FAQ's
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We are pleased to provide answers to some of the most common FAQ's regarding your trip:

Nature of tour and booking procedure
Changes and Cancellation
Tour Information
Meals
Travelling by Coach
Fellow passengers
Children
Baggage
Medical and Insurance
Miscellaneous

Climate in Scandinavia

 

 
Nature of tour and booking procedure
1

What is the general nature of your tour?

2. What is the booking procedure for your tour?
3. What is the deposit amount to be paid at the time of booking your Tour?
4. How early / late can I book on your tour?
5. What is your procedure for full payment?
6. Where should I book my Airline tickets?
7. How do I call back home?
8.. How do I get my Visas for Scandinavia?
9 Do you take reservations on fixed dates?
 

What is the general nature of your tour?
Our tours are broadly of two categories:

I. Independent (self guided): These are open throughout the year. As per your individual travel plan we arange stay with breakfast, surface transport in Scandinavia and standard city sightseeing guided tours. In addition, we provide free usage of public transport and entrances to most of the museums.

II: Fixed group: These are with fixed itinerary and on prior announced dates. You may like to join in and match these dates to suit your travel plan. You can request for extra days in specific cities or join only a portion of the trip.

What is the booking procedure for your tour?


You send us broad details of your travel dates and places you would like to visit by email / general enquiry form or individual booking forms for the standard packages.


We work out the details and on finalization of tour plan send you an estimate.


You provide us the final approval and payment through bank wire transfer.


We send you the final tour confirmation by email with a detailed itinerary, tickets and travel vouchers.


What is the deposit amount to be paid at the time of booking the Tour?
We do not expect any advance deposit at the time of booking request but you need to make full payment before we can confirm all the arrangements and provide you a detail itinerary.

How early / late can I book on your tour?
You can book as early as 365 days prior to departure and as late as 7  days prior to your departure date.

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What is your procedure for full payment?
On receiving your
enquiry form, we send you an invoice and hold your place for 45 days before the departure date. In case the payments are not made in this period, we drop your bookings automatically.

Where should I book my Airline tickets?
You are expected to book your airline tickets with your own Travel Agent or use our preferred Sales Agent in your country. You may 
contact us for suggesting an appropriate agent in your region

How do I get my Visas for Scandinavia?
All the countries in Scandinavia are covered by Schengen agreement. You may refer to
Visa information pages for details. It would be best to check with your own Travel Agent for any advice and information. You are expected to send us a copy of your Travel documents before your departure.

Do you take reservations on fixed dates?
W
e have fixed date as well as independent tour so are flexible to accommodate any desired dates. Please follow our enquiry form for the available dates that suit you best.

Do you take reservations for single families?
We welcome single families as well large groups travelling together.

Changes and Cancellation
1. What is your cancellation procedure?
2. What is your cancellation policy?
3. Can we make any changes in our tour plan?
   
 What is your cancellation procedure?
We allow cancellations as per our
terms.

What is your cancellation policy?
Cancellation refunds are offered as per our refund policy. Please study our
Terms & Conditions.

Can we make any changes in our tour plan?

You can make any amendments / changes before the final bookings have been confirmed.
 
Tour Information
1. Do you have Tour Managers?
2. What language do your Tour Managers Speak?
3. Do you have guides on your tours?
4. What are optional tours?
5. Tell us about sightseeing?
6. Tell us about your hotels / accommodation?
7. What is the category of your hotels / accommodation?
8. What are the check-in & check out timings?
   
Do you have Tour Managers?
For a group of over 15 persons, we always have a Tour Manager escorting our group tours in Scandinavia. For independent tours you helped by our instructions.

What language do your Tour Managers Speak?
All our Tour Managers speak English very fluently

Do you have guides on your tours?
Yes for Group travel we have guided facility in selected cities as mentioned in your tour itinerary.
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What are optional tours?
Optional tours are excursion, which are not included in your Main tour cost. If you want to avail of these optional excursions then you have to pay an additional amount.

Tell us about sightseeing?
We include regular sightseeing tours in cities as per the detail itinerary. We take adequate care to pick your sightseeing destinations. 

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Tell us about your hotels / accommodation?
a. For group tours all hotels are 4 star or equivalent category in all destinations throughout Scandinavia. We have taken care that they are in the city center keeping in mind your comfort and the fact that you will be sightseeing most of the time. In case we are not able to arange this in the city center for reasons beyond our control, we inform this to you prior to the bookings.
b. Mostly in Europe due to the favorable weather conditions, practically all hotels do not have air conditioners or fans.
c. In Europe all hotels have twin-bedded rooms and are comparatively small. (Single rooms if available are much smaller than twin-bedded room). We recommend a maximum of only three persons in one room.Please contact us for any special bed requests
d. Triple rooms are usually no larger than twin room and the third bed is often a rollaway bed or cot placed in a twin room. Modern facilities such as attached toilets with showers/ bathtubs and telephones are provided in each room.

