At Spyns, the Tour de France trips are different from our regular tours so we'd prefer to be up front about those little details. Here are five details you need to know about your upcoming Tour de France tour.
1. All Payments are Non-Refundable: Once paid, your trip deposit and balance are non-refundable. This isn't the case with all of our tours, just with the Tour de France trip. With Lance's return (this time with team Radio Shack), demand for hotel rooms near the stages far exceeds supply. Some hotels have really stuck it to us so we had to pre-pay for rooms, meals, transportation etc. This is why your payments are non-refundable as we were out-of-pocket on almost everything.
2. What's Not Included With Your Tour: Some things aren't included with your tour such as: transportation to the trip's starting point Toulouse; 2 dinners & 3 lunches are at your charge; extra hotel charges like minibar and telephone; and beer/wine/alcohol with certain meals. Our guides will remind you about these details throughout the trip but please see the trip's detailed itinerary for further information.
3. July 24 - Exciting But Tiring: On July 24th, we'll be watching the time trial in Bordeaux. This will be an exciting but long day. Hotel check out is at noon, the stage will finish around 4:30, we dash to the Bordeaux train station and take the high-speed train to Paris arriving at 10:45 p.m. We'll be exhausted but happy upon our arrival in Paris and you won't likely put head to pillow until around midnight. We thought you'd want to know.
4. Group Size: We pride ourselves on having small, intimate groups of 18-20, however there will be times when several tour groups overlap. Specifically, the groups will all meet in Toulouse before departure to their hotel, and at several stages. The groups will all transfer together to Paris on July 25, and we'll all be riding together on the Champs Elysees the morning of the finish on July 26.
5. France is beautiful...but a little different: Your room may be a little smaller, your diet coke a little warmer, and the dinner a littler longer, but France is an extraordinary place filled with wonderful people. Here are some things you should know before departure:
The French tend to be a little reserved when you first meet them. They're not unfriendly, they're just not a "Hey Y'all" kind of people. We often say that the French are like cats: they come to you when they want, need a lot of stroking, and often scratch or bite when they've had enough.
Most speak little English or are very nervous about speaking English. A friendly "Bonjour" and few "Mercis" before you ask if someone speaks English will go a very long way. If you speak any French, try it out no matter how poor your accent. They'll appreciate the effort.
They're Not Anti-American. The French love American music, movies, and most dream of traveling to New York or California. While they love US culture, no one enjoys being barked at in a foreign language (in this case English) so they'll respect you if you respect them.
Eating Habits: The French don't eat between meals, they consider it impolite to leave food on your plate, they believe its strange to eat eggs with breakfast (preferring omlettes for dinner), and they consider ice as precious a commodity as diamonds. So don't expect 24 meal service, heaps of eggs at breakfast, and a glass full of ice for your soft drink.
"How can you govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?" Charles de Gaulle