PLAN YOUR TRIP with Latin American Escapes

Destination Profiles | Trip Index | Customized Itineraries | Airline tickets | Insurance

There are many ways Latin American Escapes can help you with your travel plans. You can call us on our toll free number for expert tour advice and recommendations — 1-800-519-5999. Our website is a great resource—it offers a wealth of travel information, and detailed trip itineraries.

For general travel information and tour recommendations, you’ll find a special page for each of our destinations under Destination Profiles. In the section on "Travel Tips" you can find out how to get a passport; if you need any special visas or inoculations, and what the weather will be like. A sample reading list and information about travel insurance are also available.

Once you find your areas of interest, you can link to our Trip Finder for specific tour options in each destination. The trips are divided into Adventure, Natural History and Cultural categories. Many times these categories overlap —- most trips in Costa Rica will enjoy the intense variety of Natural History, and many trips to the Galapagos Islands or the rainforest can involve the adventure activities such as sea kayaking and hiking. You’ll find a quick listing of the important trip information —- ength of trip, cost, travel season, etc. All trip costs are indicated as per person, based on two people sharing a room, unless otherwise indicated. Just click on the name of the trip for more details on departure dates, day-by-day itinerary, booking details, etc.

Minimum trip guidelines: Generally speaking, we need to provide at least seven nights of hotels, tours, and transfers in order to handle a trip for you. In some instances, for example four or more people traveling together, we can reduce this to five nights. You’ll see that our Trip Index contains many trips that are shorter, such as a three-night tour to Easter Island, or to an Amazon Rainforest Lodge. These packages can be used as a component to a complete travel itinerary, or an extension to a longer group trip. Contact us if you have any questions on how we can help you put these components together.

Group Departures: You can find the departure dates for our group trips in the itineraries on our website. Or contact our sales staff for an update. Just let us know your preferred travel dates, and we will be happy to check on the current availability for you.

Customized Itineraries
You’ll see many of the trips in our indexes are listed as "customized." These are suggested itineraries we’ve put together that provide the components we feel are essential for a well-rounded trip to your selected destination. These itineraries will give you a good idea of the timing and logistics needed for a particular destination, and also a rough idea of per diem costs. But most importantly, these itineraries are completely flexible! We can add or subtract days, mix and match hotel categories, include private guides for select tours, or add special excursions to design this trip exactly to your preferences. And most importantly, you can depart and return on your schedule. Custom trips can be either a hosted trip, or an escorted trip.

A hosted trip is the most independent. We will arrange all of your tours, airport transfers, and hotel arrangements. We have a local office in each major destination that will provide these services to you, reconfirm your flight schedules, and make sure all of your guides and tours are carefully coordinated.
An escorted trip has all the same components, but you have a guide assigned to you for the entire program. Some itineraries will have a mix of hosted and escorted portions. A trip to the Galapagos Islands is an escorted group trip, as you live aboard a boat and have the guides with you on all excursions. However, during your time in Ecuador we will arrange your hotels, airport transfers, and extra tours for you. This portion would be a hosted trip, with our local Quito office providing all your services.

Planning a customized itinerary:
Once you’ve looked over our suggested itineraries, and/or had a chat with our office about your options, we’ll need some specifics from you to get started. In order to calculate your prices we’ll need as much information as possible on the following:

Number of people traveling, their ages, and what type of rooms you need. For hotel rooms, do you need twin, double or triple beds in the rooms? For condominiums, how many rooms & bathrooms do you require?
Category and/or style of hotel you prefer, or any specific hotel requests.
How much time you have to travel
What time of the year you wish to take this trip, or any specific dates we need to work with
Preferred method of sightseeing—private tours; a fully escorted itinerary; do you wish to join group tours where available?
Number of preferred days in each location along with any specific activities or tours you wish to include
Any special arrangements needed, such as boat charters, wedding planning, group events, special celebrations
Budget guidelines

For complicated trip planning, or arrangements over any holiday travel periods, we may require a deposit along with your request. This payment will go entirely towards your final trip costs, with a small portion being non-refundable.

Private Groups: Looking for that special place for a family reunion, wedding, or meeting? Or just want to travel with a group of friends on your own private trip? We can take any of our group trips and create a private experience for you and your traveling companions. Or reserve a group of rooms or condos for a family reunion. Other great family options are available in the Galapagos Islands, where you can charter a boat for your own private expedition. With a range of 8 to 90 passenger boats, we can find your perfect match by reserving the entire boat, or a group of cabins.

For other destinations, enjoy the flexibility and fun of traveling with friends and family and your own guide and vehicle. Whether you prefer a private departure of one of our group trips, or design a custom itinerary, we’ll help plan the perfect itinerary.

Airline Tickets
Latin American Escapes will issue airline tickets only in conjunction with our confirmed tour itineraries. We do not sell airline tickets independently of tour arrangements.

We work with most major international airlines on a special contract basis to provide you with the best airfares to your destination. In some cases, the regular airfares directly from the airlines offer the best rate. Once we have your intended travel dates, we will check all possible options and schedules, and work out the best arrangements for you. We can add in your mileage numbers, and assign seats. We regret we cannot assist with any "mileage award" programs, as those reservations must be handled directly with the airline.

If your travel plans involve flights with-in Latin America, we’ll review the different options, and let you know how to get the best prices. We’ll either have our local in-country office issue the tickets, or we can do it from our home office in the US. Regional, or country-specific air-passes can also be options for certain itineraries. Note that airfares are not guaranteed until reservations are made, and tickets are paid for.

If we are not taking care of your airline tickets, we will need a printed copy of your complete flight itinerary in order to arrange for your airport transfers.

Trip Insurance
In the case of unforeseen incidents, travel insurance is an important precaution to protect you, your family and your investment.

Travel Insurance Select from Travel Insurance Services has been providing insurance to Latin American Escapes travelers since 1996. It includes comprehensive trip cancellation, accident, medical, baggage, and medical evacuation insurance and 24/7 emergency assistance. You can view complete travel insurance details or enroll online.

To receive full benefits, be sure to enroll early (within 15 days of your initial trip deposit). Full details of the benefits of early enrollment are available from the Travel Insurance Services Web site.

We can plan your entire trip from start to finish--airline tickets, hotels, tours, guided excursions, adventure trips and special events. Call our toll free number at 800 510 5999 to answer all your questions.

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Latin America Escapes, Inc.
Latin American Escapes, Inc.
Toll free: 1-800-510-5999
e-mail: travel@latinamericanescapes.com
3209 Esplanade, Suite #130
Chico, CA 95973
Local telephone: 530-879-9292/Fax: 530-879-9290
CST# 202 3695-40