American Explorer West

• The best time to visit USA depends on your interests and what you want to experience.  But majorly, you can travel anytime from April till November, When the weather is suitable to visit all of USA states.  December to March is very cold months and many roads and attractions being closed due to snowfall. 

• It takes about 15 hours flying from India to East Coast of USA
• It takes about 18 hours flying from India to West Coast of USA

• USA has six time zones. The six time zones within the 50 US states are – Eastern Time, Central time,  Mountain Time, Pacific Time , Alaska Time, Hawaii-Aleutian time. Please check time zones while travelling from one state to another. 

• East coast is 12.5 hrs behind India
• West Coast is 12.5 hours behind India

• By rail
• By bus
• By plane
• By car

• On the tour luggage allowance in the coach will be one handbag and one suitcase per person. 
• Even when flying within USA in domestic flights, one 23 kgs check in bag and one 7 kgs hand carry will be allowed. 
• No matter the baggage allowance of the internal or international flights, for the group tour due to coach restrictions, we allow only one 23 kgs and one 7khs hand carry per person.
• After the completion of tours if you are flying anywhere in USA then the additional flights cost is not included in the tour cost. 

• Yes, please carry minimum luggage as coach luggage space is limited. We will allow only one Luggage bag with one Hand luggage.

• English is the official language of USA. You will have no trouble communicating in English.

• Flamingo offers many different itineraries covering New York, Washington, D.C. , Niagara Falls –USA, Orlando, Bahamas Cruise, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, St. George, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park, South Lake Tahoe, San Francisco.

• American escape – 12 nights
• American experience – 15 nights
• American eminence – 23 nights
• American explorer – 22 nights 
• American odyssey – 19 nights 

• Bahamas cruise – 3/4 Nights
• Alaska Cruise – 7 Nights
• Caribbean Island Cruise – 4/7 Nights
• Mexico Cruise – 7 Nights
• Hawaii Cruise – 9/12 Nights

• Yes. One can combine USA with Canada, South America, Mexico, and Caribbean Islands.

• USA has a lot of Indian restaurants across the country. Indian food is not a problem at all. Infact you can get very good Guajarati thali, south Indian meals, Punjabi and Rajasthani style, Mumbai style fast food in USA with flamingo tour. 

• Yes, USA has very delicious veg food scene. Most restaurants and cafes offer vegetarian and vegan menu items. You must try Chipotle Mexican Grill, Taco Bell, Dunkin Donuts, In and out Burgers, Panera bread, Deep dish Pizza and local pizzerias and kathi rolls. 

• Breakfast: Your breakfast is normally a continental or American breakfast which usually will have Tea or Coffee, Juices, Cereals, Milk, Breads, Butter, Jam, cheese.  Some hotels may provide hash brown potatoes or hot potatoes or hot beans. No Indian item or Jain item will be available. 
• Indian Breakfast: In case of Indian Breakfast, you will be taken to the Indian restaurant and not in the hotel you are staying.Lunch & Dinner: may be a combination of Indian / Continental or local vegetarian or packed. Local lunch can be pizza, pasta or Mexican or subway. But all vegetarian. 
• Jain passengers: Please note, the Jain food which may be provided will be without onion, garlic & potatoes. Any further restriction from the above for vegetables etc cannot be accommodated. Also there will be restricted choice of vegetables, curries items for jain passengers. 
• A meal doesn’t include any Water Bottles, Beverages Hard/Soft drinks, Fruit Juices.  

• Tap Water throughout the USA is Safe to Consume and therefore request you to carry an empty bottle with you which you can fill whenever you wish to.

• Most public toilets are free of charge for use. 

• There is a shortage of manpower in USA which makes porter service either very expensive or not available for most hotels.
• Porterage in Any of Tours is not included. It will be passenger’s responsibility to carry their bags to and from the Coach and their room. 
• We recommend you to carry light so you can pull your bags in and out of the rooms on own easily. 

