Audrey's Gems of Northwest Italy

Flights and early arrival options

Your flight to Milan should arrive on Day 1 of the itinerary - this means you should depart your home airport the day prior. Many of our travelers arrive a "full day early" to recover from their overnight flight.  

The first day on tour is your arrival day into the city in which we meet. So you would be flying no later than the day before from the United States or Canada. It is your responsibility to get to the city and hotel where and when the tour begins. When making flight arrangements, please allow sufficient time to claim luggage and clear customs in order to join the included transfer on time. Your train or flight should arrive between 09:00AM and 12:00PM-noon (no later) on Day 1 of the tour to allow you enough time to check in to your hotel, freshen up and meet for the orientation walk with our other group guests.

Remember, airfare is a completely separate arrangement from your land tour. It is your responsibility to arrive at the point of tour origination.

Your return home flight is from Milan Malpensa on Day 10.   

Prepare for Your Trip

• European travel in general involves a lot of walking, much more than travelers may be used to in the US. Most of our tours include city walking tours, visits to hilltop towns and villages, and meandering through cobbled streets. Keeping active and incorporating long walks into your busy schedule in the weeks before your departure will make your vacation much more rewarding. 
• The currency in Italy is the Euro. It is always a good idea to have some local currency with you upon arrival.  You can also access more cash with your ATM card.  You may use a credit card in most shops and restaurants.
• Don’t Overpack: A challenge even for some experienced travelers! Plan to wash or dry clean some clothes during your travel. Some accommodations we choose offer laundry services and towns and cities have laundromats. Most also provide hair dryers. Toiletries and cosmetics can also be purchased at your destinations. Please contact us if you need some assistance.
• It is your responsibility to obtain the required documents to travel to Europe. Please verify with your own country's travel laws and government agencies. Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months after your return date. 

Itinerary and Pricing

Plans may shift slightly depending on weather, local rhythms, or spontaneous opportunities.

• Itinerary Changes. Please bear in mind that each hand-crafted itinerary showcased on the website represents a typical itinerary, and the actual details may vary due to season and special events. We reserve the right to alter or curtail the itinerary, substitute sightseeing, hotels, and/or transportation as deemed necessary, since tour arrangements are made up to a year in advance, and unforeseen circumstances may arise. Itinerary changes are also made to improve the tour and your experience. While we do our best to adhere to our published itineraries during a tour, they may be changed at the discretion of the tour leader (your local host) due to weather conditions and any other unforeseeable circumstances. 
• Prices are subject to change with global exchange rates. Please be aware that equivalent dollar costs are based on exchange rates and are contingent upon a fluctuating currency market. Once the deposit has been received, the price is locked, regardless of exchange fluctuations prior to the tour. Variations in price will be made only if Euro value increases 5% or more from the time of reservation to the time that balance is due. Any variations in price, which may or may not increase your balance, will be communicated by email.

General Information

• Meals: All breakfasts are included and the welcome dinner. We carefully choose the restaurants based on ambiance and quality of cuisine.
• Air Conditioning: Hotels and mini-buses/vans used are air-conditioned for your comfort. European air conditioning should be considered as a climate-control system; most have three settings for the fan, plus a "cool" setting. Very few of the European systems actually have a temperature setting. In general, the amount of cool air that is produced from a European air conditioning system may be less than what you may have in your own home. Some hotels in Europe do not operate their air conditioning systems on a year round basis, but only during certain months of the year.
• Mobility: All of our tours involve walking and require our guests to board and disembark our vehicles several times a day making this tour unsuitable for those with reduced mobility. You must be able to walk up and down hills, on uneven surfaces and stand for extended periods of time.

Accommodations

We believe that where you sleep is an important part of your overall travel experience. We choose truly special and unique locations, that reflect authentic local charm.

There is frequent confusion over the terminology used for hotel rooms. A “double” room is recognized as meaning a room with a double bed, which may be two single beds pushed together. A “twin” room is a room with two single beds. A “single” room tends to be smaller than double or twin rooms. Triples are usually two-bedded rooms plus a roll-away cot and not recommended for comfort. Some properties offer 1 double and 1 single bed, or 1 double and 1 pull out sofa

Some rooms may include stairs. A specific view is not guaranteed. As we work mainly with historic inns and small upscale boutique hotels, rooms differ in size and layout. In general, Italian bedrooms and bathrooms are smaller compared to US standards. Each room has its own en-suite bathroom with shower and/or tub, hair-dryer, and basic toiletry set. Please contact us if you have specific requests/needs.

We know it can happen that you need to cancel your tour. However, we make payments towards the trip long before you book your spot. Thus, we must keep policies that allow us to continue offering the unique and immersive journeys you crave. As our small group trips are carefully budgeted for 6 participants and we make payments for the trip to our vendors after we receive your deposits, this means we have to adhere to a strict Cancellation Policy in order to maintain cost effectiveness for everyone. ​

Travel insurance can put your mind at ease when the unexpected happens. The purchase of travel insurance is strongly recommended to help protect you and your travel investment against the unexpected. 

• Your initial deposit is non-refundable 
• ​If you cancel 90 days or more before your tour departure date, your deposit and any other payments can be converted into credit to use towards any of our small group trips departing within 12 months from the date of cancellation.
• ​If you cancel less than 90 days before departure, we're unable to offer credit, refunds, or date changes.

Note: In the unlikely event your tour does not reach the minimum participation requirement of 6 travelers, we will work with you to choose another available tour or tour date. We will do our best to make the transition as smooth as possible.

Travel insurance can put your mind at ease when the unexpected happens. The purchase of TRAVEL INSURANCE is strongly recommended to help protect you and your travel investment against the unexpected. A Protection Plan can include coverage for Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, Emergency Medical and Emergency Evacuation/Repatriation, Trip Delay, Baggage Delay and more.

Coverage should include medical expenses and repatriation in the event of accident or illness. In addition, we also strongly recommend that you have coverage for personal belongings, delay at your outward or homeward point of departure, personal liability, overseas legal expenses and cancellation.

While trip cancellation and interruption insurance is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for all Guests, Travels with Audrey does not sell travel insurance directly, nor are we experts in this field.

North America's travel insurance providers are:

Allianz
Travel Guard
World Nomads

You can compare insurance policies and costs among various providers at SquareMouth and at Insuremytrip.com (both also sell insurance).

NOTE: Please ensure that details of your insurance are always carried with you. You may be asked to provide details of your medical insurance, or a payment guarantee in some counties before medical assistance will be provided.