Tour Accommodation

Accommodation is provided in twin share en-suite rooms. We generally use a mix of 2, 3 & 4-star hotels. You will receive a list of all the hotels along with contact information approximately one week prior to departure.

If your tour features any different styles of accommodation or rooming styles, for example hostels or home-stays, this will be clearly stated in the itinerary and on the tour page.

If you are travelling alone there is no compulsory charge - you will share a twin room with another passenger of the same gender. There is an optional single supplement/private room upgrade available for single travellers who wish to have a private room. This can be added at the time of booking or by contacting our customer services team. Please note that the room provided may be a single room with a single bed.

Traveller Fitness & Ages

We welcome all ages* so long as you are fit, healthy and young at heart!

*For our policy on children please see our FAQ’s

Meals

Your included meals are detailed as per the itinerary; they include breakfast every morning and certain lunches and dinners. Breakfasts are included every day in the hotel. They are usually continental buffet breakfasts. Your breakfast may consist of cereals with milk or yoghurt, bread, croissants, cold meats, cheese and condiments, with fruit juice, tea or coffee. This does change depending on the hotels, and cannot be guaranteed. On occasion, we may provide a breakfast pack that can be eaten on the coach in the case of, particularly early starts.

Meals not included in your itinerary are at your own expense. This allows you the opportunity to try the local cuisine. The food is delicious and varied with restaurants providing an important insight into local ways of life. There is always an excellent range of restaurants to choose from depending on your budget and tastes. You will also need to purchase drinks and snacks for long bus or coach journeys as there may not be the opportunity once on board.

Dietary requirements/vegetarians/vegans

If you are a vegetarian, we request that you inform us by completing the Important Passenger Information form. If you have any more complex dietary restrictions or food intolerances, we request you please inform us at the time of booking, as well as your tour leader at the start of the tour.

The economy of some of the countries that we visit rely highly on the meat industry (such as Argentina) and although vegetarianism is becoming more popular around South America, vegans might find it a little bit more difficult to satisfy their needs. Your tour leader should be able to help you find alternatives.

Around the world, vegetarianism and veganism are viewed in different lights and results of an international survey suggest the definitions of vegetarianism vary from nation to nation. In some areas, there is cultural and even legal support, such as in India and the United Kingdom, where food labelling is in place which can make it easier for vegetarians to identify foods compatible with their diets.

However, this is not the case in many countries you will be visiting. Please be aware that in many parts of the world vegetarian meals are classified as ‘meals without meat’, and may not be what you are used to. In some of the countries, you will be visiting fish and seafood might be considered a vegetarian alternative. If you wish to eat certain food types you have the opportunity to order these meals in restaurants on your free days which will be prepared and served in the style typical to the local cuisine. If you do have severe food intolerances and restrictions it may be worth considering travelling with your own supply of some of the harder to purchase products i.e. gluten and wheat-free products.

Airport Transfers

Optional airport transfers (at extra cost) are provided in Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, La Paz, Lima, Bogota, Cartagena, Panama City and San Jose. If you have booked a transfer please look out for a driver holding a board with your name on it at arrivals.
If your driver is late please wait maximum 20 minutes and then call the emergency phone line on your travel documents before taking a taxi on your own (if you leave without notifying us we won’t be able to reimburse the money if it applies).
Ezeiza Airport (in Buenos Aires) arrivals lounge can get extremely busy and messy, make sure you walk around until you find your sign.
Aeroparque Airport (in Buenos Aires) arrivals lounge has exit doors that flow into the same lounge, make sure you look for your sign.
Santiago de Chile airport has 2 exit doors, that flow into different lounges, your driver might be waiting for you in the opposite lounge, if you don't see your driver please call us. Please beware that in some of the main cities in South America there might be scams involving airport transfers, always use official stands. (Scams are especially common in Santiago Airport)

Time Keeping

Expat Explore carefully designs all the tours in order to maximize your experience in each destination which is why we ask you to keep to the times provided to you by your tour leader. Being late will delay the whole group and also impede on your time in some fantastic destinations! Please note that the tour leader must consider the needs of the whole group above the needs of one individual and as such may be forced to leave people behind if they are late so that the rest of the group does not miss out on anything included on the itinerary.

Orientation Walks / Guided Tours

In most places that you visit you will either be given an orientation walk or guided tour by our Expat Explore tour leader, or you may have a guided walking tour with one of our local guides who are experienced and very passionate about each city. Orientation tours can last between 20 – 60 minutes, and guided tours can last between 2 – 3 hours. The tours are taken at a good pace with the opportunity to take photos along the way. At the end of each tour, you may also get free time to explore further.

Itinerary

Our busy itineraries are designed to show you as much of the destinations as possible in a short period of time. Therefore there will be some early starts or late finishes. People travelling in a group will have many and varied interests and for some people a day at the museum will be a perfect day and for others a day spent hiking up a mountain; some stops are therefore designed to show you the highlights but you may not necessarily have unlimited time to take in the sights at your leisure.

Your Expat Explore Team

The road crew on your tour are your tour leader and local drivers. Your tour leader is responsible for organising the day-to-day aspects of running the tour and will be doing a lot of behind the scenes work to ensure everything runs smoothly. They will advise you on the best places to eat and drink, will arrange and take cash payment for local optional excursions, attempt to solve any problems that might crop up and give you commentary about the local environment, culture, geography and history. Your tour leader will take into account the group’s wishes as a whole but there will be times when safety and security come first, or other operational issues and/or practical logistics may dictate that an unpopular decision be made and your patience and understanding will be appreciated.

Your qualified drivers will be fully accustomed to the local routes and will drive with everyone’s safety in mind. The drivers and tour leaders are experienced and professional staff that are fully trained and will ensure you get the best opportunity on your once in a lifetime experience.

Review Sheets

At Expat Explore we are continually striving to give the best possible experience to our customers, which is why your opinion is so important to us. Please help us continue to improve our tours by filling in the review sheets which will be handed out to you by your tour leader at the end of your tour. We ask you to please take this questionnaire seriously and answer every question in as much detail as possible (although please do consider if your comments concern areas which are out of our control) as this is an opportunity for Expat Explore to keep our tours to the standard that you, our future passengers and we demand. You will also be sent a quick review email once you return home, please kindly click on the link and take two minutes to share your experience for future travellers to review on the website.