Please note gratuities are not included, but added to your final invoice for ease of distribution. We hire the top ground teams in each country. It’s protocol to tip our guides, drivers, assistance, porters, staff, lodges and more for each group abroad. This is detailed in your Trip Tips which are posted on our website for all to see and sent to you by email. Discretionary tips help ensure a good relationship and the only thing we travelers behind is our reputation.
Since 1989, our trip leaders used to collect tips from each traveler on a daily basis. However, we encountered some who refused to tip, leading our trip leaders to cover the expenses themselves. In response to this, AFSers suggested a pre-payment system where tips are collected in advance so that travelers do not have to worry about this during their vacation. Since we implemented this approach in 2014, the trip leader takes care of collecting tips from local staff serving our group, ensuring a smooth process. The question has been brought up: what if I really liked the service somebody gave me? There’s nothing preventing you from tipping more on your own.
Our new booking platform from WeTravel displays all trip prices, including the gratuity amounts, which are listed below the itinerary, in WeTravel and the Trip Tips. The specific gratuity amounts vary depending on the destination and group size so we add the exact amount at final payment. As a tour company, we follow industry standards to determine the tipping amount based on the size of the group. Generally, smaller groups incur higher tipping costs. If any local staff goes above and beyond their duties for you, we encourage you to consider giving them an additional tip directly. (For African safaris, the tipping guidelines are more detailed and can be found in your trip tips.)
Not necessarily. At AFS, we travel solo but never alone. However, most of our guests are single. This misconception is the reason we changed our name from Adventures For Singles to Adventures For Solo Travelers. Occasionally, a guest may have a partner who is either unable to travel or doesn’t enjoy it. Sometimes, couples come on our trips because they may have met on our trips and even married.
AFS is not a dating venue and we screen callers to discourage such inclination, especially if this is their sole purpose. Our journeys are about the destinations and for anyone who simply loves to explore the world! Suzy loves to see romantic connections happen and thus far AFS has been responsible for 23 marriages. It is far more common, yet equally rewarding, to see the true lifelong friendships develop between people of either gender from all over the USA. Thousands of friendships have been forged.
The majority of our people are in their 40s to 70, but can be younger or older. Some are in their 30’s. Age doesn’t matter as all are welcome. The cheaper the trip, the more active and younger the group. No matter your age, you’ll have plenty to people within your age group to hang with. It’s important to be in good health and possess a reasonable level of fitness. Many of our trips involve walking tours.
Once upon a time, AFS was known for large groups. In the past 3 years, we have significantly reduced the size for you. I follow hundreds of tour companies who claim “small group”, yet I see photos posted of groups 45 to 60 people, several consistently grossly violate this. Size is subjective but we want to be honest and transparent.
We have struggled to reduce to smaller groups as you request. Last year we sent groups of 7, 9, 14, 18 people and averaged 20 to 26. In the tourism industry, this is considered small. Conversely, these trips often sell out. When we post “wait list”, some get mad. Also the trip price significantly increases for us (average $200-$300 higher). All global suppliers must price based on number of participants. When we announce a new price on our website, some people get upset. So it’s a catch-22.
Please note moving forward; we aim to keep our groups between 14 and 35 travel lovers. We appreciate your understanding as we balance providing an intimate experience with the economic realities of small group tours.
