airport departure taxes
• Transfers - for those travelling on the group flight, transfers from the airport to the hotel or other joining point are included (unless specifically stated otherwise). Similarly transfers back to the airport at the end of the tour are included for those on the group flight.

• Visa fees, vaccinations, passports
• International departure taxes
• Insurance premiums of any kind
• Excess baggage charges
• Optional tours and excursions
• Single room supplements
• Hotel porterage
• Meals other than those stated as included
• All items of a personal nature such as laundry, room service charges, drinks, phone calls etc
• Tips for personal services are not included and are usually expected.

The Local Payment

What it is

A separate Local Payment is payable on some tours. This is an additional payment, over and above the price shown on the Dates & Prices page of this website, and is part of the overall selling price of the tour. Instead of being paid to EXPLORE prior to travel, this amount is paid to your Tour Leader on arrival at the start of the tour. It is normally paid in cash or travellers cheques in the currency stated. More details can be found on the tour dossier.

What's it used for?

In some cases, it will be used for a specific purpose on the tour, such as National Park permits. In most cases it is used by the Tour leader or local agent to cover a proportion of the local operating costs such as paying for certain hotels, guides and entrance fees.

Why do we do this?

There are a number of reasons for asking for a proportion of the tour costs at the start of the tour, most notably that it is often expensive to send money out to certain areas of the world, and it would be unsafe for a tour leader to travel with funds for a whole tour series. Although certain tours have local payments for operational reasons, there is also a cash flow benefit to our customers as you are able to delay paying for part of the cost of your trip until you actually travel, leaving you with more time to save for your trip! In addition, if you have to cancel your trip before you travel, you do not lose any of the local payment in cancellation charges, giving you a better deal.