Questions
Frequently asked questions
The things people ask before they book, and a few they ask after. If yours is not here, the contact page reaches somebody who runs the trips.
How do I book a tour?
Open the tour, choose a departure date, and say how many people are travelling. The price updates as you go, with taxes and fees broken out, so you see the full amount before you start.
Then it is five short steps: check your selection, add the travellers' details, answer any questions the tour asks (dietary needs, for instance), agree to the booking conditions, and pay. Your seats are held for you while you fill it in, so nobody can take them from under you halfway through.
Do I have to pay the whole amount up front?
Not on every tour. Where a tour offers it, you can pay a deposit now and the balance later — the balance amount and its due date are shown before you pay anything, and again on your booking page and in your confirmation email.
If you would rather settle everything at once, you can always pay in full.
How do I pay the balance?
From your booking page: the confirmation email links to it, and it is also listed under My bookings if you have an account. You pay the balance the same way you paid the deposit, through the same secure payment page.
Is it safe to enter my card details?
Yes. Payment is handled entirely by Stripe on a secure payment page — your card details never pass through our systems and we never see or store them. The receipt you receive is for the transaction, not the card.
Do I need an account to book?
No. You can book as a guest with just an email address. An account is useful if you book more than once: it keeps every booking in one place, lets you download receipts, and saves you re-typing your details.
If you book as a guest and later create an account with the same email address, you will find the booking waiting there.
What is included in the price?
Everything the tour page lists under What's included — and nothing that appears under What's not included. The price you see is the price you pay: taxes and fees are itemised before checkout, and there are no surprises at the payment step.
Optional extras, where a tour offers them, are shown with their own prices and are only added if you choose them.
Will I get a receipt?
Yes, two ways. A confirmation email arrives as soon as your payment is confirmed, and a PDF receipt can be downloaded from your booking page at any time. The receipt shows the seller, the registration number, every itemised amount, and the date of payment.
Can I add the trip to my calendar?
Yes. Your booking page has Add to calendar links for Apple Calendar and Google Calendar. The entry carries the dates, the meeting point, and your booking reference.
Whose name goes on the booking?
Every traveller's full legal name, exactly as it appears on their passport, and their date of birth. Tour operators and carriers check these against travel documents, and a mismatch — a nickname, a missing middle name — can cause real problems on the day. Take a moment to get them right.
Can I change or cancel my booking?
The terms depend on the tour and on how close to departure you are. They are set out on the booking conditions and cancellation policy pages, and the version you agreed to is recorded on your booking.
To make a change, or to ask about cancelling, contact us with your booking reference. Changes are handled by a person, not a form, so that nothing about your trip is altered without you knowing.
Which currency will I be charged in?
The one you choose. Prices can be viewed in several currencies using the selector at the top of every page, and you are charged in the currency you booked in. Your receipt shows that currency.
Who actually runs the trips?
Empiria Tours is the seller for every booking on this site — the company name and travel-industry registration number are in the footer of every page. Some tours are operated day to day by partner operators who know their region; where that is the case, the tour page says so.
How big are the groups?
Small enough to sit around one table. Every departure shows how many places are left, so you can see how full a date is before you choose it.
Should I have travel insurance?
We strongly recommend it. Check the tour's Practical information for anything specific to that trip, and make sure any policy you take out covers the activities involved.