Food tour FAQ: the questions guests ask us

Email [email protected] with the tour, the date, how many of you, the room type and any dietary needs. Lena replies within one working day with seats and the total. A $300 deposit per person holds a multi-day tour.

60 days before departure. We send a reminder two weeks before that, and your final documents, with the hotel list, menus and meeting times, follow two weeks before you travel. If you book within 60 days of departure, the full price is due at booking.

We are a US company and most of our guests pay from the US, so every price is in dollars and stays fixed once you book, whatever the euro, yen or peso does. Cards from any country are accepted.

Food walks and the cooking class are paid in full when you book, by card. Cancel up to 72 hours before the start for a full refund, or move to another date free.

Yes, once and free, to any departure of any tour, up to 45 days before you travel, subject to seats.

Between $560 and $1,590 extra, depending on the tour. Some departures have no single supplement, and we can try to match you with a roommate: see deals.

The office is in Charleston, on US Eastern Time, and answers email Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:30. On tour your host is on local time and reachable by phone at any hour.

No. Our prices cover everything from the first evening to the last morning, and you book your own flight to the start city, in Europe, Japan, Mexico or the USA. That lets you use miles, choose your airline and fly from anywhere.

By mid-afternoon on day 1, in time for the group transfer and the welcome dinner. For Europe and Japan most flights from North America land in the morning after an overnight flight; we suggest arriving a day early, and can book the extra night at the tour hotel.

Yes, on the first and last day of every multi-day tour, at the group times Lena sends with your confirmation. Arriving at another time? We can arrange a private transfer at cost.

No. A van or small coach carries the group between stops, so nobody has to drive after a tasting. Between some cities we take the train, such as Lyon to Avignon, Lisbon to Porto and the shinkansen in Japan, with the tickets included.

Citizens of the US, Canada, the UK and Australia do not need a visa for a short tourist stay in the Schengen countries of Europe, in Japan or in Mexico. Rules change, so Lena emails every guest the current entry rules for their passport when they book.

For Europe, at least three months after the day you leave the Schengen area, and issued within the last ten years; we suggest six months for every trip. Mexico and Japan ask for a passport valid for the length of your stay.

Yes. The EU registers non-EU visitors at the border with its Entry/Exit System, and its ETIAS online travel authorization is on the way. When you book we tell you whether you need to apply and when.

We strongly recommend it, with medical cover abroad and trip cancellation. Many US health plans and Medicare pay little or nothing for care outside the country, and a short hospital stay in Europe or Japan can be expensive.

Plenty, but in tasting portions. Four or five stops add up to a full meal, and each tour page lists which breakfasts, lunches and dinners are included. Hosts will tell you which stop to save room for.

Vegetarian, pescatarian and gluten-free menus are arranged with notice when you book. Some tours are harder than others: a Basque cider house is built around steak and salt cod, and Japanese broths usually contain fish. Lena will tell you honestly which tours work for you.

12 guests at most, usually 8 to 11. Every group has one host throughout, plus the cheesemakers, cooks, fishermen and winemakers who teach along the way.

Easy tours (2 of 5): two to three hours on foot on the busiest days, mostly level, with the van close by. Moderate tours (3 of 5): up to four or five hours, walking between stops in a neighborhood, often on cobbles, hills or station stairs. Each tour page says which, and describes the longest day.

People who live where you eat: Giulia Montanari in Bologna, Ane Etxeberria in San Sebastián, Lucía Romero in Seville, Aiko Nakamura in Kyoto, Remy Thibodeaux in Louisiana, and more on our about page.

Our tours are for adults: guests must be 18 or older to join. Wine, beer and spirits are served only at the legal drinking age where the tour runs: 18 in Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Greece and Mexico, 20 in Japan and 21 in the USA.

No. Every pairing has a non-alcoholic option, from fresh juices and local sodas to coffee and tea, and nobody keeps count.

Sometimes, at bars, cellars and distilleries, whatever your age. Carry your passport or a copy of it.

Bottles yes: wrap them in checked luggage and declare them. Hard cheese is usually fine, but the US and many other countries ban cured meat such as prosciutto and jamón from Europe. Your host will tell you what travels well and what to enjoy on the spot.