We understand that our trips are not the least expensive travel option that you may find. Allow us to explain why….
One of the most important differences in our trips is that we always have a professor, or what we call a study leader, travel with the group. Each study leader holds a PhD and is an expert in their field. They will be your travel companion throughout the entirety of the trip, not just for special presentations and lectures. They accompany the group on the bus, dine with you for included meals, and contribute to your experience with knowledge and camaraderie.
Additionally, a local guide will travel with the group and contribute local knowledge, culture, and assist with navigating the country.
Our tour groups are among the smallest in the industry. Most trips are available to a maximum of 16 people, but the average group size is 8 – 14. This allows an intimate experience with the places we visit and the people we meet.
We are a small company. Our volume of trips is not high. As a result, we treat each trip on our schedule with care. We want you to have a wonderful experience and work very hard to ensure that you do. We know each traveler personally.
We stay in 4 and 5-star accommodations as long as they are available and carefully select both our hotels and our restaurants looking for character as well as comfort.
Over our 40 years in operations, our return rate is very high, almost 85%. Everyone knows there are less expensive trips out there, but, in most cases, those who have traveled with us previously choose to return to us.
We know that you have many options to consider and that we are not the least expensive and don’t aim to be. We aim to be fully transparent and we are confident in our offerings. We hope you will join us and look forward to getting to know you!
A deposit of $1,000 per person is required along with your registration & health forms, which will be linked in the email confirmation you receive once you pay your deposit on our booking platform.
Final payment is due 120 days before departure.
Cancellations received in writing at least 120 days before departure will receive a refund of less than a $500 per person administrative fee. Cancellations received less than 120 days before the departure date will not receive a refund.
If for any reason you are unable to complete the trip, Far Horizons will not reimburse any fees.
Upon registering for the tour, the purchase of travel protection with both trip cancellation and emergency evacuation is strongly advised. Links to recommended insurance policies will be included in the email you receive confirming receipt of your deposit.
For trips that are yet to be confirmed in terms of exact dates and costs, the $1000pp deposit is fully refundable for one calendar week after the dates and prices are announced (Far Horizons will notify you when they are set). After that calendar week, your deposit is subject to the standard deposit, cancellation, and refund policy as described above.
Please note that international airfare is not included in the trip cost and Far Horizons does not book your flights. Far Horizons does not handle airline tickets and is unable to make any flight changes on your behalf.
Once you register for a trip, we can suggest a booking platform that we partner with, Key
Travel. We book all of our flights for our PhD Leaders and tour managers through Key Travel for peace of mind and assistance in case of delays or cancellations.
We strongly recommend that you consider purchasing travel insurance. Should illness or an unforeseen event force you to cancel your travel plans after your final payment or during your trip, it would be doubly unfortunate to incur a significant financial loss.
Trip cancellation protection will enable you to be reimbursed for the loss of your payment if you are unable to travel for any of the covered reasons in the “Outline of Coverage” section, or should you have an accident or suffer from any medical conditions during the trip.
Far Horizons offers customized protection plans through Travel Insured International (a Crum & Forster Company) with the following benefits:
We recommend reviewing the language in detail so you are aware of specific parameters; Depending on the policy, to waive the Pre-Existing Medical Condition Exclusion or to upgrade to CFAR coverage, the plan must be purchased within 14 to 21 days of the initial trip deposit, full trip cost must be insured, and traveler is medically fit at time of plan purchase. Otherwise, coverage may be purchased at any time prior to departure.
To obtain a personalized quote and/or purchase a plan through Far Horizons/Travel Insured International, simply click HERE.
For specific questions regarding the Worldwide Protector Plan, please contact Travel Insured International’s Customer Care Center at 1-800-243-3174 or by email at customercare@travelinsured.com, and refer to Far Horizons’ account number: 54070.
You are responsible for securing your own visa. We will let you know if you need a visa and provide details and instructions on where to obtain your visa. If you would like to look into specific visa requirements based on where you live and where you would like to travel, we suggest visiting Sherpa to find out more about the latest visa and travel requirements.
Starting in 2025, the European Commission will roll out a U.S. style electronic travel authorization system for visitors from countries that are currently not part of the EU. These visitors have been granted visa-free access to the EU and Schengen member countries through virtue of their good track record on security issues and, thus, have not been deemed as a threat to EU security. ETIAS (which stands for the European Travel Information and Authorisation System) will check the security credentials and charge a fee to travelers visiting EU member countries for business, tourism, medical or transit purposes. Travelers who currently visit Europe visa-free are able to enter EU and Schengen Member countries cost-free and without any digital security screening prior to their arrival to Europe. ETIAS is not a visa, and is more accurately referred to as a visa-waiver. The ETIAS, like the ESTA, is a travel authorization for travelers not requiring a visa to visit Europe. Under the ETIAS, these visitors will undergo additional security checks prior to being permitted to enter the EU. The ETIAS will be mandatory for citizens of such countries as the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. For more information, please visit the ETIAS website.
Far Horizons expects all participants to be physically active and able to walk and climb independently throughout the full touring days. This includes walking over uneven terrain (uphill and downhill) for 2 miles or more at each site, often without handrails.
You should expect to be on your feet for much of each day, averaging as much as 5 miles of walking per day. As such, each participant should be able to walk unaided at a pace of 3 miles per hour for at least an hour at a time and to stand unsupported for at least 60 minutes.
Bearing this in mind, we suggest that, if you have not already done so, you begin walking several miles every day, ideally including stairs and hills.
If you have questions about your ability to keep up with the group or the strenuous nature of this trip, please contact the Far Horizons staff.
You will be required to complete a health form upon registration and will be asked about dietary restrictions and allergies. Your tour staff will do their best to coordinate accommodations for your needs.
If your allergies or restrictions are likely to affect your ability to eat in some restaurants, we recommend that you prepare to supplement with bars and snacks.
Our trips are scholar-led and intended to be educational, but you need not be an expert to enjoy yourself! As long as you are curious and open to learning, our trips are for you. Some of our travelers do prepare and spend more time reading materials on our reading lists than others, but it is very personal and purely at your discretion. While some join trips to places they know much about, most choose to travel to destinations with which they are not familiar – hence the reason for the trip! All of our scholars are experts in their field, but they are also kind and compassionate travel companions. There is no test! You can make as much or as little as you like from the educational component.
We are always happy to speak with you or communicate via email if you have additional questions. Please feel free to email us at journey@farhorizons.com.
