Hello, travelers!
We know that trip-hunting and travel research can be exhaustive, and at times finding all the information you need to plan the perfect vacation can get tricky. Thinking of that, we have put together this FAQ with the most asked questions made by our guests over the 20 years (wow!) that we have been giving tours.
Please see if your questions are answered below, and don’t hesitate in shooting us an email if you have any other doubts or thoughts! This way we can improve our FAQ, and make it even easier for travelers from all around the world to find all the information they need.
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The best way of contacting us is via email. You can write info@spanish-trails.com, and we will get back at you in 24h-48h, tops! Don’t hesitate in writing us, we will love to hear from you!
Our office is located in the center of Barcelona, in the Gothic Quarter, but we have an irregular routine, meaning that visits are only possible by appointment. If you need urgent attention, you can call +34 93 500 1616, or send us your phone number and the best time to call and we will get in touch with you as soon as possible.
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Please don’t! If the date you want is not available in the calendar, click on the blue bar under it to submit a tour request form and let us know your preferred date. We will check our agenda and write you back in 24h-48h! If we have guides and cars available, we would be happy to open a new group for you.
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Our events are nearly always limited to eight participants in nearly every case. Groups of eight or less allow us to access and enjoy a personal experience with our participants and have a minimal, yet positive, impact on the local community.
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We don’t cancel a tour if we don’t reach a certain minimum, but we need at least 2 guests to open a group. There would be a surcharge of 25 Euros/person if you end up being the only two clients on a non-private day trip (for some of the city tours, the surcharge is 20 Euros/person). Although this is not likely (especially between April and October), it would be necessary in order to cover the guide fees and other costs that would normally be covered by having more than two clients on the trip. The positive side of the supplement is that you and up getting a private tour at a fraction of the normal private touring price!
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Wine tours have special prices for children under 9 years-old. Also, get in touch with us for special rates if you consider booking multiple tours.
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If you choose to pay a balance only upon booking, the balance will be due in cash to the guide on the day of the tour. Thank you for planning accordingly.
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Your guide will meet you in one of our very central meeting points in the city center. The meeting point depends on the tour simple map of your meeting point would be sent to you with the confirmation email after receipt of deposit.
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There is no need to bring anything on the day of the tour, just show up wearing comfortable clothing and a big smile!
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The guide will have your name and information and will find you at the meeting point. It would be great if you could be there a few minutes prior to the departure time, to avoid delays.
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Very rarely. We use modern, comfortable, emission-friendly vehicles. If we use Spanish Trails vehicles for an event, the maximum number of participants in the van is limited to eight participants. For specific groups of more than eight people, we do use an adequately sized coach to accommodate the particular group, but the event destination(s) may be subject to alteration.
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No, however, we do provide free transport for some Spanish Trails experiences and events, and we do organize transport with reliable, local transport companies for the sake of direct transfers. If a participant does not have the means to arrive at the places of interest of which the day’s itinerary is comprised, we do provide transport 100% free of cost, pending a confirmed reservation and space availability. We are not a taxi service and do not use Spanish Trails vans for general transport and transfers. Under no circumstances does Spanish Trails charge for the transport portion of our services that may require the use of our vans.
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The reason why we don’t pick up guests on non-private bookings is to avoid delays in the departure time. If you’d prefer a private day trip for your group, pick up would be from your city center accommodation.
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On non-private bookings, we need to maintain the departure from our central meeting point, in case we have last minute participants. If we “feel” that there won’t be other guests joining, we will do our best to adapt and arrange pick-ups for the guests who end up being solos in a group, but sometimes it is just not possible to change our guides’ schedule in the last minute. Each case will be analyzed separately and confirmed via email one day prior to the tour. We hope this makes sense to you!
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Tipping can work in many different ways depending on the country. You are not obligated to tip your guide, of course, but if you feel that he or she has shown you an incredible day and offered you customer service that is worthy of notice, it would not be out of the ordinary to leave a tip of around 10%. Please note that a gratuity for your guide is not included in the price.
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We do not cancel day tours due to bad weather. We simply re-route the day to fit the weather and continue exploring! The only exceptions are the hiking day trips when the bad weather can compromise the safety of the experience. In that case, we can either reschedule it to another date or replace the tour with a different activity. We would get in touch with you via email if an adaptation is necessary.
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Of course! This is a fantastic tour for you to get to know the gastronomic culture and traditions of Spain and get tips of where and what to eat. Also, you can replace your wine with soft drinks!
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Lunches in Spain work with “Menu del día”, which consists of a first and a second plate (sometimes with drinks and dessert included). You will be able to choose among the restaurant’s options for the daily menu. We take food very seriously and we can guarantee that during our trips you’ll only have great quality and traditional restaurants. If you read our reviews, you will see that the sentence “best meal of our stay in Spain” is announced very often!
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We always ask our guests for special dietary restrictions, so that we can advise the restaurants prior to our arrival. If you have any allergies, or if there are any ingredients that you can’t have or are not a fan of, let us know and we will arrange alternatives for you!
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Small Group and Private:
Customers will receive a full refund or credit with 7+ days notice of cancellation. Between 7 and 1 day notice, a 70% refund will be given. In the unlikely case of operator cancellation due to unforeseen circumstances, customers will also receive a full refund or credit. Cancellations within 24 hours and no-shows will be charged the full price.
Any entrances to sites that have already been purchased cannot be refunded.
Premium Multi-day experiences:
One month or more before trip’s start – Full refund
Between 1 month and 2 weeks – 50% refund
Between 1 and 2 weeks – 30% refund
One week or less – no refund