Walkabout Board Approves Four Trips for 2010

If you are interested in any of the following trips, the sign up procedures are the same for each:  1)  send in a deposit made payable to Walkabout International  (with trip clearly marked on your payment) for $300 for each domestic trip or $500 for each international trip, along with your name (as you want it to appear on an airplane ticket), date of birth, mailing address and email address or phone number where you can be reached; 2)  include a stamped, self-addressed business size envelope for reply; 3)  once the trip leader is ready to confirm, you will receive a notice of trip price and have the opportunity to “opt out” if the price is more than 10% higher than the estimated price,  and your deposit will be refunded in full; or, “lock in” meaning you accept the trip price and are ready to proceed, whereupon your deposit becomes nonrefundable (unless WI cancels, and you get a refund).  Upon locking into the trip, you should purchase trip insurance since WI does not make refunds for trips which go forward, and you must look to your insurance for a refund.  Please understand that any or all of the trips may be pre booked by travelers on our interest list, who received prior notice of these trips.  Trips are open until filled, although a waiting list may be maintained. WI reserves the right to cancel any trip which does not fill, and refund all deposits.  You will receive a timetable for payments for each trip plus a more detailed itinerary for each trip, usually a couple of weeks in advance of the trip.  The trip price for the following trips includes round trip (RT) airfare from San Diego, ground transportation costs as detailed in each trip, two meals per day, typically breakfast and lunch (B&L), services of your tour leader and co-leader and admissions for attractions mentioned, plus more. For any international trip you will also be required to supply a photocopy of your picture and pertinent information from your passport so that in the event of loss, we can work with our embassy in returning you to the US with our group.  All of our trips are intended for independent walking individuals.  Any special physical requirements are noted in the trip descriptions. A roommate will be assigned to you in the event you do not register with a roommate. If no roommate can be supplied to you, a single supplement payment may apply. Unless part of a couple, you will have your own bed in any accommodation.  Occasionally, private bathrooms are not available to each room.  Included meals may include those prepared by trip leaders.  Trip prices include all gratuities other than chambermaid tips.  Most trips include luggage restrictions; trip prices do not include airline charges for checked baggage.   The following trip prices are estimates based on costs obtained as of press time.  Actual costs may be higher or lower and are not fixed until airlines and accommodations are booked.

Since Walkabout International will offer fewer trips in 2010, it is likely that these trips will sell out quickly!  Act now!

Springtime in the South! Y’all Walk in Charleston & Savannah!

Tentative Dates:  Tuesday, March 30 to Tuesday, April 6; 7 nights, 8 days, price per person (based on double occupancy) $1,095+/-)

Let’s celebrate our Easter together with a springtime trip to Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC.  With any luck, the crocuses will have bloomed, and the azaleas will show fluffy pink, white, red and purple blossoms.  We plan to fly into northern FL to pick up our van and enjoy a drive up (with at least one overnight en route) along Georgia’s gold coastal isles to Savannah.  Here we will walk some of the 24 original squares and admire many of the historically-designated buildings, including sites included in Berendt’s 1994 book, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.”  We’ll enjoy Factors Walk (cobblestones and iron crosswalks), a ferry ride on the Savannah River and a visit to Melon Bluff, a 9500-acre nature/plantation.  Then it’s on to Charleston, SC where we will use our Heritage Passport to visit 8 landmarks over two days, including an art museum and several historic mansions.  We will spend another full day at the original Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site outside the city.  This trip can be combined with the NC Outerbanks trip for a substantial air savings. Because of scheduling travelers may be unaccompanied by leader or co-leader on certain flights on this trip.

The Goodliest Land Under the Cape of Heaven”  North Carolina’s Outerbanks

Tentative Dates:  Tuesday, April 6 to Tuesday, April 13, 2010; 7 nights, 8 days, price per person (based on double occupancy) $1,095 +/-

Step back in a time warp as our tour vans travel south to north from Charleston, SC through Myrtle Beach, SC and into the historic seaport of Wilmington, NC.  From here we hug the coast as we take our first ferry ride from Cedar Island onto Ocracoke Island, with its sandy village streets and waterfowl.  Another ferry takes us to Hatteras to meander through the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.  We’ll see one of the tallest lighthouses in the US and stop to take a trail in the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.  We’ll also visit Kill Devil Hills and Kitty Hawk to learn about the Wright Brothers’ adventures here.  On Roanoke Island we’ll spend a day at the Elizabethan Gardens & Roanoke Island Festival Park so you can be immersed in flowers and English heritage.  We’ll also visit 16^th century Edenton for a walking tour of this historic city.  Our route back on this trip depends in part on whether this trip is filled with travelers combining the Charleston trip with this one, and our travels may include the historic towns of Elizabeth City, Hertford, Columbia and Somerset Plantation in Creswell.  This trip may be booked with the Charleston trip, in which case the price is reduced by one RT airfare.  Because of van returns, travelers may be unaccompanied by leader or co-leader on certain flights on this trip.

Meandering Montreal and Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Tentative Dates:  Tuesday, June 1 to Tuesday, June 8, 2010; 7 nights, 8 days, price per person (based on double occupancy) $1,095 +/-

We fly to the Burlington, VT International Airport for an overnight in this college town, then travel by van across the US border (passport required) and on to Montreal for three nights and four days where we will visit Old Montreal, the Notre Dame Basilica, Market Square, Museum of Fine Arts, McGill U., Mount Royal, the Casino of Montreal, Chinatown, Botanical Gardens and numerous other churches, neighborhoods and museums in this cosmopolitan city.  We will drive from Montreal for three nights in historic Quebec City, and you will think you have crossed into Europe.  We’ll walk the Dufferin boardwalk on the St. Lawrence River, see the Chateau Frontenac, visit the Antique District, the Citadel’s changing of the guard, stroll the Plains of Abraham military field, take the Funicular and enjoy outdoor concerts at the Place d’Youville.  We’ll also take a ferry ride to Levis and drive to Montmorency Falls.  The sights are wonderful, and you’ll enjoy such treats as French fries covered in gravy (poutine) as well as many other local dishes.  Our return trip to Burlington allows you to take in the local scenery and unusual Canadian architecture and bright colors. Trip price does not include subway fares in Montreal.  A valid passport is required for this trip, with registration with the Walkabout office prior to departure.

Traipsing Through Scotland and Ireland

Tentative Dates:  Tuesday, September 7 – Saturday, September 18, 2010; 10 hotel nights, 11 days; price per person (based on double occupancy) $2499 +/-.

Our Scottish and Celtic adventure begins with a tiring overnight flight from San Diego to Glasgow, Scotland.  We’ll overnight in the city and spend another 3 nights and four days touring many sites of Scotland.  We’ll tour Edinburgh in our minibus and walk the Royal Mile, visit St. Andrews and the home of golf and travel northward to Inverness and Loch Ness and then to the west coast to Oban before returning to catch our flight to Dublin.  We’ll have nearly a week in Ireland to visit the pottery shops of Kilkenny, the fishing villages at Waterford, the wilds of Cork, Killarney National Park, Limerick, the Cliffs of Moher, and Galway.  We’ll pack as much as we can into this itinerary, and your suggestions are welcomed.  A change in our arrival/departure cities may change the itinerary somewhat, but realize that you will be on the move on this trip.   The trip price includes round trip air fare from San Diego to Scotland and return from Ireland, with transportation in and around Scotland and Ireland via minibus, plus transportation from Scotland to Dublin.  Ten hotel nights are included, with two meals per day (typically breakfast and lunch).  Many admissions are included, as are the services of your tour leader and co-leader.