| What does the trip price include? | All lodging, most meals, van support, supportive leaders, maps, gratuities for restaurants. Not included are alcoholic beverages, personal expenses, cost of van shuttles to and from trip starting points, and airline tickets. |
| What style of lodging can I expect? | WomanTours seeks out the most interesting lodgings in an area. We try to keep our tours affordable and at the same time offer you a unique experience. In the National Parks, we stay in the park lodges and cabins. In other areas, we look for small intimate inns and B&Bs or the best lodging available. |
| Since the trips are usually double occupancy, how am I matched up with a roommate? | Initially, we will pair you with a roommate. Each day we rotate roommates unless you decide you would prefer a particular person as a roommate. |
| What time do most tours get started in the morning?? | We like to get an early start to avoid traffic, heat, and winds, typically between 8:00 and 9:30 a.m. The time will vary according to circumstances. |
| I am coming alone on this tour. Will I be the only one traveling alone? | Absolutely not. Most of our participants come by themselves. That is part of the reason for the existence of WomanTours--to provide women with riding partners as well as scenic vistas and interesting tours. |
| What if I cannot keep up with the rest of the group? | Our tours are self-paced; each woman rides to her own rhythm. The support van or tour leader on the road will be available until the last person comes home for the day. |
| How do I know if a particular tour is suitable for my riding ability? | We will be happy to discuss what tour would best suit your skill level. However, because our tours are limited to 10 - 18 women, we are able to offer van support to shorten the miles or flatten the hills on any tour. |
| How do I train for this tour? | Your tour packet will contain a 6 week training schedule to help you strive for a top level of fitness before the tour. Being in shape only adds to the enjoyment of the trip. If you don’t have the time to adequately train, the support van is always available to shorten the miles. |
| Can I bring my own bike? | About half of our guests bring their own bicycles. Cross-country cyclists must ride their own bikes. Upon signing up for a tour, you will receive information for packing, shipping and flying with your bike. |
| How do I rent a bike? | We have Terry women-specific bicycles available for rent for $175 per tour. We will need your height and inseam measurements to fit you properly. You can choose a hybrid bike with straight handlebars or a road bike with racing style, drop handlebars. |
| Do most women share a room? | Yes, the majority of our guests choose to have a roommate. |
| How do I know if I can do it? | If you can ride 5 miles on your bicycle today, you can train to ride 20 miles, and then you’ll easily be able to do our tours. Remember that our support vehicle is always available to pick you up if you get tired. That’s what we’re there for. |
| Will I be the oldest (or youngest) woman on the tour? | Probably not! We’ve had women as young as 18 and as old as 79. The average age of our guests is 54 on our shorter tours and 59 on our cross-country tours. |
| What if I have to cancel? | We understand that personal circumstances sometimes force women to cancel their travel plans. Therefore, we have tried to be as generous as possible with the following cancellation policy:
In addition, you may transfer $350 to another trip up to 75 days before departure. On domestic US trips (excluding Alaska,) you may also transfer 50% of the trip price, less $50 up to 30 days before departure. WomanTours will hold any “transfer funds” on account through December 31 of the following year. Any money left on account beyond this deadline will be forfeited. We strongly recommend the purchase of short-term travel insurance, which covers you should you have to cancel your trip for medical or other reasons. We send you travel insurance information upon receipt of your deposit. Our experience has shown that 1 in 10 women cancels a tour due to a personal or family medical emergency. Trip insurance is an inexpensive way to help alleviate your fears. |
| Will WomanTours cancel a trip? | In the rare case that WomanTours must cancel a trip due to low enrollment, we will do so at least 45 days prior to departure. If we cancel fewer than 45 days prior to departure, we will issue you a full refund plus a $500 credit toward any of our other tours. If we must cancel a trip for another reason, such as a natural disaster, we will issue you a full refund. In all cases, we will not be responsible for any personal expenses incurred, such as airline tickets. WomanTours reserves the right to make route and lodging modifications as needed. |
| How do I sign up? | Click on the button at the top left to Register for a Tour to do it on-line. Or call our office at 800-247-1444 to do it over the phone. We’ll need a Visa or MC number or a check for the deposit. Then we’ll mail you a tour confirmation packet with many more details about your tour, including travel arrangements, a packing list and an optional training schedule. Most of our tours fill and have waiting lists, so don’t wait too long before deciding to join us! |
| Where can I get travel insurance? | We recommend working with Allianz Travel Insurance. Many of our guests have used them in the past and never reported a problem. Be sure to enter ACCAM code #F027213 to identify yourself as a WomanTours traveler when securing your insurance. CLICK HERE for more information about Allianz Travel Insurance. Here’s what Susan S. wrote after a fall during our Arizona Spring Training 2012 tour: "I also want to Thank You for recommending travel insurance! It was essential for $122. I believe my hospital bills will be covered or minimal, but the primary benefit was leaving it to them to arrange my way home with an EMT medic. I couldn’t fly from Tucson because the planes were small and required climbing a dozen stairs. They arranged a comfortable car to Phoenix, 1st class seats and a comfortable car to my home. All in all, life is good." |
| Do you offer gift certificates? | Yes, you can purchase gift certificates in any denomination. They’re good toward any tour that we offer. We will happily mail them to you or the recipient. |
| Can I bring my daughter with me? | Yes, we’d love to have your daughter on tour with us, as long as she’s at least 14 years old. |
| How are dietary issues handled on your tours? | When you sign up for one of our tours, we ask you if you have any dietary allergies, needs and preferences. We send that information to the tour guides so they’ll take everyone’s needs into account when planning the tour’s picnic lunches. We also keep that information in mind when we plan for the breakfasts and dinners at restaurants, where everyone usually orders off the menu. We make sure there are ample choices for everyone. |
| What is the difference between Beginner, Moderate and Advanced tours? | Tours labeled Beginner are flat tours on bike paths free of motorized traffic. Tours labeled Beginner-Moderate are flat tours on a mix of roads and bike paths. Tours labeled Moderate have some hilly terrain. Tours labeled Moderate-Advanced have more challenging terrain with a mix of hills, longer climbs and flat stretches. Their daily mileages tend to be longer than on our other tours. |
