Bindlestiff Southwest Tours info and FAQ’s:
You’re on Holiday!
You are on holiday. Let us take the stress out of your life and do most of the hard work! However, your safety is your responsibility. Please respect your tour guide’s advice. Join in with things that perhaps you haven’t done before! Enjoy new experiences, take part wherever you can.
Be Flexible-We’ve done this before
Bindlestiff Tours are flexible, meaning that your tour guide may alter certain night stops to maximize your enjoyment; maybe you opt to visit a local event or stay longer in a certain place, relax and go with the flow! This flexibility generally comes on with tours upwards of 7 days in length.
New Friends
Small group adventure is growing in popularity. It provides a great way to meet people from all over the world in a very social setting. Our maximum group size is 14, giving you the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals and form new friendships. It also ensures that we can provide flexibility in meeting individual needs and interests.
Our Commitment to the Environment
We promote the philosophy of ‘take only photographs and memories, and leave only footsteps’. Please respect the environment by sticking to existing trails, disposing of trash appropriately and recycling wherever possible. We do not provide bottled water on our multi day tours. We encourage our guests to bring a refillable container. This may be as simple as a plastic 1 liter bottle purchased from any convenience store, you may refill these every time we make a comfort stop, and we will happily recycle it for you at the end of your tour if you wish.
FAQ’S
What should I pack?
Be prepared for both warm and cold temperatures. Generally speaking, on our summer tours you can enjoy warm days, but nights can sometimes get cooler. It’s a good idea to pack a warm pair of socks, woolly sweater or hooded jacket, hats, gloves, rain jacket, hiking shoes, warm coat and of course your favorite fancy Las Vegas outfit for tours starting or ending in Las Vegas!
We recommend 3 season sleeping bag for your Southwest USA summer tour and essential camping items such as a flashlight and a decent battery operated alarm clock. On our Grand Canyon, Zion, Monument Valley and Bryce tours we advise some warm sleep wear. Campgrounds are privately owned and operated and offer very high standards. The campgrounds on our tours have full bathrooms and hot showers (bring your own towel) as well as electricity and charging points for cameras and cells phones etc. Most campgrounds have complimentary wifi. Some of them even have outdoor hot tubs and swimming pools so if you wish to take advantage of these things please bring a bathing suit.
For our 2-3 day Southwest USA camping tours
We will supply you with a thick foam sleeping pad, use of a two person tent and a sleeping bag. We suggest that you bring a travel pillow for added comfort.
I’ve never camped before will that be a problem?
Don’t worry! We will take care of pretty much everything-we supply all necessary camping equipment except your sleeping bag. We call it comfort camping or “glamping”. Our spacious two person tents are easy to put up and take down and our experienced tour guides are there to help you every step of the way. If you are a solo traveler, you will be paired with a tent partner of the same gender. Most of the campsites we us are fully equipped with WIFI, laundry, hot showers, some even have outdoor hot tubs and swimming pools.
On 7-21 day tours, helping out on the camp kitchen is a fun way to sample cuisine from all over the world -your tour leader will guide you through chores. Shopping for meals, loading and unloading the trailer, and preparing meals will make you part of the team.
How much are the hotels en route?
On our 7-21 day tours where there is an overnight hotel stop our local payment policy for en route hotels enables us to keep the cost of your tour low. It also gives us more flexibility in the hotels we use, allowing us to take advantage of special discounts and incentives. En route hotels where applicable are usually between $80-$90 per person per night and are offered on a same twin share or couple basis. This applies to select tours only.
Can I come on the tours on my own?
Traveling solo? Take advantage of our no single person supplement policy, many of our clients are traveling solo, you can relax knowing that you will not be charged a penalty for a single person booking on our camping tours. Since you will be traveling with like-minded individuals who share your passion for adventure travel, you will be sure to have new friends and memories to last a lifetime.
How much should I budget for food?
On our 7-21 day camping tours in order to help you budget for meals, your tour guide will arrange a food kitty. This generally covers breakfast, sandwich lunch and an evening meal on camping days. It does not cover soft drinks, alcohol or meals at local restaurants when groups decide to sample local cuisine. Naturally, it doesn’t cover meals on hotel stops.
On our 3 day National Parks Tour we include 1 breakfast (two if camping) they are lite breakfasts, muffin, fruit or cereal with tea or coffee.
We do not include evening meals- your tour guide will suggest local economical restaurants, and usually clients opt to eat as a group and enjoy the social aspect of the tour.
We do provide sandwich style lunches – (you make your own from our pre-shopped fresh ingredients). This means that lunches are quick and simple and may be taken whilst out enjoying the natural beauty of our National Parks either at a picnic table or out on a trail.
On our 2 day tours we do not include meals. Simple meals or picnic style lunches can be taken at economical local restaurants. There are several choices and vegetarians are catered for.
Can I take part in some optional activities?
Our lasting relationships with local vendors allow us to offer great rates on activities specifically tailored to each tour. You will be guided through a number of activity options and based on personal preferences, your tour guide will arrange your optional activities for you. Each tour has both included activities and optional activities. We have listed the many optional activities along with a guide to their prices per tour so that you can budget accordingly.
How much luggage can I bring?
Please limit your luggage to your sleeping bag (7 day tours), a main piece of luggage weighing no more than 20kg (44 lbs) and one piece of hand luggage. If you have more luggage than this, please arrange to leave it at your hotel or store it locally.
How do I carry my spending money?
ATM’s are readily available through the USA and your tour guide will point you in the right direction whilst on the tour. Credit cards are not accepted for optional activities (except the helicopter flights in the Grand Canyon), en-route hotels or food kitty.
I heard that tipping is the custom in the USA-how much should I tip?
It is an American custom to tip guides, waiters, bar staff, taxi driver s etc. and it is expected.
Your Bindlestiff Tour Guide will work exceptional hard for you, and we recommended a discretionary tour guide tip of a minimum of $25 per person per day on all of our multi day tours and 15% -20% on day tours.
English is not my first language, will I be able to understand information given to me whilst on tour?
Our Southwest USA tours are conducted in English, but our tour guides are experienced in leading groups of different nationalities and will speak slowly and re-explain things if needed. We are here to help. National Parks information is often provided in other languages and via our language APP. Please ask your tour guide.
Where do the tours depart?
For our 3-21 day tours passengers must make their own way to and from our gateway hotels. We will reconfirm the details and how to get there during our booking process.
For our 1-2 day tours we include a complimentary pick up and drop off from hotels within 3 miles of the Las Vegas Strip. In which case, we will ask you for your hotel name and advise you further.
For select Private Custom tours we will pick you up from your hotel.
Flights
Bindlestiff Tours does not offer flights. Please contact your travel agent to book your flights.
Remember, we are here to help you with any questions or concerns every step of the way, so please contact us if you need to!