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What is the category of your hotels / accommodation?
The hotels provided to you are clean, decent tourist class hotel with attached bathroom and modern amenities. To provide genuine Scandinavian environment, we sometimes make special arrangements in Swedish houses "stugas". All our accommodations are comfortable with sometimes self cooking facility. Please check this option at the time of
enquiry.

What are the check-in & check out timings?

Check in & check out time differs from country to country but mostly check in time is around 2 p.m. and check out time is around 12 noon..
Meals
1. What are the types of meals offered on the tour?
2. Pure Vegetarian meals?
3. Is tap water safe for drinking?
   
 
What are the types of meals offered on the tour?
We serve continental breakfast in the hotel / aboard your cruise. The breakfast is preset and includes bread, butter, jam, cereals, tea, coffee and juice.
Lunch/Dinner (if ordering as a supplement) Your meals will be a two course buffet with a choice of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, unless specified otherwise in your itinerary.
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Pure Vegetarian meals
We also offer special Pure Vegetarian food as a supplement. In case if you require any item not forming part of the group menu, then you will have to buy the same on your own e.g. mineral water etc. SP reserves the right to change the food and breakfast arrangements on any tour and the time of service, if circumstances make it necessary to do so.

Is tap water safe for drinking?
Normally, tap water is safe for drinking throughout Scandinavia. However, we suggest you buy mineral water bottles at your own cost if you so desire. Most hotels, restaurants and rest stops do not serve water unless you buy it.
Travelling by Coach
1. Is eating allowed on the coach?
2. Is smoking allowed on the coach?

3.

What is the carrying capacity of the bus?

 
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Is eating allowed on the coach?
It is not permitted to eat on the coach, but however clients do, which inevitably results in the coach being in a mess. The driver can only get a chance to clean the coach only in cities where you spend more then one night in a hotel. Hence if possible avoid eating on the coach as you spend most of your time on the coach.

Is smoking allowed on the coach?
Smoking is strictly not allowed on the coach, you can smoke during the frequent comfort stops.

What is the carrying capacity of the bus?
Our buses have seating capacity from 15 to 50 seats depending on the group size.
Fellow passengers
1. People who travel on your tours?
2. Do you accept physically challenged / handicapped people?
 

People who travel on your tours? Passengers who book on our tour are group of families / friends who like to travel together for vacation from all parts of the world.

Do you accept physically challenged / handicapped people?
Any disability requiring special attention should be reported to us by you at the time the booking the tour. We will try to make efforts to accommodate the special needs of the disabled tour participants, but it is not our responsibility in the event if we are unable to do so, nor is it our responsibility for any denial of services by carriers, hotels, restaurants, or other independent suppliers. We regret that we cannot provide individual assistance to a tour member for walking, dining, and getting on and off motorcoaches and other transportation vehicles, or other personal needs. A qualified companion must accompany travelers who need such assistance. People in need of wheelchairs should carry the folding variety as it saves on space and is easier to carry it on the coach.

Children
1. How many children are allowed per room in Europe?
2. What are the rules for child bedding?
 
How many children are allowed per room in Europe?
As per the fire regulations in Europe, a maximum of 3 persons are allowed in a room. The rooms in some hotels are comparatively small, hence we recommend only 3 persons in one room. Triple rooms are usually no larger than twin rooms and the third bed is often a rollaway bed or cot placed in a twin room. Inter-connecting rooms are not always possible.

What are the rules for child bedding ?

A child below 12 yr. can share the bed or is give an extra cot with his/her parents. A maximum of 3 perons may be allowed in a twin room..
Baggage
1. What about the safety of my personal belongings?
2. What about the safety of my travel documents/valuables?
 
 
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What about the safety of my personal belongings?
a. Passengers are advised to take care of all their personal belongings, even in the coach, particularly, their tickets, passports, cameras and foreign exchange.
b. In case you lose your passport, please report it to the nearest Consulate office after registering the loss / theft at the nearest local police station.
c. Usually consulates issue an emergency certificate - which is sufficient for you to travel back to home. It could take between 24-72 hours, keeping in mind the working days available.
d. For the loss / theft of travelers checks, please report the same to the issuing company. In both cases, it helps if you have photocopies of all your documents.
e.. Please bear in mind, that in case of such an incident, the consequential problems and costs will have to borne by you. It is not possible for the tour Manager to accompany you, as the tour has to proceed as per the schedule.

