Europe & UK Small Group Tour Pre-departure Information


Important information before you go


Please ensure you bring...

  • Tour vouchers: These are supplied to you electronically and will be sent either to your travel agent or to your personal email as provided by you. Please ensure that you have saved a copy or printed out copies while you travel.
  • 'On tour' luggage tags: These are supplied in your pre-departure pack.  Your Albatross Tours luggage tags will be used by your Tour Manager to identify your luggage whilst on tour. Please attach them to your luggage on the first day prior to boarding your coach.  If you have not received them, please ask your travel agent or contact us.
  • Valid passport: Please ensure your passport is valid for at least 6 months beyond the return date of your trip. Currently, Australian, New Zealand and UK passport holders do not require any visas on any of our European tours, however please check www.smarttraveller.gov.au or https://www.safetravel.govt.nz/ if you are a New Zealand passport holder for the most up to date information.
  • Travel insurance with specific COVID cover: It is a condition of travel on our tours, that you are covered by adequate International Travel Insurance. Please ensure you bring your insurance details with you.
  • Are you taking prescribed medications? You will need a doctor's letter to cover prescribed drugs you are carrying with you.
  • Do you wear glasses or contact lenses? It is possibly a good idea to take details of your optical prescription just in case you need to replace them.

ETIAS: New requirements to travel to Europe

From January 2025, a new travel authorisation will be required to enter Europe.
For further details regarding when this will be introduced and whether you are required to have this travel authorisation for your trip to Europe in 2025, please click here: https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en

Carry proof of your COVID vaccinations

You may be required to provide proof of vaccination status on entry to UK and/ or Europe. That document of proof is readily downloadable from your local government website.

  • Always refer to Smart Traveller for Australian travellers and Safe Travel for our New Zealand travellers, as rules and regulations for entry to various European countries are constantly changing.
  • We suggest to bring a printout of your International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate (ICVC Australia) or International Travel Vaccination Certificate (NZ) with you as a precaution.
  • Please ensure you check regularly as these are constantly changing and it is your responsibility to have these entry requirements completed or provided to our Tour Manager.  Your Tour Manager is not responsible for completing these forms but will remind you the entry requirements while you are on tour.

Face Masks

  • In continental Europe few people wear cloth masks as protection against COVID-19 and instead are utilising surgical masks of a specific standard. Increasingly FFP2 masks are the required standard of use.  In Australia we know these masks as KN95 or by N95 standard.
  • FFP stands for “filtering face piece”. It is a European standard for mask efficiency, ranging from one, the lowest grade, to three, the highest. FFP2 masks filter at least 94% of all aerosols, including airborne viruses such as COVID-19.
  • Please ensure that you have an adequate quantity of these masks to use while on your journey.  These may be purchased before you leave Australia or locally once you have arrived in country.

Copy important legal documents

We suggest you take photocopies of the first few pages of your passports, your insurance policy, any tickets or vouchers and any credit cards you are taking. Put these in an envelope and keep them in your suitcase away from the ‘originals’ which will be presumably in your hand luggage.

Special diets

All the hotels and restaurants, along with your Tour Manager, will have been notified of any special dietary needs you advised to us by you on the Traveller Information Form.
Nevertheless, please do check with your Tour Manager to ensure they are aware of them. Whilst every effort will be made to accommodate your special needs we cannot guarantee they will always be available.

Do you have a disability or medical condition we need to know about?

If you have advised us of any mobility concerns, disability or medical condition on your Traveller Information Form, we will have passed these details on to your Tour Manager. We recommend that you also raise the matter confidentially with your Tour Manager at the beginning of the tour.

Luggage Dimensions

Allowed luggage on your Albatross Tour

  • 1 suitcase per person - maximum 23 kg
  • Hand luggage - 1 piece - maximum 7kg
  • Plus 1 handbag or backpack.


Your tour may have more specific requirements due to the mode of transport being utilised. Refer to your tour pre-departure documentation for specific requirements.

Porterage

Hotel porterage for one suitcase per person is included at each stay during your group touring programme*. It is not included on the first or last days of your tour when arriving or departing your hotel independently.

*Some exclusions do apply, please refer to your tour specific pre-departure documentation.

For more specific details about your Europe & UK Summer or your European festive tours, please refer to the information below.

Contact Us

If you have any questions please contact our friendly European tour specialists on 1300 135 015 (NZ 0800 446 232).