• Yes, Tipping is compulsory in USA. 
• You will have to pay USD 5.00 per person per day for the Duration of your tour. Kindly pay the same on arrival to the Tour Manager (Applicable on both adult and child) 

• The official currency is the United States dollar (USD). 
• Credit and debit cards are widely accepted in USA, including Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. ATMs are also readily available.  While it is a good idea to have some local currency on hand, you can exchange money at banks, currency exchange offices, or use ATMs upon arrival in the USA for competitive rates.

• Yes, it’s mandatory to carry an International Credit Card / Forex Card / Debit card. You need to provide the details of the booked accommodation. A refundable deposit will be blocked for 15 working days and released after you check out. Any damage to the room/property will be charged to this credit card.
• Also, if you hire a self-drive car, you must bring the same credit card used to make the reservation.

• Wi-Fi is available at most International airports, Public access areas of Hotels, cruise lines, and trains in USA. Buses do not necessarily have Wi-Fi. The speed quality and speed may vary.
• Some places may have access to Wi-Fi at a fee.

• Always carry layers, as it might get cold during evenings and mornings. Pack lightweight clothing for summer and warm layers for winter. Don't forget sunscreen, a hat, comfortable walking shoes, and swimwear if you plan to hit the beaches. Check the weather for your specific destinations.

• yes, you need to carry a universal adapter.

• Flamingo strongly advises that you should carry a travel insurance with you, with a minimum of USD250,000 coverage. We will not release any tour documents, unless the insurance copy is submitted to us. 
• Please note the insurance cost is not included in the tour cost. It is going to be additional. 

• Official Name: United States of America.
• Capital City : Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia)
• Major Cities : New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Dallas, Austin, Orlando, Las Vegas, Seattle
• Population : 324, 057, 300 (2023)
• Languages : English(specifically, American English)
• Best time to visit: Any time is a good time to visit USA

• For Flamingo group tours, we have a scheduled arrival airport to hotel transfer in New York and San Francisco at 5 pm. Please book your flights accordingly to avail the transfer. 
• Otherwise, you need to reach hotel on your own by taxi or uber. For uber you will need to have a credit or debt card linked to the uber app. They don’t accept cash. 
• All other cities, you need to reach to your arrival city hotel on own by taxi. 

• Standard check in time is 3 pm and check out time is 11 am. 

• When you book the tour, the sales staff will provide you with the itinerary which specifies all details and is day wise. You last and final updates itinerary with all hotel names and address as well as internal flights (If any) will be shared with you by your sales representative before 7 days of your departure. 

• Avail of USA visas by applying online. We do Visa process applications for our guests.We ensure a seamless application process to avail of aUSATourist Visa for Indians. The whole process includes bio matrix & personal interview.

• USA tourist visas are typically issued under the Tourist Category. You need to show your purpose of visit with valid documents.

• Before applying, make sure you meet the eligibility criteria for the chosen visa category. Eligibility criteria may include financial requirementsand the genuine temporary entrant requirement. Although it is totally depends on personal interview.

• A valid passport with a validity of a minimum of six months beyond your intended stay.
• Visa application form, which you can complete online on the official website. Travel itinerary, 
• Documents of family connections.

• Need to take visa appointment online.
• Fill out the online visa application form for a Visitor visa and pay the visa application fee. 
• Secure appointment for personal interview. 

• You will be required to undergo biometrics (fingerprints and photos. Follow the instructions provided in your application.

• You willhave to attend an interview at the nearest USA embassy or consulate. You will get your visa approval decision once your interview is done. 

• If your visa is approved, you will receive your passport within a week. Please read and understand the terms and conditions of your visa.

• Once you have your visa, you can travel to USA
• While in USA, adhere to all the conditions stated in your visa, including the duration of your stay.Always verify the latest requirements and procedures on the official USA government website or consult with the USA embassy or consulate nearest to you. Visa rules and conditions may change, so it isvital to have the most current information.