What about the safety of my travel documents/valuables?
a. Before leaving home, please make two sets of photocopies of all your travel documents i.e. your entire passport and traveler's checks.
b. Leave one set at home and carry the other set in your baggage but never with the originals.
c. Avoid carrying too much money in person.
d. We suggest that you do not keep all money, credit cards or travelers checks in one wallet or purse.
e.. Always take extra care of your luggage and handbags in crowded places like stations and sightseeing spots where pickpockets abound.
f. Most hotels have lockers (either free of cost or at a nominal charge). You should store all your valuables in these lockers.
Medical and Insurance
1. What about First Aid?
2. Do I need insurance?
 
What about First Aid?
We strongly recommend that you carry a small first aid kit such as tablets that are useful for fever, headache, cold, and cough.

Do I need insurance?
Medical Insurance is compulsory, as treatment abroad can be very expensive. You have to take an extensive Travel Insurance policy to cover yourself and your belongings for the entire length of your journey. Such policies include medical costs, loss or damage to baggage or property, traveler's checks, personal injuries/accidents, etc.
Miscellaneous
1. Punctuality on tour?
3. Exchanging currency?
4. Is portage included in our tour?
5. What about tipping?
6. How do I call back home?
7. What is VAT?
 
Punctuality on tour?
Time management is of utmost importance to ensure that we cover all places mentioned. Delays on the part of a few passengers could result in the entire group missing out on sightseeing and other services.
 
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Exchanging currency?
We recommend that you change money at banks or foreign exchange bureaus as they give a better rate than hotels.

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Is portage included in our tour?
The cost of portage is not included in the tour cost.

What about tipping?
Tipping is not included in your tour cost.

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How do I call back home?
You can make telephone calls either from your hotel room or from phone booths found in all cities. Telephone calls from the hotel room involve a high service charge. The telephone booths or kiosks are usually of 3 types - those that accept coins, phone cards or credit cards.
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What is VAT?
VAT means Value Added Tax. Vat are refund of taxes on your purchase in Europe, Britain and other European countries, Value added Tax (VAT) is charged on most goods and the same varies from country to country so it is best to check with the shopkeeper before any purchase. Some stores offer relief from VAT, under the retail exports scheme. The counter export scheme enables you to take possessions ones of your purchases immediately, together with retail export scheme form. This form must be filled by the shopkeeper and presented, together with goods you are exporting to the customs officer for certification by departing the country border / airport, from one country to another. After the bill is certified by the customs, send it to those shopkeepers from whom you made those purchases. The refund will be sent to your address. It is advisable to tell the shopkeeper before making a purchase that you want to claim refund of VAT. You need to show your passport if you wish to take the advantages of the scheme. So do not forget to take it with you when you go shopping. Some stores specify a minimum value for goods purchase under the scheme.

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Climate in Scandinavia

Denmark: Considering its northerly location the climate is relatively mild, moderated by the effects of the warm Gulf Stream which sweeps northward along the west coast. Expect wet weather year round. The most pleasant months in which to visit are from May to August, when temperatures can hover around 25 degrees and daylight lasts almost 18 hours. In the coldest winter months of January and February, the average daily temperature lingers around freezing point - and while that may be cold, it's nearly 10 degrees Celsius above average for this latitude.

Sweden: Summer extends from June to August. Winter is from December to March, wet with long periods of frost. February is the coldest month. Spring and autumn are generally mild. Monthly average temperatures in Stockholm are highest in July at about 22°C (70°F), when you can rely on nine hours of sunshine. The average temperature in the northernmost mountains at this time is about 11°C (52°F), but you should be prepared for occasional sub-zero temperatures and snow falls, even in summer; the range of temperatures north of the Gulf of Bothnia is almost 30°C (86°F). Sweden's northern latitude means that it never gets really dark from mid-May to late July, with the trade-off being a pervasive December dimness. Annual rainfall is greatest around Gothenburg at well over 700mm (28in) and falls mainly as snow in Lapland, blanketing the region for 200 days of the year. Many coastal ports are frozen all winter, while the Stockholm archipelago can be iced in for a couple of months.

Norway: Norway's coastal areas have a surprisingly temperate climate thanks to the Gulf Stream, especially in the summer months. The mountainous inland regions experience more extreme ranges of temperatures, and the northern highlands suffer Arctic conditions. The country is at its best and brightest from May to September, and at its worst between November and March when average temperatures are below freezing. Midnight-sun days, when the sun never drops below the horizon, extend from May 13 to July 29 at Nordkapp in the far north, and from May 28 to July 14 in the Lofoten islands. Even southern Norway has daylight from 4 am to 11 pm in midsummer. On the other hand, the sun does not rise in the north from the end of November to the end of January.

Finland: Finland can get very cold - in the south it gets down to -15°C in January and February, while in the north it's often below -30°C during the winter months. It's also dark most of the day during this time. During the summer months, expect about 15°C in the north and around 20°C in the south (although it can get above 30°C).

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