Art Excursions: Frequently Asked Questions

This is a complicated question because people have different ideas of how much walking is a "lot" or "little." So, what we have to say in answer to this question is very general. Honestly, only you and your physician can determine whether a tour is right for you.

In general then, "if there is a real concern about walking/standing, etc... on the tour, then this tour might not be right." In other words, "if you have to ask..." or "if your instincts are no, then perhaps those instincts are valid."

That said, we have had many people from a huge range of ages (including 90+) attend our tours and not find them strenuous. It all depends how active one is on a daily basis.

Finally, the real thing to consider here that people often do not consider is the multi-day nature of the tour. It is one thing to think about whether or not this itinerary item or that one will present a problem. It is another to think about the level of sustained activity over 4 or 5 days. For our clients in the Chicago-area, we ask them to consider doing something similar over 4 or 5 days, such as:

Day 1 - take a tour of the FLW Home and Studio in Oak Park
Day 2 - go on a walking tour of Millennium Park in the morning followed by an afternoon at the Art Institute after lunch
Day 3 - take a tour of FLW's Robie House followed by an afternoon at the Field Museum after lunch.
Day 4 - Drive out to Ravinia for a dinner followed by a concert and return home circa 10:30 p.m.
Day 5 - Visit the Chicago Botanical Gardens.

If you do have concerns, we recommend that you take our tour itinerary (from the tour page on our website) to your physician and discuss it with him or her. See if your doctor thinks it's doable. Click here to return to the top of this page.

If I want to add extra nights at the hotel, what is the cost and how to I pay for these extra nights?

Please see the "Pricing" section of the specific tour page on our website for costs. The rates for additional nights we procure on your behalf are typically lower than what you could obtain on your own. We bill you for additional nights that we reserve for you at our group rate. The cost of additional nights is payable by personal check, money order, traveler's check and cashier's check. Click here to return to the top of this page.

Why do you charge a single supplement?

Unlike in Europe, hotels in the U.S. charge the same amount whether a room is occupied by one or two people. We base our tour price on two people per room with the cost of the room split between two people. When one person occupies a room solely, that person pays a supplement to cover the other half of the cost of their hotel room. Of course this does not apply to singles who choose to share a room together. If you ever see a U.S. tour with a small single supplement, the tour cost has either been inflated for everyone to allow for a small supplement or the hotel is very inexpensive. Click here to return to the top of this page.

What forms of payment do you accept?

We accept personal checks, money orders, traveler's checks and cashier's checks. Click here to return to the top of this page.

What types of accommodations do you use?

We stay in three and four star properties in great locations. You are always able to walk to theater, music, shopping, dining, galleries and museums. We always include breakfast as an early bird booking bonus. Depending on the tour location and itinerary, some of our group hotels include a nightly reception that features beer, wine, soda, and hors d'oeuvres. Click here to return to the top of this page.

What makes Art Excursions different; why is an Art Excursion special?

The owners of the company personally host multi-day excursions, serving as tour leaders and tour directors. This ensures that you can enjoy yourself without having to worry about where to go, how to get there or where to stay.

We are organized, conscientious, and hard-working. We put your interests first and are personally available on site.

We are always described as "enthusiastic." Our tours and lectures are designed to be "edu-taining." We want our clients to thoroughly enjoy themselves and learn a great deal at the same time.

We pride ourselves on being great scholars, but non-pretentious. Tours we personally conduct and lectures we provide are chock full of scholarly content but spiced with humor. We find that people are most open to learning when they are having a good time.

As art historians and frequent travelers, we are "in the know." We design our tours to bring you in touch with the best experiences in a given city even if these experiences are not particularly well known.

We do not "over schedule" you. Most evenings are free for you to enjoy as you wish. We are an "anti-whirlwind" tour company.

We base our tours in great hotels in great locations so you won't need a car to visit restaurants, theater, museums and shops.

Our group sizes are small, ranging between 15 and 30 people. Click here to return to the top of this page.

