Scandinavian Escape

When travel is safe to resume, we will be implementing a number of additional protocols to ensure our passengers/travellers are as safe and protected as possible while travelling with us.

In addition to our existing health and safety measures on our coaches and while conducting tours, passengers/travellers can expect:

• Elevated coach hygiene and safety procedures including increased daily cleaning measures, seat rotation being paused for the time being, compulsory face masks onboard, free seats and updated boarding procedures inline with social distancing measures.
• Additional, in-depth health and hygiene training for crew members.
• In addition to ensuring the comfort and quality of our accommodation and restaurants, these destinations will be vetted to ensure they meet increased hygiene standards.

For more information on our elevated health and safety protocols, please see our How to Travel Safe page.

Our tours are not suitable for young children, so we set a minimum age limit of 10 years old. However, at the discretion of Expat Explore we may consider younger children on certain tours if they meet certain criteria and a request is received in writing via email for consideration. Expat Explore reserves the absolute right to accept or decline a booking at our discretion.

No, you will need to make your own arrangements to get to the meeting destination for the first day of your tour. Make sure you keep departure times and possible delays in mind when booking flights. We recommend Skyscanner for comparing prices from the vast majority of airlines.

No, you will need to make your own arrangements to get to the meeting destination for the first day of your tour. Make sure you keep departure times and possible delays in mind when booking flights. Please click here to visit Skyscanner - a useful tool for comparing prices from the vast majority of airlines.

No, you will need to make your own arrangements to get to the meeting point for the first day of your tour. Please see the meeting point information for details on how to reach the meeting point, and for booking a transfer through Expat Explore.

All of the hotels on this tour offer Wi-Fi, which is available free of charge as part of your Expat Explore tour. In certain hotels this will be available in the hotel lobby only, while in others you will be able to get access in your room.

The coaches do not have Wi-Fi on board. If you intend to buy a local sim card to use while you are in Europe, please check with your service provider if your phone will work abroad.

Before the tour starts, you will receive an email from us requesting your dietary requirements. There is always a vegetarian option, which is a meal without meat. We try as much as we can to offer you the traditional local cuisine.

Your tour leader will implement a seat rotation policy, so that everyone on board the coach gets the chance to have a different view from their seats each day.

If you have any medical conditions that may be affected by where you sit, please discuss them with your Tour Leader, but note that the seat rotation policy will most likely mean that your request may not be honoured.

Certain nationalities may require a visa(s) for this tour. Please see our visas page and your pre-departure information for more information. It is your responsibility to contact the relevant embassies to confirm your visa requirements.

We believe the best way to get to the heart and soul of a city is on foot, surrounded by the people and the culture. For this reason, we do walking tours through most of the cities we visit. Many of the cities you visit are vast and old, often with steps and cobblestones. Our walking tours can last up to 3 hours with plenty of opportunities to take photographs and soak up the history of these fascinating places, but you do require a certain level of fitness to enjoy your tour to its fullest.

Yes, and you are responsible for arranging your own insurance. Passengers and their personal property travel with Expat Explore solely at their own risk. A suitable insurance policy should provide adequate cover for medical expenses arising through illness or accident prior to or during the holiday, and loss of holiday monies through cancellation or curtailment of the holiday or other insurable reasons. Clients should ensure that there are no exclusion clauses limiting protection for the type of activities in their tour. When on tour, ensure you keep personal belongings on you at all times and that your suitcase/backpack has a lock on it, especially in tourist areas. It may be advisable to wear a money belt to store money, credit cards and passport.

For a relatively small price, travel insurance provides you with the peace of mind so that you can enjoy your tour without any worries. To receive a quote from one of our preferred travel insurance partners, please visit WorldNomads (for all nationalities) or Hollard (for South Africans).

If you are travelling alone there is no compulsory charge - you will share a bunk-bed cabin with another passenger of the same gender.

There is an optional private cabin upgrade available for single travellers who wish to have a cabin to themselves. This can be added at the time of booking or by contacting our customer services team.

We can generally provide a triple room on request; however it is not guaranteed to be available in every destination. Please contact our customer services team to request a triple room. Please note that in some hotels, the triple room may consist of a double bed and a single bed, or a double bed and a pull-out or bunk-bed. Where we cannot provide a triple room the rooming will consist of one twin room and the third passenger sharing with another single traveller of the same gender.

We have a very wide range of ages on our tours, and do not restrict our passengers to certain age groups or limits. A positive attitude and an open mind are more important than a number!

Air-conditioning is not nearly as common place in European hotels as it is in places like North America and Asia. For most of the year it is simply not needed, and a lot of the hotels are in older, historic buildings that were built before air-conditioning was developed.

We always try our utmost to contract hotels with these comforts, however based on the volumes of tourists visiting over the summer, supply simply cannot keep up with demand. We work hard to deliver tours offering the best possible balance of affordability and comfort, and while most of our hotels offer air conditioning, we cannot guarantee that all the hotels you stay at on your tour will have air-conditioning in the rooms.

If you find your room does not have air-conditioning and it is uncomfortably hot, we recommend asking the hotel reception if they have a fan, which they are usually happy to provide, if they have them available.

Most hotels offer Wi-Fi, but there is usually a charge for access. Most cities and towns will have internet cafés where you can access the internet; opening hours will vary. Please speak to your tour leader and the reception staff at hotels for further information.

Our tour leaders come from all walks of life, with different backgrounds and interests. They are all confident and well-travelled, with an in-depth knowledge of the destinations they are working in, and a passion for helping you make the most out of your Expat Explore tour.

You can book online through our website or call our customer service team to make a booking over the phone. You must pay a deposit (the greater of 10% of the total tour cost or GBP 50 per person) via our online payment platform to secure your place. You can pay the remaining amount up to 45 days before departure, with a debit/credit card or with a bank transfer.