Frequently Asked Questions - general

What is an independent (self-guided) walking holiday?
What is single-centre based?
Do you have a brochure? 
Are there any age restrictions?
I am travelling on my own.  Can I book one of your walking holidays? 
When can we travel?
We want a longer holiday. Can we extend it?
Do you offer short breaks? 
Why do I need to take out travel insurance? 
When does my walking holiday start? 

What is an independent (self-guided) walking holiday?  If you are keen to walk independently with your partner, friends or family, or if you want to create your own group - then a self-guided walking holiday is for you.

The key characteristics of a Touching Nature Travel self-guided walking holiday are: 

• Individual… There is NO group leader guiding a Touching Nature holiday…  To ensure that you have a worry-free and relaxing time we have done all the research for you, we book your accommodation and we provide you with a comprehensive Tour Pack - including written walk descriptions (walking notes) and walking map(s).    
  
  
• Flexible… One of the greatest qualities of a Touching Nature self-guided walking holiday is flexibility: start your holiday on any day you want, enjoy the freedom of walking at your own pace, add extra time to explore one of Europe’s great cities, try out the best and most interesting foods each holiday location has on offer - there is no set itinerary, do what you want when you want it …    
  
  
• Affordable… Prices are amazing by comparison to a group guided option, yet worth the extra it might cost over doing it all yourself on a self-researched and “hope for the best” basis.
  
  
• Guaranteed departures… There is no minimum participant number for our walking holidays. This means that your walking holiday will definitely operate – unlike escorted walking tours where, if the minimum participant number is not reached, the trip usually gets cancelled.     

What is single-centre based?  This simply means: stay in one place for the duration of your seven nights holiday and come back to your comfortable bedroom each night!  A single base gives you time to settle in, relax and explore your holiday destination in depth – without the chore of packing and unpacking each day.  As a rule, all Touching Nature walking holidays are single-centre based!

Do you have a brochure?  No. All the information, and so much more, that would traditionally appear in a paper brochure is on this website.  It’s kinder to the environment, saves on trees, pollution and energy.  Furthermore, you benefit from these cost savings as they are passed on to you!  However, we understand that you may still want something tangible in your hands to show friends and family.  Hence, each walking holiday page on this website has comprehensive information in the form of our Holiday Fact File, available in PDF format to easily read online, download, print or email.  These contain sections on the walking holiday area and location, detailed pricing, airport and travel advise, information on history and culture, flora and fauna, climate information, things to do – and other useful travel tips. 

Are there any age restrictions?  Our standard walking holidays and our winter walking holidays are open to children and teens aged 12 years or older when accompanied by a parent (please bear in mind that we will charge the full price).  If you are looking for a great value-for-money holiday especially for families with younger children check out our family walking holidays.  To travel independently you must be at least 18 years of age.  In many cases the minimum age for hiring a car is 21, but it can also be 23 or 25, please check with the car rental companies for their individual regulations.     

There are no upper age limits on our walking holidays; however, your personal travel insurance may well ask for a doctor’s report if you are aged over 66.   

I am travelling on my own.  Can I book one of your walking holidays?  We are happy to arrange walking holidays for people travelling alone.  The only restriction, however, is that we will have to add a surcharge of 10% to the holiday cost – as with prices at their most competitive ever it simply would be uneconomical for us to run the holiday otherwise.  These 10% are in addition to any supplement that may apply (e.g. single room).  Also, when walking on your own, please always make sure you take reasonable precautions and at all times let the hotelier know which walk you are planning to do. 

When can we travel? We do not have fixed departure dates for our walking holidays and nearly all trips can start on any day of the week.  The seasons stated in the holiday descriptions are chosen to coincide with optimum weather conditions based on our knowledge of the local climate.  Most of our walking holidays are available from late spring to autumn.  During the winter months we offer a choice of winter holidays “with a difference”. 

We want a longer holiday. Can we extend it?  When booking your walking holiday you can customise your trip by building in extra nights at your hotel (pre and post your holiday).  Alternatively, you can extend your walking holiday by adding on a city break or even combine two or more walking holidays.  Don’t forget – it’s easy to link Touching Nature walking breaks either side of two national borders, e.g. Italy and Switzerland or Germany and Austria…  

Do you offer walking short breaks?  We do not offer short breaks at present.  Our competitive walking holiday prices are based on a minimum stay of 7 nights (8 days). 

When does my walking holiday start?  The day you arrive at the hotel is the day your walking holiday starts (which may not be the day you leave your home country).