Can you book airfare on my behalf?

Yes. We do charge a $15 booking fee for doing this since airlines no longer pay commission. Click here to return to the top of this page.

What is the size of the tour group?

Our groups range in size from 15-30. Please see the specific tour web page for more specific information on maximum group size. Click here to return to the top of this page.

What sort of people attend your tours? Are they suitable for singles, couples, singles traveling together?

Our clients range in age from 30 on up and come from across the U.S. and Canada. We typically have a mix of singles traveling alone and paying a single supplement, singles traveling together and couples. All our clients have an interest in art, architecture, gardens, culture and history or they wouldn't be traveling with such a specialized tour operator as Art Excursions. We have a tremendous percentage of repeat clients. Click here to return to the top of this page.

Will I have enough time to enjoy elements of the tour itinerary?

Yes. Art Excursions was founded as an anti-whirlwind tour company. We had heard many horror stories about people being rushed through too many itinerary items without having a chance to take a breath let alone enjoy what they were experiencing. Our tours are relaxed in terms of schedule. We spend quality time at itinerary venues and when a guided tour is provided, we make sure you have time to explore on your own after the tour. Click here to return to the top of this page.

What is your history?

Art Excursions has been in business as an S-Corporation since 1998. We have an amazing amount of repeat clients. For example, on our 2006 Cherry Blossoms and Cezanne in Washington, DC tour we had 22 people in our group, 20 of whom had been on prior tours with us.

We are a husband-and-wife owned business with a strong and visible presence in our community. We typically give about 300 lectures a year for libraries, churches, schools, retirement communities, businesses and clubs. We schedule out months and months in advance, so we are here to stay. We are also members of the Chicago Tour Professionals Association and the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau. We have affiliations with several Chicago-area schools of higher learning including Wheaton College and Lewis University. Some of our corporate clients include Advocate Hospitals, A.T. Kearney, and The University Club of Chicago. Click here to return to the top of this page.

Who are you and what are your qualifications?

For the answer to this question, please click the link called "About Art Excursions" at the bottom of this page or on our home page. Click here to return to the top of this page.

Should I stay over the night before the tour begins?

Please see the answer to the question immediately below. Click here to return to the top of this page.

What about check-in and check-out? How does the tour itinerary accommodate this?

Official check-in is at 3 p.m. (unless otherwise specified in the itinerary) at properties where we base our tours. On the first day of a tour, our first itinerary item starts between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. While we always request an early check in for our groups, there is always a possibility that your room would not be available before our first itinerary item commences. In this case, you would store your bags and check-in when we return to the hotel (typically by 5:30 p.m. on Day 1 of a tour). If you wish to guarantee that you will be able to check in, unpack and relax in your room prior to the first itinerary item on Day 1 of a tour, we suggest you stay the night before. This is why we offer you a special "pre" and "post" rate at our group hotel.

Official check-out time is 11 a.m or 12 Noon depending on the hotel. If you are checking out on the last day of one of our tours, you would need to check out and store your bags at the hotel. You can collect them when we return (typically by 3:15 p.m. on the last day of a tour). We always encourage people on our tours to stay over the last night and depart the morning after the tour's conclusion especially if they are flying across time zones. Click here to return to the top of this page.

What is your cancellation policy?

Art Excursions specializes in multi-day group tours that typically range between 15-25 participants and never exceed 30 participants. We determine the viability of a tour by counting each and every individual who signs up. For this reason, once we receive a tour deposit, that tour deposit is nonrefundable and cannot be transferred to a different tour. Furthermore, any future payments (installments) toward the total tour cost are nonrefundable upon receipt and cannot be transferred to a different tour. Art Excursions encourages our clients whose travel plans must change to find a replacement or replacements for their spot(s) on the tour rather than cancel altogether. Click here to return to the top of this page.

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Art Excursions, Inc., P.O. Box 92, Riverside, IL 60546 - 630/671-9745