• It’s an advance country so manpower is always in shortage.
• Some places restaurants use Plastic or disposable Cutlery 
• All optional sightseeing like Grand Canyon tour, shows, you can do on your own. We can do the booking for you for which it needs to be paid in advance. 
• The tour itinerary and sequence of tour may change depending on the lot of factors like weather, availability, traffic conditions etc. 
• During Peak season (May till August) theme parks and sightseeing places can be crowded and can have queues. 
• First day and last day transfers for JD packages are on your own. We will provide you the cost for the arrival and departure transfers, if you wish to book then please connect with the sales executive you are in touch with.

• All information given in the Brochure / Itinerary / Sightseeing Tours are based on the information available at the time of publication. We reserve the right to change any brochure / itinerary before or after booking your tour due to any event beyond our control. In case if we will know about any changes before your departure we will update or communicate with you otherwise our Tour Manager or Local Representative will inform you of the changes on the tour.

• It is mandatory to follow the Vaccination pre-requirement of each country being visited before &during the tour.

• If you wish to deviate your tour from the group on return to India the same is permitted. You will have to pay Rs. 10,000/- per person per deviation plus difference of airfare as per availability of the date you wish to travel on. Pre tour deviations are not possible on Group airfare. If you wish to go earlier than Group departure date than you are required to pay the difference of individual airfare and Group airfare.

• International airfare not included. 
• Passengers need to reach to the hotel of first destination on their own. Airport transfers are not included for Direct Joining passengers. 
• Passengers’ tour will end at the hotel in the last city. They need to transfer to airport on their own expense.
• The JD cost does not include the cost of USA visa and Canada visa.

• Your tour manager will not be travelling with you in the flights. He / She will meet you directly in the first hotel of your tour / airport (if there is a transfer) 
• It is not necessary that the tour manager travels with you in the internal flights as well. 
• Your tour manager may change the flow of sightseeing for the betterment if need may be. 

• Double room is for 2 people sharing 
• Triple room is for 3 persons sharing one standard room
• Child sharing room with parents will be 2 queen beds in 1 room
• Most hotels have more Twin rooms (2 queen beds). 

• It is strictly not allowed to eat, drink or smoke inside the Coach. 
• Coach Captains are bound by American laws and restrictions about driving hours per day and per week. All itineraries are planned as per them. Therefore it is absolutely essential for passengers to follow the time very strictly and punctually. 
• In some Coaches an emergency washroom is available. Keeping in mind hygiene standards it can be used only in case of severe emergency. We try to make sufficient stops to ensure the comfort of our passengers. 
• For our tours we do have all sizes of coaches such as 30 seater, 49 seater and 55 seater. We choose coach as per number of participants in the tour and we tend to use full capacity of our coach with no seat or hardly a seat or two empty in the coach. 
• The coach size will be confirmed once the group size is finalized
• Our coaches will NOT have any WIFI facilities on board the coach. 
• Itinerary involves at least 1 – 9 Hours of Traveling daily depending on the Itinerary. To know more please refer to our itinerary which clearly mentions all the traveling time along with kilometers. 
• You cannot eat/ drink or consume liquor in the coach. 
• The Coach is booked for the service mentioned in the itinerary only. Modification of the itinerary is not possible. 
• The driver will not be an English-speaking driver.
• The coach size will be confirmed once the group size is finalized
  

Payment Policy:

• Initial deposit - Rs. 50,000/ + USA visa fees to confirm you’re booking with us. 
• 2nd Payment –Rs. 1, 00,000 while applying for Canada Visa.    
• 3rd Payment - Rs.  1, 00,000/- 75 Days Prior to your Departure. 
• 4th Payment – Rs.  1, 00,000/- 45 Days Prior to your Departure.
• 100% payment to be made at least 30 Days Prior to your Departure.
• The initial deposit money will be towards the INR portion. 
• The USD component will never be freezed. ROE will be considered on the date of payments given, towards USD portion.