Frequently Asked Questions

Topic: Art & Study 

1. Does the company have expertise in Art and Study Tour planning?

Jane Larson, manager of our Art & Study Tours, earned both her Bachelor and Master degrees in Art History. She served for seven years as the program director of a non-profit community arts school where she worked with a staff of more than 60 instructors to offer programs in the visual and performing arts. She also taught art history at Lansing Community College and Olivet College. In 1982, Jane and her husband began organizing and conducting European art tours, which led naturally to her current position with Witte Travel & Tours.

2. What services do Witte Travel & Tours provide?

Our services include:

• Providing a Group Travel Planner to work with you through each stage - from planning the tour and preparing personalized brochures, through all the steps leading up to departure.
• Preparing personalized tour brochures for your group.
• Providing reservations and accounting services to handle all the administrative details of your tour.
• Taking care of individual or special needs, including extended stays at the tour destination and arranging special activities.
• Providing advice on promoting the tour to prospective group members.

3. Are the group's goals considered when planing the tour? Is the company flexible?

At Witte Travel & Tours, we work with you to create an itinerary that matches your area of expertise, interests, budget and schedule.

4. What are the responsibilities of tour leaders? What is their relationship with drivers/guides?

Tour leaders help plan the tours, work as the tours promoter signing up passengers, and help get everyone ready to travel. While on tour, leaders share their knowledge with the group and make sure the group is able to take advantage of local resources and special events. They also work closely with the driver/guide to make sure all the arrangements promised to the group are carried out smoothly. As "social directors," tour leaders work hard to make sure all the travelers have a wonderful time.

5. What are the benefits of being a tour leader?

The primary benefit is having the opportunity to travel with people you enjoy.

During the initial planning phase of your tour, there'll be a discussion about what the tour leader expects to receive in the way of benefits. Though there is no "standard" number of complimentary trips that can be included in the cost of the tour, a good "rule of thumb" is one complimentary trip for each ten paying participants.

In addition to the complimentary trips, some tour leaders ask that a cash promotional benefit be added to the cost of the trip. Such a benefit could be as little as $10 per paying participant, or it could be a great deal more, especially in those cases where the tour leader is sharing his/her expertise.

6. How does Witte Travel & Tours help us promote our Art and Study tour?

To help you recruit participants for your tour, we provide:

• Personalized, easy-to-read brochures for you to distribute to potential participants
• Advice on how to promote your tour successfully
• A video lending library for your use
• Assistance with promotional meetings
• Notice of your tour in our newsletter

7. What happens if the final group size is smaller than originally planned?

Often we're able to operate tours even though there are fewer participants than originally anticipated. If it is necessary to raise the tour cost and the increase is more than six percent of the advertised tour cost, the participant may cancel and receive a full refund, provided that written notice of cancellation is received by Witte Travel and Tours within 10 days after the participant has been notified of the increase.

8. Is sightseeing included in the cost of the tour? What about entrance fees, museum passes, special events or exhibit costs? Are museum visits pre-arranged?

Witte Travel & Tours includes all sightseeing and entrance fees for activities - concerts, special events, exhibits, sight-seeing, etc. - detailed in the tour itinerary. Also, where applicable, museum passes are included in the tour cost to allow for independent exploration of the museums during free time. On all our Art and Study tours, whenever possible, museum visits are pre-arranged in order to avoid standing in long lines.

9. Will group participants have options for evening activities? Will Witte Travel & Tours help make arrangements for those interested?

We can make arrangements prior to departure for optional theater and concert tickets in London, Salzburg and many other cities. During tours, when groups have free time, the tour manager often suggests an optional excursion. The group's motorcoach can be used for optional excursions and transfers that were not originally included in the tour cost providing there is a minimum participation of 50% of the group or 20 passengers - whichever is lower.

10. Once the tour begins, can we change the tour itinerary?

There is some flexibility to make changes to the itinerary during the tour. Your driver/guide will work with you to determine whether a change is possible.

11. What types of hotels can we expect?

For our standard adult tours we use a combination of superior tourist and moderate first class hotels with private facilities. The Group Travel Planner discusses what's important to you (i.e. city center vs. country setting, modern vs. historic hotels, etc.) to ensure that you're comfortable with your accommodations.

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